May 31, 2005
Firm recognized for its outstanding work in the areas of Antitrust; Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Corporate/M&A; Environmental; Intellectual Property; International Trade; Litigation: General Commercial; Litigation: Securities; Private Equity; Real Estate; Tax; Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite: Regulatory; and Technology & IT Outsourcing.
The firm is prominently featured in the 2005 edition of Chambers USA - America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, including being ranked in the number one category for Securities Litigation. The annual directory, which is compiled from independent peer reviews, highlights the top law firms and attorneys in the United States. Willkie is recognized for its outstanding work in the areas of Antitrust; Bankruptcy/Restructuring; Corporate/M&A; Environmental; Intellectual Property; International Trade; Litigation: General Commercial; Litigation: Securities; Private Equity; Real Estate; Tax; Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite: Regulatory; and Technology & IT Outsourcing.
Chambers also recently nominated Willkie among a short list of firms for “Law Firm of the Year” in the categories France and US Bankruptcy.
Below are highlights of the firm’s listings, rankings and commentary.
Antitrust - New York
Chambers writes that the firm’s antitrust group is known as “a truly trusted adviser for a range of antitrust matters.”
William Rooney: Recognized as “thorough” and “polished in his technical expertise,” Mr. Rooney “impresses peers as an attorney who invests a lot of time in being on top of the law.”
Bankruptcy/Restructuring - New York
Willkie is regarded “at the top of many people’s lists for debtor representation.” Chambers highlights that “the team has advised on a number of high-profile bankruptcies and wins market recognition for its knowledge of specialist industries, including the communications, healthcare and retail sectors.”
Myron Trepper: Mr. Trepper is said to be “respected in the market as a tremendous lawyer with a commanding presence,” and “won particular praise for his performance in negotiations.”
Marc Abrams: Heralded as “another outstanding member of the group,” Mr. Abrams is revered for his keen ability to lead groups of business people.
Matthew Feldman: Mr. Feldman is regarded for his even keel approach and talent for building consensus among disparate parties.
Michael Kelly: Mr. Kelly is called “a tough negotiator who wins plaudits from clients for his understanding of business considerations and knack of securing favorable results.”
Corporate/M&A – New York
Chambers writes that the firm’s “holistic attitude toward a company,” ensures that “all parties are working for the company’s best interests.” Chambers adds that this approach has particularly taken off in the M&A business, where the Willkie practitioners are “well grounded in the law yet able to think strategically,” and are skilled in “anticipating problems before they develop.”
Jack Nusbaum: Chambers writes that the firm’s chairman, Jack Nusbaum, is well known for his skill in combining “wonderful business and legal judgment.” He is called “a practical thinker,” and praised for his “ability to distill and reach a conclusion way ahead of most people.”
Thomas Cerabino: Mr. Cerabino is commended for his stellar representation of “key clients such as Zurich Financial Services and Carlos Slim while maintaining strong gaming industry experience.”
Steven Seidman: Mr. Seidman is applauded for having made an “immeasurable impact on the success and well-being” of his clients, noting that “his responsiveness is instantaneous, the speed of his performance is lightning-like, and his thoroughness is on a par with any major M&A player in New York City.”
Environment – Washington
Recognizing the firm’s strong reputation in both the regulatory and transactional spheres, Chambers writes that “clients like the fact that it is good at quantifying costs and very active in identifying ways of minimizing environmental risk.”
E. Donald Elliott: “Familiar with all the environmental issues which turn up, Donald Elliott is the department’s overall head and a man of many talents.” Chambers writes further that he is “an influential thinker on environmental and toxic risks,” and is regarded for being “a top adviser on any aspect of policy,” as well as for having “worked on some of the largest clean air settlements.”
Intellectual Property - New York
John DiMatteo: The “truly excellent” John DiMatteo is said to be “a renowned authority on patents, trade secrets, trademarks and IP licensing issues.”
International Trade - National
“Armed with great expertise and resources,” Willkie’s trade group is commended for its willingness to “pursue clients’ interests even to the ends of the earth.” Clients commented on the “energy channeled into understanding their business, so that members of the firm hit the ground running like few others can.”
William Barringer: Noted for his representation of the Vietnamese shrimp industry in the high-profile antidumping investigation, Mr. Barringer is said to bring “a sea of calm” to his negotiations.
James Durling: Mr. Durling is praised for his recent success in high-profile WTO proceedings, including on behalf of the Government of Japan in a dispute arising from US safeguard measures on steel products.
Kenneth Pierce: Chambers highlights that “Mr. Pierce has a particular depth of experience in matters relating to Thailand, most recently having represented the Thai Frozen Foods Association and Rubicon Resources in the shrimp antidumping investigation.”
Daniel Porter: Known as “a passionate advocate,” Chambers underscores that Mr. Porter is “credited with an enthusiasm that proved to be critical to getting people to get things done.”
Christopher Dunn: Chambers writes that Mr. Dunn is “highly respected for his trade remedies expertise and has dealt substantially with cases relating to Latin America, particularly Brazil.”
Matthew Nicely: Mr. Nicely “received plaudits from market observers in the USA and overseas for his role in relation to the Vietnamese shrimp industry during the antidumping investigation into the sector and is widely respected for his work on developing surrogate values.”
Litigation: General Commercial – New York
Litigation: Securities – New York
The firm is acclaimed for its impressive “post-Sarbanes growth in litigation,” noting that “its all too evident skills have become more and more in demand.” Chambers continues that Willkie attorneys “display skill both in the general and in the particular,” and have “fashioned an excellent reputation in specialized sectors.”
Michael Young: Mr. Young is recommended as “indubitably one of the most experienced defenders of accountants’ interests,” and is said to be “a good part of the reason why Willkie is held in such very high esteem for its accounting irregularities work.”
Richard Posen: “Intelligent and thoughtful,” Chambers writes that Mr. Posen “undertakes the full gamut of securities matters, including investigations, while also possessing great M&A knowledge.”
Private Equity - New York
Chambers extols the firm for being “extremely capable in everything they do, from simple investments to buyout situations.” The firm is recommended for having “established large teams dedicated to the private equity arena across the USA, which work in conjunction with small but respected practices in the UK, France, Germany, Belgium and Italy.”
Steven Gartner: Mr. Gartner is praised for bringing “good balance and judgment” to a transaction, while remaining “sensitive and knowledgeable to the long-term issues of client development.”
Real Estate – New York
Willkie is recommended for providing “comprehensive service to clients,” with its extensive “expertise on real estate financings and related securitizations” and “know-how with REIT mergers, acquisitions and leasing activity.” With respect to shopping center transactions, the firm is said to “assist about half of the top ten such organizations in the USA,” and “retains a visible profile in major office building transactions.”
Eugene Pinover: Considered to be “the ultimate businessman’s lawyer,” Chambers writes that Mr. Pinover “continues to impress with his success record.”
Steven Klein: “Smart and low key,” Mr. Klein is acknowledged for his significant role in the group’s active leasing development practice.
Tax - New York
Richard Reinhold: The “gifted” Mr. Reinhold is celebrated for his “superb tax experience,” and was particularly “applauded for recent tax work on behalf of Donald J. Trump in debt restructuring of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts.”
Telecom, Broadcast & Satellite: Regulatory – Washington
The firm is recognized for communications expertise encompassing broadcasting, cable TV and the Internet. Chambers also discusses the firm’s extensive involvement in the areas of satellite and undersea cable, and wireless and wireline communications.
Philip Verveer: The “perennial” Mr. Verveer is regarded by Chambers as “an extraordinary practitioner in the realm of broadcast litigation.” Chambers continues, “He is a favorite destination if you want a wise counsel to navigate your way through a difficult problem at the FCC.”
Technology & IT Outsourcing - New York
Willkie is called “a go-to firm in the IT area,” with clients “returning to the team for its creative solutions to complex problems.” Chambers highlights the firm’s “ability to offer feedback on how various legal issues would ripple through to other parts of the business.”
Gordon Caplan: Mr. Caplan “is highly rated for the depth of his transactional expertise in the technology sector, and his ability to think outside the box.” He is known to be “responsive and enthusiastic about his work,” and his clients appreciate his “strong business sense that allows him to explain technical matters in a business context.”
Bruce Kraus: Mr. Kraus is described as being “top of his game for telecom expertise and practical advice,” and “a good corporate lawyer with a huge market share of emerging telecom companies.”
