Cravath’s New York Office Moves to Two Manhattan West
Cravath handles a unique concentration of complex and nontraditional transaction-related litigation, often involving novel issues of law and requiring strategic coordination of multiple suits. Precedent-setting wins for our clients in merger litigation brought in courts in New York, Delaware and throughout the country have given corporate defendants greater ammunition to protect critical business interests nationwide.
Cravath’s litigators work closely with our corporate lawyers, often involved from the early stages of a transaction to provide strategic advice and counseling along the way—arming us to respond quickly and holistically to any related litigation. Given our expertise in this area, we also are frequently brought on to defend against M&A-related litigation, even where our corporate attorneys were not involved in the underlying transaction, and are noted for achieving “creative and commercial resolutions.” (The Legal 500 US) We have significant experience representing companies, boards of directors and special committees in individual, class and derivative actions arising from contemplated or hostile transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and other business deals. Our litigators handle high‑stakes, multidistrict litigation covering the full range of transaction‑related issues, including the defense of company independence against activist shareholders, breach of contract and fiduciary duty allegations, challenges to shareholder rights plans and disclosure issues under state and federal laws.
We have achieved notable resolutions and established important precedent in transaction related matters impacting companies operating in all major industries, including technology, media and entertainment, financial services and insurance, consumer products, energy and natural resources, and healthcare and life sciences. Among other accolades, Best Lawyers Best Law Firms has repeatedly awarded Cravath “Law Firm of the Year” for our M&A litigation practice. The Firm also was named New York Law Journal’s overall “Litigation Department of the Year” three times in the past six years, most recently in 2024, and the publication also has honored the Firm as “Class Action Litigation Department of the Year.” In addition, we are consistently ranked in the top tier of The Legal 500 US, and our partners are regularly recognized individually for M&A litigation, including by Best Lawyers Best Law Firms and The Legal 500 US.
Our M&A litigators also have earned repeated praise from clients and the market, including:
Cravath’s litigators work closely with our corporate lawyers, often involved from the early stages of a transaction to provide strategic advice and counseling along the way—arming us to respond quickly and holistically to any related litigation. Given our expertise in this area, we also are frequently brought on to defend against M&A-related litigation, even where our corporate attorneys were not involved in the underlying transaction, and are noted for achieving “creative and commercial resolutions.” (The Legal 500 US) We have significant experience representing companies, boards of directors and special committees in individual, class and derivative actions arising from contemplated or hostile transactions, including mergers, acquisitions and other business deals. Our litigators handle high‑stakes, multidistrict litigation covering the full range of transaction‑related issues, including the defense of company independence against activist shareholders, breach of contract and fiduciary duty allegations, challenges to shareholder rights plans and disclosure issues under state and federal laws.
We have achieved notable resolutions and established important precedent in transaction related matters impacting companies operating in all major industries, including technology, media and entertainment, financial services and insurance, consumer products, energy and natural resources, and healthcare and life sciences. Among other accolades, Best Lawyers Best Law Firms has repeatedly awarded Cravath “Law Firm of the Year” for our M&A litigation practice. The Firm also was named New York Law Journal’s overall “Litigation Department of the Year” three times in the past six years, most recently in 2024, and the publication also has honored the Firm as “Class Action Litigation Department of the Year.” In addition, we are consistently ranked in the top tier of The Legal 500 US, and our partners are regularly recognized individually for M&A litigation, including by Best Lawyers Best Law Firms and The Legal 500 US.
Our M&A litigators also have earned repeated praise from clients and the market, including:
Deals & Cases
January 24, 2024
On January 22, 2024, Forward Air Corporation (“Forward”) announced an agreement with Omni Logistics, LLC (“Omni”), a private company that is majority owned by Ridgemont Equity Partners and EVE Partners, LLC, to amend the terms of the existing merger agreement relating to their previously announced acquisition. This agreement ends the litigation between the parties, which will now be dismissed. Under the terms of the amended merger agreement, Omni shareholders will receive $20 million in cash, instead of the $150 million initially agreed, and 35% of Forward’s pro forma common equity (on a fully‑diluted, as‑converted basis), as compared to the 37.7% of Forward’s pro forma common equity (on a fully‑diluted, as‑converted basis) contemplated by the original agreement. Cravath is representing Forward in connection with the transaction and related litigation.
Deals & Cases
October 12, 2023
On October 10, 2023, following a full trial on the merits and an appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court, Cravath client The Williams Companies, Inc. (“Williams”) secured a victory resulting in a judgment of more than $600 million.
Deals & Cases
October 03, 2022
On October 3, 2022, the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware issued an order affirming the Delaware Court of Chancery’s dismissal of claims brought against Cravath clients Buckeye Partners, L.P., Buckeye GP LLC, and Buckeye GP LLC’s board of directors (collectively, “Buckeye”) by a former unitholder, Walter E. Ryan, Jr.
Accolades
September 23, 2024
Gary A. Bornstein was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “New York Power Lawyers” list, which recognizes the “25 most powerful entertainment lawyers in New York” and was published in the September 19, 2024 issue of The Hollywood Reporter Magazine. The feature highlighted Gary’s representation of Epic Games in its successful antitrust litigation against Google and of a Special Committee of Paramount Global’s independent directors in connection with litigation matters related to the company’s pending $28 billion merger with Skydance.
Accolades
September 06, 2024
On September 6, 2024, Lawdragon announced the inclusion of 37 Cravath partners in its list of the “500 Leading Litigators in America.” The list, assembled based on research and vetting by peers, recognizes the “the best litigators the U.S. has to offer” who represent entities in cases spanning the areas of antitrust, finance, government investigations, intellectual property, M&A and securities, among many others.
Activities & Publications
August 28, 2024
On August 26, 2024, Cravath partner Helam Gebremariam was featured as a 2024 “Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal. The accompanying profile published by NYLJ highlights Helam’s representation of clients in complex litigation cases, including shareholder derivative, mergers and acquisitions, general commercial, securities and antitrust matters, as well as her pro bono practice work, including on right to counsel and access to justice issues. The feature also highlights Helam’s role as a partner liaison to the Firm’s African American/Black Affinity Group and her roles on the boards of Immigrant Justice Corps, the Vera Institute of Justice, and the NYU School of Law Board of Trustees. Helam also shared advice for young lawyers, emphasizing her belief that “authenticity is critical to forging meaningful connections in all parts of your life.”
Accolades
August 16, 2024
On August 15, 2024, Cravath partners Gary A. Bornstein and D. Scott Bennett were named 2025 “Lawyers of the Year” for New York City in their respective practice areas by The Best Lawyers in America. Gary was recognized for Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation, and Scott was recognized for Corporate Law. The awards honor individuals with the highest overall peer feedback for a practice area and within a geographic market and whose work “continues to shape the future of the legal industry.”
Accolades
July 17, 2024
On June 6, 2024, Cravath partner David R. Marriott was recognized by Leaders League as a leading trial lawyer in the United States. The profile praised Dave’s “uncommon ability to consistently win complex cases of every hue, often against all odds,” as exemplified by his representation of clients including Illumina in its unprecedented antitrust trial victory against the FTC; Amgen in its successful defense against the FTC’s challenge to its $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics; Louis Dreyfus Company and Imperial Sugar Company in their trial victory over the DOJ; Viatris in its summary judgment win to defeat a securities class action; and photographers Donald Graham and Eric McNatt, who secured favorable SDNY judgments in copyright infringement litigation against appropriation artist Richard Prince and his galleries. The publication deemed his work on the antitrust cases “a string of stunning…victories” in “three of the most significant antitrust cases of the last decade.” Leaders League further remarked that “Marriott never shirks from a challenge, no matter how daunting [the] odds or opposition.”
Deals & Cases
January 24, 2024
On January 22, 2024, Forward Air Corporation (“Forward”) announced an agreement with Omni Logistics, LLC (“Omni”), a private company that is majority owned by Ridgemont Equity Partners and EVE Partners, LLC, to amend the terms of the existing merger agreement relating to their previously announced acquisition. This agreement ends the litigation between the parties, which will now be dismissed. Under the terms of the amended merger agreement, Omni shareholders will receive $20 million in cash, instead of the $150 million initially agreed, and 35% of Forward’s pro forma common equity (on a fully‑diluted, as‑converted basis), as compared to the 37.7% of Forward’s pro forma common equity (on a fully‑diluted, as‑converted basis) contemplated by the original agreement. Cravath is representing Forward in connection with the transaction and related litigation.
Deals & Cases
October 12, 2023
On October 10, 2023, following a full trial on the merits and an appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court, Cravath client The Williams Companies, Inc. (“Williams”) secured a victory resulting in a judgment of more than $600 million.
Deals & Cases
October 03, 2022
On October 3, 2022, the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware issued an order affirming the Delaware Court of Chancery’s dismissal of claims brought against Cravath clients Buckeye Partners, L.P., Buckeye GP LLC, and Buckeye GP LLC’s board of directors (collectively, “Buckeye”) by a former unitholder, Walter E. Ryan, Jr.
Accolades
September 23, 2024
Gary A. Bornstein was named to The Hollywood Reporter’s “New York Power Lawyers” list, which recognizes the “25 most powerful entertainment lawyers in New York” and was published in the September 19, 2024 issue of The Hollywood Reporter Magazine. The feature highlighted Gary’s representation of Epic Games in its successful antitrust litigation against Google and of a Special Committee of Paramount Global’s independent directors in connection with litigation matters related to the company’s pending $28 billion merger with Skydance.
Accolades
September 06, 2024
On September 6, 2024, Lawdragon announced the inclusion of 37 Cravath partners in its list of the “500 Leading Litigators in America.” The list, assembled based on research and vetting by peers, recognizes the “the best litigators the U.S. has to offer” who represent entities in cases spanning the areas of antitrust, finance, government investigations, intellectual property, M&A and securities, among many others.
Activities & Publications
August 28, 2024
On August 26, 2024, Cravath partner Helam Gebremariam was featured as a 2024 “Rising Star” by the New York Law Journal. The accompanying profile published by NYLJ highlights Helam’s representation of clients in complex litigation cases, including shareholder derivative, mergers and acquisitions, general commercial, securities and antitrust matters, as well as her pro bono practice work, including on right to counsel and access to justice issues. The feature also highlights Helam’s role as a partner liaison to the Firm’s African American/Black Affinity Group and her roles on the boards of Immigrant Justice Corps, the Vera Institute of Justice, and the NYU School of Law Board of Trustees. Helam also shared advice for young lawyers, emphasizing her belief that “authenticity is critical to forging meaningful connections in all parts of your life.”
Accolades
August 16, 2024
On August 15, 2024, Cravath partners Gary A. Bornstein and D. Scott Bennett were named 2025 “Lawyers of the Year” for New York City in their respective practice areas by The Best Lawyers in America. Gary was recognized for Mergers and Acquisitions Litigation, and Scott was recognized for Corporate Law. The awards honor individuals with the highest overall peer feedback for a practice area and within a geographic market and whose work “continues to shape the future of the legal industry.”
Accolades
July 17, 2024
On June 6, 2024, Cravath partner David R. Marriott was recognized by Leaders League as a leading trial lawyer in the United States. The profile praised Dave’s “uncommon ability to consistently win complex cases of every hue, often against all odds,” as exemplified by his representation of clients including Illumina in its unprecedented antitrust trial victory against the FTC; Amgen in its successful defense against the FTC’s challenge to its $27.8 billion acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics; Louis Dreyfus Company and Imperial Sugar Company in their trial victory over the DOJ; Viatris in its summary judgment win to defeat a securities class action; and photographers Donald Graham and Eric McNatt, who secured favorable SDNY judgments in copyright infringement litigation against appropriation artist Richard Prince and his galleries. The publication deemed his work on the antitrust cases “a string of stunning…victories” in “three of the most significant antitrust cases of the last decade.” Leaders League further remarked that “Marriott never shirks from a challenge, no matter how daunting [the] odds or opposition.”
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