Awards

Legal 500 (2018) Recognizes Cohen Milstein’s Antitrust, Securities Litigation, and Employment Disputes Practices, as well as Steven J. Toll, Richard A. Koffman, Kit A. Pierson, Sharon K. Robertson, and Brent W. Johnson

May 31, 2018

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC has been recognized by The Legal 500 as a leading firm in the practice areas of:

In addition, the following partners were singled out as Legal 500 Leading Lawyers:

The following partners were singled out as Legal 500 Next Generation Lawyers:

The Legal 500 editorial team further observed:

Antitrust: Civil Litigation / Class Actions: Plaintiff

  • Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC has ‘a deep bench of talent’, which ‘does an excellent job of representing plaintiff classes in civil antitrust litigation from inception to trial’. The team is led by Richard Koffman and Kit Pierson and includes a number of other highly regarded figures, such Daniel SmallBrent Johnson and New York-based Sharon Robertson. Small and others acted as co-lead counsel to a class of around 10,000 animation and visual effects workers in Re Animation Workers Antitrust Litigation; final approval of a $168.5m settlement was granted in 2017. In addition, Michael Eisenkraft and Douglas Richards (who both practice in New York) as well as Pierson are the firm’s lead partners in class action litigation in which it is alleged that a number of the world’s largest banks conspired to maintain anti-competitive control of the interest rate swaps (IRS) market. Named lawyers are based in Washington DC, except where otherwise stated.

Dispute Resolution: Securities Litigation: Plaintiff

  • Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC in Washington DC stands out for its ‘breadth of substantive expertise and its innovative approach to the application of the law’. The firm is best known for securities and antitrust litigation, and its securities litigation and investor protection practice represents more than 150 public and Taft-Hartley pension funds. Julie Reiser and managing partner Steven Toll added to the firm’s longstanding reputation for success in high-profile and high-value cases when they secured final approval of a $175m settlement in In re: BP PLC Securities Litigation, in which plaintiffs alleged that BP had misled investors about the severity of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Reiser, Toll and Michael Eisenkraft also concluded a series of successful mortgage-backed securities (MBS) cases by achieving a $165m settlement in New Jersey Carpenters Health Fund v NovaStar Mortgage, Inc, et al. Another key case, In re Harman International Industries Inc Securities Litigation, saw Toll, Reiser and Daniel Sommers secure $28.5m for Arkansas Public Employees’ Retirement System.

Labor and Employment: Labor and Employment Disputes: Plaintiff

  • Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC is ‘one of the top plaintiff-side litigation firms in the country’ and handles a range of class and collective actions relating to discrimination and wage and hour disputes. ‘Smart litigator’ Joseph Sellers, who chairs the civil rights and employment group, is representing a class of approximately 69,000 female sales employees nationwide in a Title VII and Equal Pay Act case against Sterling Jewelers. Sellers is also representing Walmart employees in several regional class cases for sex discrimination in relation to pay and promotions. Representing McDonald’s crewmembers in several wage and hour class action lawsuits asserting that the McDonald’s regularly fails to pay workers for all the hours they work by denying them legally mandated meal and rest breaks is another highlight. Christine Webber, who is a ‘tenacious and passionate litigator’, and Kalpana Kotagal are key members of the team. Named individuals are based in Washington DC.