Winston & Strawn LLP has a skilled securities litigation practice in which partners frequently handle high-stakes M&A-related cases. The standout lawyer is practice head James Smith in New York who has ‘great judgment and unmatched experience over many decades’. Also highly active are fellow practice head William O’Neill in Chicago, who is ‘an exceptional commercial litigator’. Chair of firm’s Los Angeles litigation practice John Schreiber also plays a pivotal role in high-value cases, a recent example being the defense of Oaktree Capital Management in a cross-border dispute concerning an alleged breach of an asset purchase agreement. Matthew DiRisio in New York, who is representing REIT Jernigan Capital, Inc. in a matter concerning its $900m merger with NexPoint Advisers, is also highly regarded.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

‘Winston & Strawn has a great bench of very talented litigators who don't get the credit they deserve.’
‘Jim Smith remains the most articulate litigator I've ever encountered and he has great judgment and unmatched experience over many decades. John Schreiber is a laser sharp guy with an amazing sense of humor who can charm grumpy judges.’
‘The standout qualities of the individuals I work with are attentiveness, responsiveness, subject matter expertise, knowledge of market trends and best practices, and the results which they produce.’
‘I have worked with the lawyers at Winston for decades. They are the best of the best. They know the law and are very effective at achieving great results for their clients ’
‘James Smith, Mathew DiRisio, and William O'Neil are all exceptional commercial litigators. They show good judgment and are skilled advocates in the courtroom.’

Key clients

Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P.
Cresco Labs
Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Curacao
Digital Virgo Group
Entrepology, LLC; Tramp Dudez, LLC; Jeffrey Platt; Andrew Wilson
Fathom Digital Manufacturing Corp.
OaktreeCapital Management, L.P.
Jernigan Capital, Inc., n/k/a NexPoint Storage Partners, Inc.
Pendrell Corporation
Polar Capital Holdings LLC; Polar Capital Holdings PLC
Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corp.
Certain managers/board members of The Place for Children with Autism
Former Independent Directors of Segerdahl Corp. DBA SG360
Shore Capital Partners
Stockbridge
Unity Manufacturing

Work highlights

Won a complete dismissal on behalf of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P., Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., and various officers and directors, including Cantor’s CEO and Chairman, in a securities class action in the Northern District of California alleging violations of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, related to the $1.6bn de-SPAC merger between CF Finance Acquisition Corp. II and View, Inc.
Representing Pendrell Corporation, a Pendrell subsidiary, and certain executives, including Pendrell’s founder and CEO in a series of cases including a federal securities class action, a federal derivative action, and a direct stockholder class action filed in the Delaware Court of Chancery related to a US$2.1bn business combination between a SPAC that was sponsored by the Pendrell subsidiary – and Astra Space, Inc. which merged with and into Holicity.
As trial counsel represented the former independent directors of Segerdahl Corp. in an ESOP class action case where the shareholders allege that the board failed to maximize value when it sold the company for nearly $300m.

Lawyers

Leading partners

The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.

James Smith

Winston & Strawn LLP

https://www.winston.com/en/who-we-are/professionals/smith-james-p.html#full-bio James Smith chairs Winston & Strawn’s Securities Litigation Practice, leading what The Legal 500 US describes as a “fabulous, ... first-rate” “cadre of lawyers in New York who continue to impress in the M&A litigation space—they are as good as anyone in the industry.” He is ranked in the area of New York Litigation: Securities by Chambers USA in 2017–2019 and 2021–2023, where “impressed interviewees” praise him as “an exceptionally good trial lawyer and excellent strategic thinker.” He is recommended by The Legal 500 US in the areas of M&A Litigation and Securities Litigation—Defense as a “great lawyer with excellent judgment.”

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

James Smith, John Schreiber: William O’Neill

Other key lawyers

Matthew DiRisio