Sonnenschein’s Litigation Practice is our largest, with more than 250 attorneys coast-to-coast. Twelve of our litigators are ranked by Chambers 2008 USA as among America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. Chambers calls our national insurance litigation practice “sophisticated and thorough” and praises Sonnenschein’s ability to “work tirelessly and creatively to help manage disputes.” As a national leader in complex litigation and class action defense, we have protected scores of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes, bet-the-company lawsuits. We stand ready to protect you, too.
Crisis Management
Effective crisis management must be both reactive and proactive. We provide both by assessing the potential ramifications of a complex case from the outset and assembling a quick-reaction team to help our client anticipate and formulate sophisticated responses to potential attacks from regulators, shareholders, consumers and competitors. Working seamlessly with our strategic communications and public affairs professionals, we are ready at a moment’s notice to simultaneously defend lawsuits and investigations while addressing political and public relations concerns. We regularly assist clients with regulators, creating effective media relations programs and strategizing legislative and lobbying initiatives. We also have a successful record of building “good company” defenses and thwarting efforts by the plaintiffs’ bar to “feed” on a client.
Developing Expert Teams
In many large litigation matters, and particularly in cases involving technology, telecommunications, financial products and health issues, specialized teams can be crucial to the ultimate disposition of a case. As more and more cases turn on scientific and other technical evidence, experts can be crucial to successful litigation, both through sophisticated motion practice on evidentiary issues and at trial. We routinely partner with prominent consulting experts who give our clients the expertise they need to win.
National Coordinating Counsel
We have an outstanding reputation among our peers for efficient and effective case management. For this reason, we often are called upon to serve as national coordinating counsel in class action and multi-district litigation. Working with our clients and from a deep understanding of our clients’ business objectives and needs, we develop a unified defense strategy shared by the client, our litigation team, local counsel and joint defense teams.
The dynamics in cases involving multiple defendants are different from those involving single defendants. We understand how these dynamics affect our clients and how to devise strategies that suit their strategic and budgetary objectives. We have extensive experience with joint defense teams and often take a leading role. Our sterling reputation in the class action bar, and our longstanding relationships with leading defense lawyers—as well as plaintiffs’ counsel—help ensure that our clients’ voices are heard.
Appellate Expertise
Sonnenschein’s Appellate Litigation Practice brings specialized expertise to the most complex cases in the state and federal appellate courts. Our team of appellate litigators has handled hundreds of appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals and in numerous state appellate and supreme courts across the country. Often, our appellate litigators are retained by clients to take over cases upon completion at the trial court level in order to provide specialized appellate expertise in high stakes litigation. Our appellate team includes former law clerks to appellate judges on the state and federal benches as well as attorneys who honed their appellate skills litigating as members of the United States Department of Justice and Unite States Attorney’s offices.
Regulatory Advice
Our seasoned litigators, former regulators and public law and policy attorneys bring years of nationwide experience advising companies on regulatory matters to your complex matter. We have a history of successfully responding to regulatory inquiries, advising companies on “best practices” based on the latest in regulator thinking, and working with regulators to resolve consumer, class action and other complex cases.
Document Retention, e-Discovery and Case Management
Our legal and technical knowledge of document retention requirements enables us to advise clients on best document retention practices and procedures for any investigation or legal action. We are adept at e-discovery and at identifying efficient approaches to e-document management.
Moreover, Sonnenschein is without peer in computer forensics and e-discovery technical expertise. Our full-service computer forensics lab is one of the few such facilities at a U.S. law firm. Our lab supports Sonnenschein litigators with electronic media analysis of Internet threats and assessment of underground Internet communities, e-discovery of adversaries and recovery of electronic data, and forensic examination of electronic data. Our lab’s capabilities significantly reduce the costs associated with retaining outside consulting firms and can provide a significant advantage in uncovering evidence against your adversaries.
