Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP was named New Jersey Litigation Department of the Year at The American Lawyer (Am Law) Industry Awards held Nov. 10. Greenberg Traurig New Jersey, which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary, was recognized for litigation victories achieved for a wide range of clients.
“We are proud and grateful that our New Jersey litigators are trusted by long-time clients, new businesses, and colleagues to be on the front lines litigating issues important to them across sectors and markets,” Greenberg Traurig New Jersey Managing Shareholder David Jay said. “Thank you, Am Law, for recognizing our attorneys and their commitment to representing some of the world’s largest multinational corporations and local companies alike, throughout the Garden State, the tri-state area, and across the country.”
“We are honored to receive this recognition for the outstanding work and zealous advocacy that our litigators provide to clients in New Jersey, across the country, and worldwide,” said Lori G. Cohen and Jeff E. Scott, co-chairs of the firm’s Global Litigation Practice. “Their dedication to clients is unparalleled in the legal industry, and we are grateful that their high-caliber work and reputation in the region was recognized.”
Am Law publisher American Lawyer Media (ALM) noted that the awards not only honor the inspirational work of attorneys but also celebrate ways in which the profession is innovating and better meeting client needs.
Shareholders Roger B. Kaplan and Ian S. Marx successfully represented Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation and affiliated entities in three significant matters. In a precedent-setting case, Greenberg Traurig prevailed in a class action suit potentially comprising 500,000 members raising a challenge against the validity of Marriott’s “points based” timeshare program, threatening a $10 billion industry. It is now established law that a beneficial interest in a non-specific, multisite timeshare plan can be deemed a real property timeshare interest. They also successfully defended Marriott in two separate cases against claims raised by hundreds of plaintiffs and a homeowners’ association in two Colorado resorts – The Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands and the Hyatt Grand Aspen – in suits alleging hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. Kaplan and Marx were assisted by a team including New Jersey Of Counsels Todd L. Schleifstein, Lori G. Singer, and Rebecca Garibotto Zisek, and Associate Jaclyn DeMais.
Marx also led a team, including Zisek, which served as court-appointed pro bono lawyers for an inmate in a federal civil rights case, which provided valuable opportunities to uphold citizens’ constitutional rights. The team took numerous depositions and called on expert witnesses to obtain a monetary settlement for the client, rare in this type of case.
Jay led a Greenberg Traurig team that defeated a potential national class action against Samsung Electronics America, Inc., alleging that its S7 series phones were falsely advertised as “water resistant.” In addition to sparing its client from significant potential exposure for damages, the Greenberg Traurig team worked to uphold Samsung’s reputation as a trusted brand. The team included New Jersey Associate Clarissa A. Gomez.
Shareholder Jason Kislin led a team of Greenberg Traurig attorneys, including Gomez, that successfully defended ConEd Solutions against claims arising from a $100 million renewable energy project. The Greenberg Traurig team’s efforts eliminated the client’s potential liability for treble damages and mitigated the reputational risk of ConEd.
A Greenberg Traurig team led by Shareholder David E. Sellinger scored a major victory for Whole Foods Market Group, Inc. (Whole Foods) when the Second Circuit on summary judgment affirmed the dismissal of a putative consumer class action based on alleged weights and measures violations. This case was significant to Whole Foods and the entire grocery industry, as the putative class action was precluded from extrapolating the results of isolated instances of violations found during the city’s weights and measures investigation to all sales of products to the proposed class.
Greenberg Traurig also was a finalist for the ALM Corporate Purpose Award, Best Business Team Award, and Regional Litigation Department of the Year Award for Georgia.
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