Eric Epstein

In Memoriam – Eric Epstein (1978 – 2021)

We mourn the loss of our partner and colleague Eric Epstein, who passed away on September 21, 2021, after a brave battle with severe leukemia. 

Eric joined our Firm in November 2018 and was a partner in the New York Litigation practice. He focused on international litigation, leading the day-to-day litigation strategy, briefing and oral arguments in many multimillion-dollar international disputes. In the year before his passing, he won two of the Firm’s largest victories for the entire year, one a complete victory after a multiday trial, and the other an international arbitration victory. These two wins provided recoveries to the Firm’s clients of over $100 million. 

Eric was a stellar writer. In resolving a case in favor of our client, one federal court judge described Eric’s briefing as having “provided an excellent roadmap for navigating the issues,” adding that Eric managed to explain “numerous complicated financial transactions” in a manner so clear and concise that the Court “liberally incorporated” the language from Eric’s brief within the Court’s own order.

In another court order, granting our client its legal fees on top of a separate damages award, the judge wrote about Eric’s role as follows: “Mr. Epstein was the lead author on the majority of the briefs in this case, including the post-trial brief, the pre-trial brief and the TRO briefing.  He handled oral argument at the January 3, 2019, TRO briefing, handled examination of three witnesses at trial and handled rebuttal during closing arguments. Mr. Epstein also handled the largest number of depositions during this case. He also drafted the appellate papers and handled oral argument in the Eighth Circuit…”

Eric was a brilliant lawyer and an incredibly dedicated advocate whose positive attitude and charismatic personality left an indelible mark on everyone he interacted with. In his spare time, he taught legal writing at Columbia University School of Law.

His close partner, Geoffrey Sant, remarked: “Eric was the greatest litigator I ever met. I knew I could always trust and rely on him. He had a complete mastery of the facts and the law. During our time together at Pillsbury, we won every case that we worked on together that reached a resolution. Not only was he an incredible lawyer, Eric was also a wonderful person with a pureness and innocence that is rare among lawyers. He was a great friend, a source of joy and laughter, and a tremendous partner. He was more than just my right-hand man. He was like a brother. I miss him greatly.”

Eric’s colleague Michelle Ng added: “I worked closely with Eric for over seven years. Eric was not only an incredibly effective lawyer, but a beloved mentor and teacher on our team. He knew the answers to everything; whenever I needed advice, I could always count on Eric being the first one to respond with the perfect solution.”

Another close colleague, Carol Lee, said: “Eric was brilliant and talented.  He loved his work and was very passionate about it. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Eric for almost eight years, and I have learned so much from him.”

Teammate Fangwei Wang added: “I was privileged and honored to know Eric, learn from him and work closely with him. He brought joy and laughter when our team worked very late in the office. He made me feel that work was not only work but a lot of fun. He was a great colleague, amazing lawyer and beloved friend.”

Eric graduated from Columbia University School of Law with a J.D. in 2003 after earning his B.A. from The College of New Jersey in 1999. During his time at Pillsbury, he won many high-stakes cross-border disputes, representing international clients in cases that included everything from the pursuit of fraudulently transferred assets, to aviation litigation, to breach of contract cases, to complicated financial disputes.  He was also the lead author of the American Bar Association treatise The Bank Examination Privilege, a topic on which he was frequently asked to present.

 Eric was a wonderful friend and partner, and we will miss him deeply. The Firm's thoughts and condolences are with his family. Donations in Eric's memory may be made to the Leukemia Foundation.

Please contact partner Geoffrey Sant with any client-related issues. All other questions should be directed to New York director of administration Chris Sheehan.