Press Release 01.27.25
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Sometimes the outcome of a case comes down to home-field advantage. Pillsbury’s Commercial Litigation team provides just that in New York State, serving our clients with a unique combination of global talent and a keen on-the-ground understanding of New York’s judicial system, with its inordinately complex rules of practice and regulatory regimes.
Pillsbury’s Commercial Litigation team includes former New York Supreme Court justices, former U.S. and assistant U.S. attorneys (both civil and criminal divisions), and former state and federal regulatory agency employees.
Our litigators don’t just know the New York system—many have played integral roles in building and maintaining it. No top-tier law firm in New York has a deeper bench for complex litigation in the state’s courts. Whether by guiding our clients to a successful outcome from the start, helping overturn adverse rulings through appeal, or by allowing companies to avoid the need for litigation in the first place, our New York Commercial Litigation team knows which step to take—be it the first, the next or the final— in achieving a successful outcome. It’s just one of the many reasons ranking organizations, such as Chambers USA, U.S. News & World Report/Best Lawyers, and BTI Consulting’s Litigation Outlook, all recognize Pillsbury as a much feared, top-tier law firm in litigation.
Our firm has achieved victories for both plaintiffs and defendants across industries, including retail and consumer products, energy, media and entertainment, health care and life sciences, manufacturing, insurance, technology and financial services.
Prior to joining the firm, Justice James M. Catterson participated in hundreds of jury trials and more than 6,000 civil and criminal appeals as an associate justice of the Appellate Division, First Department of the New York State Supreme Court. He is one of the most published judges in New York state history and carries a strong reputation for scholarly writing, having authored more than 250 signed opinions and dissents. Prior to his time on the bench, he served as the Deputy County Attorney for Suffolk County and an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District. He currently litigates across multiple jurisdictions, in both state and federal court, in all types of commercial disputes at both trial level and appeals.
With decades of experience as a trial and appellate judge in New York state courts, Justice Rolando T. Acosta is widely recognized as one of the foremost jurists in the country. He has authored hundreds of opinions on complex and novel criminal and civil matters. Throughout his tenure as Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, First Department, the Court underwent a swift and strategic modernization, achieving improved efficiency and affording the public greater access to justice. Justice Acosta sat on over 10,000 appeals and presided over hundreds of bench and jury trials during his tenure in the New York courts. Justice Acosta also maintains a varied commercial litigation practice in multiple jurisdictions and is equally at home at the trial level or on appeal.
As the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Richard P. Donoghue led one of the nation’s largest and most sophisticated U.S. Attorney’s Offices, comprising more than 150 attorneys. As principal Deputy Attorney General and later acting Deputy Attorney General, he supervised the day-to-day operations of the Department of Justice and oversaw 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices.
Prior to joining Pillsbury, Brian H. Montgomery served in several senior positions at the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS), including leading the Department’s program to examine regulated institutions for compliance with federal and state consumer financial laws. Brian also oversaw investigation and enforcement actions involving consumer financial products and services. Additionally, Pillsbury has a team of associates with deep experience litigating in every court in New York, with several having worked in the court system.
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