Elizabeth Young’s practice focuses primarily on complex commercial litigation, white collar criminal litigation, and corporate internal investigations. She has assisted in the defense of clients involved in investigations by the SEC and the Department of Justice and also represents corporate and individual clients in state and federal litigation. A number of her representations have involved class actions and/or multi-district litigations.
Among other recent engagements, Ms. Young—
- conducted an internal investigation for the special committee of a board of a public company regarding stock options backdating allegations
- assisted a major private equity fund through a multi-jurisdictional, multi-party regulatory approval process
- assisted a client in defending against claims of copyright and trademark infringement before the Second Circuit
- represented a client in litigation surrounding the dissolution of real estate partnerships, including several mediations in various state and federal actions
- represented a leading excess insurer in a claim under a policy providing directors and officers and errors and omissions coverage
- assisted an international financial services firm in enforcing it’s rights after a borrower defaulted on loans totaling more than $100,000,000.
Ms. Young also regularly represents pro bono clients seeking asylum and/or protection from abusers. She was awarded inMotion’s 2009 John K. Geiger Award recognizing her “extraordinary commitment to pro bono work” and her “energy and encouragement” in recruiting other lawyers at Akin Gump to represent inMotion’s clients. Ms. Young was also recognized as the 2009 Pro Bono Associate of the Year for Akin Gump’s New York office.
Ms. Young is co-author of “Tools for Attacking Typical Government Witnesses,” Defending Federal Criminal Cases: Attacking the Government’s Proof, (Diana Parker ed., Law Journal Press 2009). In addition to her on-going legal work, she also volunteers as a coach for the Bronx Science High School mock trial and moot court teams.
Ms. Young received a B.A. summa cum laude in political science and history and a B.A. summa cum laude in literature in 2003 from the University of Arizona, where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and sat as a student representative on the University’s judicial board. She received her J.D. in 2006 from the New York University School of Law, where she served as an editor of the Annual Survey of American Law. She is a member of the New York State Bar.