Jason W. Sunshine’s practice focuses primarily on complex commercial and bankruptcy-related litigation.
Mr. Sunshine represents hedge funds, private equity firms, portfolio companies, public companies, creditors, creditors’ committees, trustees of bankruptcy-created litigation trusts, and individuals in a variety of matters in state and federal courts throughout the country. Notable engagements include—
- representing two major insurance and financial services companies in successful dismissal from federal multidistrict litigation involving a putative class action and individual suits alleging antitrust violations
- representing a public company in a successful strategy utilizing both state court and arbitration processes to recover revenue improperly diverted by an affiliate as part of an elaborate accounting scheme
- representing the claims agent appointed in connection with the Spansion Inc. chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in litigating disputed claims totaling in excess of $86 million.
Additionally, Mr. Sunshine has represented clients in white collar criminal and regulatory investigations involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Notable engagements include—
- representing a major insurance and financial services company in a joint DOJ (Antitrust Division) and SEC investigation and parallel investigation by various state attorneys general
- representing a top 20 hedge fund in a CFTC investigation into market manipulation.
Mr. Sunshine has devoted significant time to pro bono matters. Notable engagements include—
- obtaining a settlement from the city of New York on behalf of a local tavern owner in a constitutional challenge to the city’s noise ordinances (Genco Importing Inc. v. City of New York, et al, 552 F. Supp. 2d 371 (S.D.N.Y. 2008))
- winning a reversal of a criminal conviction resulting from a jury trial on behalf of an indigent defendant (People v. Saleem Williams, 19 Misc.3d 139(A) (N.Y. Sup. App. Term 2008))
- winning a complete dismissal on a motion for summary judgment of a civil complaint asserting tort claims against a local nonprofit corporation.
Prior to joining Akin Gump, Mr. Sunshine served as a law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of the Eastern District of New York.
Mr. Sunshine received his B.S. summa cum laude from New York University in 1997, his M.Sc. with distinction from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1998, and his Ph.D. from New York University in 2006. He received his J.D. in 2005 from Fordham Law School, where he served as an editor of the Fordham Journal of Corporate and Financial Law.
Mr. Sunshine is a member of the New York Bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. district courts for the Southern and Eastern districts of New York. Mr. Sunshine is also a member of the City Bar of New York and the New York County Lawyers Association.