The American Lawyer Names Akin Gump’s Litigation Practice As One of the Five Best

(Washington, D.C.) - The American Lawyer has named the litigation practice at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as one of the top five in the United States. In recognizing the firm among the finalists in its biennial “Litigation Department of the Year” competition, the magazine cited Akin Gump’s “impressive list of wins against formidable adversaries,” its “daring and creativity” in winning at trial and its “political savvy” when politics and legal matters intersect.

Akin Gump’s litigation work over the past two years has been marked by extraordinary success in a variety of matters across a vast breadth of industries, including several notable and precedent-setting lawsuits. The American Lawyer lauded the firm’s unanimous win “against all odds” in the U.S. Supreme Court for a death row inmate in a pro bono case, its $490 million settlement in an antitrust action, a $153 million jury verdict in a trade secrets case, a complete defense verdict in a crucial patent infringement trial, its negotiation of an immunity deal for a former DOJ-White House liaison, its successful defense of a prominent individual against public corruption charges and its successful handling of bet-the-industry cases involving cell phones.

R. Bruce McLean, Akin Gump’s chairman, stated, “I am delighted that The American Lawyer has publicly recognized our exceptional achievements. Our success is attributable to the collective efforts of partners, counsel, associates and administrative staff; whose relentless dedication to the interests of our clients has produced these extraordinary results.”

Akin Gump’s 2008 recognition by The American Lawyer follows a year of significant public acclaim for the firm’s litigation practice. In 2007 The National Law Journal named Akin Gump as one of the top 10 defense firms of the year and recognized one of its partners among 10 of the top litigators in the country. Numerous lawyers in the firm have been ranked as leaders in their fields by various publications and directories.

With more than 400 lawyers, Akin Gump’s litigation practice group has extensive experience in all aspects of federal and state commercial litigation. Its litigation work over the past two years has encompassed an extraordinary variety of matters and industries, including significant jury trial wins for Fortune 500 companies. In each case, the firm has drawn upon a deep bench of litigation talent – as well as an interdisciplinary team of policy, regulatory and industry-specific attorneys who offer support to its litigators – to craft and implement a winning strategy on behalf of its clients.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, a leading international law firm, numbers more than 1,000 lawyers and advisors in the United States, Europe and Asia.

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