Paul Hastings LLP - The Who's Who Legal 100 2013

What is the Who's Who Legal 100?

Management labour and employment is a key strength of the firm. The firm not only excels in the practice of US employment law but it also provides strategic advice to multinational companies on a global basis. The firm garners 11 listing across six offices. Nancy Abell is one of the most highly regarded lawyers in our research and resides in the Los Angeles office. She is global chair of the firm’s employment law department and frequently represents employers in all aspects of employment law and litigation. From the same office, Paul Grossman specialises in class actions, wage-and-hour, wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment and whistleblower cases. In San Francisco, Paul Cane Jr focuses his practices on major motions and appeals and is considered a “go-to lawyer”. DC-based Barbara Brown is particularly renowned for her work on employment discrimination class actions challenging pay, promotion, and hiring as well as wage-and-hour class actions. Zachary Fasman in New York co-chairs the firm’s employment discrimination practice and is “first rate” at employee benefits matters, discrimination and litigation. In Atlanta, Geoff Weirich is best known for his handling of compensation discrimination matters and is “superb” according to respondents. Chair of the employment law practice in Paris, Deborah Sankowicz has over 15 years’ experience advising clients on the full gamut of labour and employment law issues including corporate restructurings and lay-off plans.

Paul Hastings achieves three listings in the environment chapter, all from the firm’s San Francisco office. Its broad expertise in this field covers clean-up strategies, land use issues, government agency interactions, regulatory requirements and permitting issues, among others. Head of the environmental and energy practice Peter Weiner represents renewable energy companies and trade associations, real estate developers, manufacturers and consumer products companies in all levels of environmental, energy and OSHA regulatory matters. Deborah Schmall advises petroleum companies, life sciences companies, universities, developers, telecoms companies and transportation companies on a range of environmental regulatory and remediation issues. Her knowledge of the sector is “second to none”. Kevin Poloncarz focuses on representing clients in the energy sector and assists them with their environmental compliance and enforcement proceedings and administrative compliance.

In Milan, Bruno Cova is selected for inclusion in the insolvency and restructuring and oil and gas chapters. He “excels” in acquisitions of distressed companies and is equally highly regarded for his knowledge of the energy sector. He is joined in the insolvency and restructuring chapter by chair of the global restructuring practice Luc Despins, who resides in the New York office. Despins has more than 25 years’ experience representing debtors and creditors in some of the most high profile and complex restructuring matters and is praised for his “superior knowledge” of the sector.

Gerald Flattmann Jr is singled out for his IP expertise in the life sciences chapter and also makes an appearance in our patents chapter. He focuses on biotechnology and pharmaceutical patent litigation and he is considered a “true expert” in the field.

Further listings are achieved in the aviation, banking, competition, corporate tax, franchise, real estate and trade and customs chapters demonstrating the firm’s extensive capabilities.