Alan Mansfield chairs the Litigation Practice of the New York office and serves on the firm's Executive Committee. He handles complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal litigation matters. He represents clients in diverse industries in litigation matters ranging from product liability to corporate and securities to defamation and fraud. Since 1996, he has been a commissioner of the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination and is a frequent speaker and author regarding trial practice. Alan is on the board of MFY Legal Services, Inc. and was included in The Best Lawyers in America's since 2005 as well as the Chambers & Partners USA Guide's 2009 and 2010 editions.
Areas of Concentration
· Complex civil litigation
· White-collar criminal litigation
· Product liability
· Corporate
· Securities
· Constitutional litigation
· Defamation
· Fraud
· Civil-RICO
· Broker/dealer
· Entertainment
Significant Representations
· New York State Club Association v. City of New York, 487 U.S. 1 (1988) (first amendment challenge to local law affecting private clubs)
· Jones v. Barnes, 463 U.S. 745 (1983) (sixth amendment challenge concerning obligations of appellate counsel)
· Donoghue v. Hearst Communications, Inc., 2009 WL 4640653 (2d Cir. 2009) (Section 16 liability)
· Roberts v. Tishman Speyer Properties, Inc., 13 N.Y.2d 270 (2009) (statutory construction)
· Small v. Lorillard Tobacco Company, 94 N.Y.2d 43 (1999) (smokers' class action defense)
· Fabiano v. Philip Morris, Inc., 54 A.D.2d 146 (1st Dep't 2008) (punitive damages and res judicata)
· Tormey v. American Tobacco Co., 48 A.D.3rd 1063 (4th Dep't 2008) (ETS preemption)
· Mason v. American Tobacco Co., 346 F.3d 36 (2d Cir. 2003) (MSPA defense)
· Sargent v. New York Daily News, L.P., 42 A.D.2d 491 (2d Dep't 2007) (contract and fraud claims)
· Gorran v. Atkins Nutritionals, Inc., 464 F.Supp.2d 315 (S.D.N.Y. 2006 ), aff'd, 2008 WL 2164656 (2d Cir. 2008) (first amendment defense)
· Schwab v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 522 F.3d 215 (2d Cir. 2008) (Civil-RICO class action)
· Astudillo v. U.S. News & World Report, 2005 WL 23185 (S.D.N.Y. 2005) (FMLA defense)
· Gadaleta v. AC&S, Inc. (Sup. Ct. N.Y.Co., 2004) (product liability trial)
· Mathias v. Daily News, L.P., 152 F. Supp. 2d 465 (S.D.N.Y. 2001) (antitrust defense)
· Daily News, LP v. NMDU, 1999 WL 1095613 (S.D.N.Y. 1999) (vacatur of labor arbitration award)
· Falise v. American Tobacco Co., CV99-7392 (E.D.N.Y. 2001) (Civil-RICO and consumer fraud trial)
· Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Inc. v. Philip Morris, Inc., 98 CV 3287 (E.D.N.Y. 2001) (Civil-RICO and consumer fraud trial)
· National Asbestos Workers Medical Fund v. Philip Morris, Inc. (E.D.N.Y.) (trial counsel)
· In re Simon II Litigation (E.D.N.Y.) (product liability class action)
· Anderson v. American Tobacco Co. (Sup. Ct. Kings Co., 2000) (product liability trial)
· G. Heileman v. State Liquor Authority, NYLJ, p. 26, col. 3 (Sup.Ct. N.Y. Co., Feb. 23, 1996), aff'd, 237 A.D.2d 203 (1st Dep't 1997) (constitutional and statutory challenge to SLA label provisions)
· Attas v. Park East Animal Hospital, Inc., 235 A.D.2d 246 (1st Dep't 1997) (defamation defense)
· Radio Common Carriers of New York, Inc. v. State of New York, 158 Misc.2d 695 (Sup. Ct. N.Y. Co. 1993) (constitutional challenge to State paging device tax)
· Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. v. Blumenthal, 797 F.2d 1197 (3d Cir. 1986), vacated and remanded, 107 S. Ct. 3204 (1987) (arbitrability of securities fraud and civil-RICO claims)
· Metropolitan Securities Inc. v. Occidental Petroleum Corp., 705 F. Supp. 134 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) (Williams Act claim involving convertible debentures)
· A.F.L. Falck, S.p.A. v. E.A. Karay Co. Inc., 639 F. Supp. 314 (S.D.N.Y. 1986) (international steel contract dispute)
· People v. Goodfriend, 64 N.Y.2d 695 (1985) (jury verdict issues)
Professional & Community Involvement
· Commissioner, New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination, 1996-Present
· Member, National Center for State Courts (Lawyers Committee)
· Member, Independent Judicial Screening Panel
· Member, Board of Directors, MFY Legal Services, Inc., 1997-Present (Chair 2006-2008)
· Trustee, Lexington School for the Deaf/Center for the Deaf, 1987-Present
· Life Fellow, The American Bar Foundation
· Fellow, The New York Bar Foundation
· Member, American Bar Association
· Member, New York State Bar Association (Executive Committee of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section)
· The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Product Liability Committee; Criminal Courts Committee; Criminal Advocacy Committee)
· Mediator, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
· Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel, New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division
· Arbitrator, National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc.
· Instructor, Cardozo Law School, 1980-1982
Awards & Recognition
· Listed, The Best Lawyers in America (2005-2012)
· Team Member, Law360 "Product Liability Practice Group of the Year" (2011)
· Listed, Chambers USA Guide, National - Litigation (2009-2011)
· Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, New York Super Lawyers (2006-2011)
- "Top 100 Lawyers in New York" (2009-2010)
· Team Member, Law360 "Appellate Practice Group of the Year" (2010)
· Rated, AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5
Articles, Publications, & Lectures
Lectures
· Frequent speaker and author regarding trial practice
Miscellaneous
· Commercial Litigation in New York State Courts, Chpt. 54, Sanctions (West 3d ed. 2010)
Fellow: The New York Bar Foundation.