Hilarie Bass, who recently completed an eight-year term as the national chair of the 600-member litigation department, serves on the firm's Executive Committee. During her more than 28-year career, she has successfully represented clients in commercial cases in jury and non-jury trials involving hundreds of millions of dollars in controversy. She currently is Lead Counsel for the Homebuilder Group in the Chinese Drywall MDL, having served as Lead Liaison counsel in prior MDL's. In 2011, she completed her term as Chair of the ABA Litigation Section. Areas of Concentration · Complex commercial litigation and arbitrations · Class action defense · Multidistrict litigation · Receiverships · Securities fraud defense · Banking litigation · Jury and non-jury trials · Alternative dispute resolution Significant Representations · Lead Counsel for Homebuilder Group Committee, Chinese Drywall MDL. · Served as Defense Liaison Counsel in MDL RICO class action against managed care companies throughout the country, representing Aetna, Inc. · Representation of Microsoft Corporation in defense of the Florida class action brought under Florida Unfair Trade Practices Act. Main action resulted in class action settlement; attorneys' fees issue resolved after four-day evidentiary hearing in Dade County Circuit Court action. · Defended Hilton Hotels Corporation in five-week arbitration for breach of fiduciary duty claims in which plaintiff sought in excess of $100 million, resulting in judgment in favor of the defense. · Prosecuted claims on behalf of Interval International in eight-day trial leading to entry of permanent injunction on breach of fiduciary duty and theft of trade secret claims. · Represented company and officers in securities class action against Sportsline.com, which was dismissed by federal court at pleadings stage. · Represented Hilton Hotels Corporation in defense of an action by Fontainebleau Hilton seeking to enjoin $3 billion merger with Promus Hotel Corporation through enforcement of overly broad restrictive covenant in Management Agreement; injunction was denied and case thereafter settled. · Served as chief litigation counsel for the Trustee of Southeast Banking Corporation in suit against the FDIC, which was resolved with payment of a settlement to our client in excess of $300 million. · Served as an SEC Receiver for corporation found to be improperly selling limited partnership interests in deregulated power industry in California. · Served as an FTC Receiver for a travel company enjoined from continuing its fraudulent sales tactics in the sale of travel packages. · Represented the Government of Brazil in obtaining a jury verdict in the amount of $125 million in action against ex-patriate residing in the South Florida area for fraud, civil theft and breach of duty. · Obtained $25 million judgment against former bank president on behalf of an agency of the government of Venezuela. · Successfully defended a federal court class action in $50 million claim filed against the Trustee regarding the pension plan of Southeast Bank. · Successfully defended employment benefits company in a jury trial in Nashville, Tennessee, against claims of breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty. · Represented Goldman, Sachs & Co.; Dain Bosworth, Inc.; Merrill Lynch & Co.; and Furman Selz, LLC in defense of a securities fraud class action case. Claims against the clients were dismissed by the federal district court on the pleadings. · Successfully represented Equitrac Corp. and its officers and directors in a shareholder class action alleging that Equitrac and its senior officers and directors attempted to complete a recapitalization transaction for a share price unfair to shareholders. Professional & Community Involvement · American Bar Association
- Immediate Past Chair, Litigation Section
- Chair, Legal Opportunity Scholarship Committee (2005-2008)
- Chair, Host Committee for the Miami '07 ABA Mid-Year Meeting
- Chair, Select Committee of the House of Delegates (2006-2008)
- Member, Task Force on Attorney Client Privilege (2004- )
- Member, Commission on Women in the Profession (2002-2005)
- Chair, Council for the Fund for Justice and Education (1999-2002)
- Chair, Admissions and Credentials Committee, House of Delegates (2002-2004)
- Chair, Standing Committee on Meetings and Travel (1998-1999)
- Chair, Committee on Public Education and the Law (1993-1996)
- Member, Board of Governors (1990-1993)
- Member, House of Delegates (1988-1995; 2000- )
- Member, Litigation Section Council (2002-2005)
- Chair, Judicial Intern Opportunity Program, Litigation Section (2005- )
- Chair, ABA Resource Committee, Litigation Section (2005-2008)
- Chair, Trial Practice Committee, Litigation Section (1998-2001)
- Chair, Host Committee for the Miami '95 ABA Mid-Year Meeting · President, The Florida Bar Foundation
- Member, Board of Directors (1988-1993)
- Chair, Administration of Justice IOTA Grant Committee (1991-1993) · The Florida Bar
- Member, Rules of Civil Procedure Committee
- Dade County Bar Association, Board of Directors
- President, Young Lawyers Section, Dade County Bar Association · United Way of Miami-Dade County
- Chair, Board of Directors (1997-1999)
- Member, Board of Directors (1992-2008, 2009-)
- Chair, Success by Six Program (1999-2002 )
- Member, Executive Committee (1995-2005)
- Chair, Strategic Planning Committee (1995-1997) · Chair, Legal Committee, Florida Chamber of Commerce · Secretary/General Counsel, Orange Bowl Committee, (2003-2006) · Chair, Orange Bowl Parade, (2001-2002) · Member, Executive Committee, University of Miami Board of Trustees, (2005- ) · Member, Board of Governors, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce · Member, Super Bowl Host Committee · Member, 11th Judicial Circuit Committee on Professionalism · Member, International Women's Forum · Adjunct Professor of Litigation, University of Miami School of Law Awards & Recognition · Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers · Recipient, Silver Medallion, Miami Coalition of Christians and Jews, February 2011 · Recipient, Most Effective Lawyer Award, Appellate category, Daily Business Review, 2010 · Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2012 · Named, Best Lawyers' 2012 Miami Litigation - Mergers & Acquisitions Lawyer of the Year · Listed, Most Effective Lawyer, Pro Bono category, Daily Business Review, 2009 · Named, Influential Business Women, South Florida Business Journal, 2009 · Recipient, 2009 C. Clyde Atkins Civil Liberties Award, ACLU of Florida Greater Miami Chapter, May 2009 · Recipient, Women Making History Award, Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL) · Listed, Chambers & Partners USA Guide, an annual listing of the leading business lawyers and law firms in the world (every edition), 2005-2011 · Named, South Florida Women Extraordinaire, South Florida Business Journal, 2008 · Listed, one of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon.com, 2006 and 2010-2011 · Listed, one of the Lawdragon 3000 Leading Lawyers in America, Lawdragon.com, 2006 and 2010 · Listed, Commercial Litigation, Who's Who Legal: Florida 2008 · Selected, Super Lawyers magazine, 2006-2011
- Selected, one of the Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers in Miami, 2010 and 2011
- Selected, one of the Top 50 Women Florida Super Lawyers in Florida, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011
- Selected, one of the Top 25 Women South Florida Super Lawyers, 2010 · Listed, Securities - Shareholder Litigation, The Legal 500 US: Volume III (Litigation) · Rated, AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 · Listed, Legal Elite, Florida Trend magazine, 2007, 2009-2011 · Listed, one of the Best of the Best Rainmakers, Coral Gables Living Magazine, July-September 2003 · Listed, one of South Florida's Top Lawyers, South Florida Legal Guide, 2001-2005, 2010-2012 · Selected by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to participate in the Defense Department's Joint Civilian Orientation Conference, April 2002 · Named, Business Woman of the Year, South Florida Business Journal, 2001 · Recipient, Dorothy Shula Award for Volunteerism, United Way of Miami-Dade, 2000 · Recipient, United Home Care Claude Pepper Memorial Award, 1999 · Recipient, Jewish Museum of Florida Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award · Up & Comer Award, South Florida Business Journal · YMCA Woman In Business Award · President's Conference on Volunteerism Articles, Publications, & Lectures · Featured, "View From the Top: Q&A with Legal Women Leaders," Vault, August 2006 · Extensive lecturing on rules of procedure and evidence, expert testimony, creditors' rights and foreclosure issues, rainmaking, professionalism, and women lawyer issues. |