Hilarie Bass

Hilarie Bass

Hilarie Bass is the Global Operating Shareholder of Greenberg Traurig, having recently completed an eight-year term as the national chair of the 500-member litigation department. She also serves on the firm's Executive Committee. During her more than 25-year career, she has successfully represented clients in scores of commercial cases in jury and non-jury trials involving hundreds of millions of dollars in controversy.

Areas of Concentration

· Complex commercial litigation and arbitrations

· Class action defense

· Multi-District litigation

· Receiverships

· Securities fraud defense

· Banking litigation

· Jury and non-jury trials

· Alternative dispute resolution

Significant Representations

· 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 a five-week arbitration for breach of fiduciary duty claims in which plaintiff sought in excess of $100 million, resulting in a 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

- Vice-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 Dade County

- Chair, Board of Directors (1997-1999)

- Member, Board of Directors (1992-2005)

- Chair, Success by Six Program (1999- )

- 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

· Named in South Florida Business Journal's 2009 Influential Business Women

· Recipient, 2009 C. Clyde Atkins Civil Liberties Award, presented by ACLU of Florida Greater Miami Chapter, May 2009

· Miami-Dade Florida Association of Women Lawyers (FAWL) "Women Making History Award"

· Listed, Best Lawyers in America, 2007-2010

· Listed, Chambers & Partners USA Guide, an annual listing of the leading business lawyers and law firms in the world, 2005-2009 (every edition)

· Listed as one of the "Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America," Lawdragon.com, 2006

· Listed as one of the "Lawdragon 3000 Leading Lawyers in America," Lawdragon.com, 2006

· Listed, Commercial Litigation, Who's Who Legal: Florida 2008

· Selected by Super Lawyers magazine, 2006-2009

- Selected as one of the Top 50 Female Lawyers in Florida, 2006 and 2007

· Listed, Securities - Shareholder Litigation, The Legal 500 US: Volume III (Litigation)

· Listed, "Legal Elite," Florida Trend magazine, listing of Florida's top attorneys as selected by their peers, 2007, 2009

· Listed as one of the "Best of the Best Rainmakers" by Coral Gables Living Magazine, July-September 2003

· Listed as one of "South Florida's Top Lawyers" by the South Florida Legal Guide, 2001-2005

· 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

· United Way of Miami-Dade's 2000 Dorothy Shula Award for Volunteerism

· United Home Care 1999 Claude Pepper Memorial Award

· Jewish Museum of Florida "Breaking the Glass Ceiling Award"

· South Florida Business Journal, Up Comer Award

· 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.

Fellow: The Florida Bar Foundation (President; Member, Board of Directors, 1988-1993; Chair, Administration of Justice IOTA Grant Committee, 1991-1993).