Labaton Sucharow LLP

While recent developments in the financial marketplace have signaled an uptick in overall economic recovery, such activity doesn't always bode well for shareholders of public companies. An environment ripe for deal flow can also be an environment rife with misconduct. Unfortunately, recent trends in deal structures reflect an increase in efforts to minimize shareholders' rights, interests, and compensation. 

We simply refuse to accept such misalignment of interests and abuse of fiduciary duties.

With a compelling track record, an office in Delaware where many of these matters are litigated, and a tremendous foundation in corporate and securities law, we are uniquely able to take swift and powerful steps to ensure that shareholders interests are protected and their voices heard. To be sure, in numerous recent cases we have foreclosed the efforts of executives and boards of directors to squeeze shareholders in order to close a "sweet deal" for themselves.

In addition to deals that are against shareholders' interests, we also litigate matters where company leadership engages in business practices that violate the duty to act with care and loyalty. Recent examples include challenges to the structure and amount of executive compensation packages, defended ostensibly to attract hot talent. These excessive and unnecessary sweetheart pay packages directly cost shareholdersthe legitimate business owners—untold tens of millions of dollars. In other matters, we challenge corporate leadership to fully adhere to their duty to shepherd company assets—such as sensitive consumer information or other intellectual property—conduct which, if not followed, sends stock prices plummeting at the expense of shareholders.

Committed to fairness and equality for our clients and for ourselves.

Labaton Sucharow believes that a variety of viewpoints and backgrounds leads to better insight and better lawyers. We strive to improve diversity within the Firm and the legal profession as a whole.

Fifty years ago, the founding partners of Labaton Sucharow established a platform to promote fairness in business enterprise. It worked. Over the last five decades, our Firm has earned global recognition for extraordinary success in securing historic recoveries and reform for investors and consumers. That's justice in action.

But let's face it: a commitment to fairness and equality does not begin with client engagements. It begins with our people.

We firmly believe that there is strength and value in diversity and we actively aim to hire minority and female attorneys, professionals and staff. We have built a work environment where everyone can thrive: an environment where our practices and programs support our values.

The Labaton Sucharow Minority Scholarship and Internship

Demonstrating our commitment to diversity in law and to introduce minority students to Labaton Sucharow, in 2006 we established the Labaton Sucharow Minority Scholarship and Internship. The annual award -- a grant and a summer associate position -- is presented to a first-year minority student from a metropolitan New York law school who has demonstrated academic excellence, community commitment and personal integrity. Several scholarship recipients are now full-time attorneys with the Firm.

The Firm has also instituted a diversity internship in which we invite two students from Hunter College to join us each summer. These interns are rotated through our various departments, shadowing Firm partners and getting a feel for the inner workings of a law firm.