Skadden is pleased to announce that Kenneth Held has joined the firm’s litigation practice as a partner in our Houston office. Prior to joining Skadden, Mr. Held was a partner in the Houston office of Thompson & Knight LLP, where he focused on securities litigation, energy litigation and class action defense.
Mr. Held advises individuals, publicly traded and privately held companies, and private equity firms and hedge funds in various types of litigation. He has significant experience representing financial clients in securities litigation and defending corporate clients against shareholder and consumer class actions, as well as derivative actions. He has handled litigation matters relating to stock-drop securities fraud, merger challenges, fiduciary duty, ERISA stock-drop class actions and insider trading investigations. Mr. Held also has extensive experience in the energy sector, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in numerous types of commercial disputes.
His notable representations include obtaining a dismissal of Rule 10b-5 and Section 11 claims against Blockbuster and certain of its officers and directors arising from Blockbuster’s split-off from Viacom, Inc.; obtaining a dismissal of claims asserted in Delaware against a publicly traded general partner (GP) of a gas and crude oil processing and transportation master limited partnership (MLP) regarding an asset sale and the subsequent merger of the GP with the MLP; and securing a favorable jury verdict (upheld on appeal) for an offshore drilling company in a lawsuit to recover unpaid joint interest billings.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kenneth to our litigation department and to the Houston office. His extensive experience and well-established reputation, both locally and nationally, position him well to contribute significantly to our team,” said Houston office leader and partner Frank Bayouth.
“Kenneth is a superb litigator with whom I have had the privilege of working as co-counsel and across the table,” said Houston litigation practice head and partner Noelle Reed. “I am consistently impressed with his knowledge and instincts, as well as his collegiality and business acumen.”
“Over the last few years, I have worked with a number of Skadden litigators and have been particularly impressed with their creativity in solving complex litigation issues. I am excited about the opportunity to work across the firm’s platform in advising clients on challenging litigation issues and providing superior client service,” said Mr. Held.
Mr. Held received his J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A., cum laude, from Cornell University. He has been recognized for his litigation achievements, specifically for securities work, in Chambers USA, The Legal 500 and U.S. News – Best Lawyers.
Source: www.skadden.com
