McGuireWoods is bolstering its formidable litigation team in New York with the addition of partner Stephen Foresta, who brings more than three decades of experience representing clients in business disputes, insurance recovery matters and product liability actions. Foresta joins McGuireWoods from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he led its global business litigation unit from 2011 to 2016 and chaired its life settlements working group. He represents investors in life settlement-related disputes, including cost-of-insurance rate increases, enforcement of contestability clauses, and claims of elder abuse, fraud and unfair competition.
His litigation experience includes representing a Saudi engineering firm before the Swiss Chambers’ Arbitration Institution in a 2017 dispute with six separate entities over oil and gas plants in the Persian Gulf region. He also represented Sony and several affiliated companies in litigation arising from the 2011 data breach of Sony’s online gaming network, one of the first major cases to address data breach insurance coverage.
“Steve is highly regarded by clients across industries for his business acumen and skill in handing high-stakes litigation,” said Dion Hayes, deputy managing partner of McGuireWoods’ litigation practice.
Foresta is the sixth partner to join McGuireWoods’ growing New York office this year, following the arrivals of life sciences patent litigators Benjamin Hsing, Wanda French-Brown and Irene Hudson, M&A dealmaker Colin Bumby and aviation finance lawyer Deepak Reddy. Restructuring lawyer Kristin Wigness also joined the New York office as senior counsel last month.
“We are fortunate to have a lawyer of Steve’s stature join our litigation practice,” said Noreen Kelly, managing partner of the firm’s New York office. “He strengthens our bench in New York and enhances our client service capabilities in the U.S. and abroad.”
Foresta joins a litigation practice recognized as a leader in all eight categories in 2019’s BTI Litigation Outlook: Changes, Trends and Opportunities for Law Firms, based on feedback from corporate counsel. McGuireWoods was among an elite group ranked as “standouts” in multiple categories, including complex commercial litigation and product liability matters.
“McGuireWoods is known nationally for its litigation prowess and innovative approaches to client service,” Foresta said. “I’m excited to be part of the firm’s continued growth in New York and to join a powerhouse litigation team.”
Outside of his law practice, Foresta serves on the board of directors of Indego Africa, a nonprofit enterprise that educates artisan women in Ghana and Rwanda to help them market their products. He also chairs the New York Board of Advisors of Disability Rights Advocates, one of the nation’s leading nonprofit legal centers serving people with disabilities.
Source: www.mcguirewoods.com
