Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm, today announced the expansion of its New York office with the addition of partners Craig Weiner and Lisa Coyle, and associates Frederick Braunstein, Reena Jain, and Alexander Newman. They join as members of firm’s Litigation Practice Group, deepening the firm’s experience in high-stakes commercial, financial, fraud, business tort, employment, and intellectual property litigation. The team joins the firm from Robins Kaplan LLP.
“We have significant bench strength in New York and we are thrilled to add this talented team of litigators to further expand our capabilities to clients in that region,” said Litigation Practice Group Chair Lawrence Rochefort. “The team’s wealth of experience in bet-the-company litigation and commercial disputes enables them to adapt to any industry, and apply their knowledge to virtually any circumstance. I am confident that their combined experience will make them an invaluable asset to our clients.”
Weiner counsels corporations, high-net-worth individuals, celebrities, investment banks, private equity/hedge funds, and venture companies in litigation and strategic planning. Often called upon to manage emergency situations, Weiner guides clients through high-stakes litigation and contentious negotiations, as well as helping to facilitate joint ventures, strategic alliances, government grants, and conducting online commerce. His practice includes complex financial and investment cases, high-stakes employment litigation, professional malpractice, and bankruptcy and reorganization, having previously served as debtor’s authorized representative and lead counsel in adversary proceedings. In addition to a national practice, Weiner serves international clients, including private equity funds, high-net-worth families, and investors in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, China, and Vietnam.
Coyle has more than 15 years of experience representing large and small domestic and international corporations, entrepreneurs and other individuals, celebrities, financial institutions, and foreign sovereigns in complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters. She has represented clients in shareholder disputes, derivative actions, business divorces, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, business tort cases, stock options disputes, and cases arising under federal securities laws and anti-discrimination, harassment, and retaliation laws. Some of her proudest accomplishments have been winning highly favorable resolutions for a victim of domestic violence, a women who was fired in retaliation for her complaints about discrimination and harassment, and a man who suffered racial and age discrimination. Coyle also has experience helping boards through difficult and complex disputes among directors and activist shareholders. She also regularly represents clients in litigation arising out of failed corporate transactions, including mergers and acquisitions.
A passionate advocate for advancing equality and justice, Coyle is very active in women’s causes and diversity initiatives. She volunteers her time with multiple local organizations and serves on Akerman’s Women’s Initiative Network. In addition, she is committed to her pro bono work, through which she has assisted several transgender individuals through the often confusing process of obtaining a name change. She also hosted a panel discussion with Land O’Lakes regarding their first openly LGBTQ+ CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Braunstein focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation in state and federal courts. He represents clients ranging from individuals to large corporations in a wide array of matters, including appellate strategy and advocacy. Deeply devoted to pro bono and civil rights work, Braunstein has a particular interest in issues of social and economic justice and has advocated on behalf of transgender clients in several precedent-setting civil rights cases.
Jain focuses her practice on business, entertainment and media, and intellectual property litigation, representing a broad range of clients, including individuals, start-ups, and large corporations. She regularly guides clients through every stage of litigation and arbitration, from performing pre-suit evaluations, initiating suits, and aggressively pursuing discovery, to summary judgment, mediation, and trial on the merits. Her experience includes breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, copyright, defamation, RICO, right of publicity, trademark, trade secret, and unfair competition litigation. Reena has represented clients in a wide range of industries, such as alcohol, apparel, CBD, music, and pharmaceuticals. She also is committed to pro bono work and volunteers with both Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and the New York Legal Assistance Group.
Newman focuses his practice on commercial litigation in state and federal courts. He represents clients ranging from individuals to large corporations in complex business disputes. In addition to prosecuting and defending numerous actions, he has experience in arbitration and mediation. Newman maintains an active and diverse pro bono practice, representing immigrants seeking asylum, artists in disputes over their work, and employees in litigation with their employers, among others.
The new team brings a diverse mix of backgrounds, talents and experiences to Akerman, reflecting the firm’s commitment to recruit and retain an inclusive group of people. Their joining the firm follows the recent addition of veteran trial lawyer Joel Mohrman and Andy Cao to the Litigation Practice Group in Houston. They joined as partners and grow the firm’s experience in intellectual property litigation, class actions, and complex commercial litigation, particularly in the healthcare and maritime sectors. Akerman also welcomed litigation partner William Sentell to its Houston office, where he brings experience in franchise dispute resolution and related corporate, regulatory, and compliance matters.
