Firm Profile

Susman Godfrey LLP

USA Guide 2024

Ranked departments
Ranked lawyers
USA

Susman Godfrey LLP

Susman Godfrey LLP

Contact number

+1 713 651 9366

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About

Provided by Susman Godfrey LLP
USA
Firm Overview:
  • Managing Partners: Kalpana Srinivasan and Vineet Bhatia
  • Number of Partners: 85
  • Number of Associates and Of Counsel: 65
  • Offices: Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle
The Susman Godfrey Difference

Susman Godfrey is America’s premier litigation boutique. Our talented group of lawyers handle high-stakes litigation for plaintiffs and defendants nationwide. With over 150 trial lawyers in four offices from coast to coast, we handle the most challenging cases throughout the country. We offer a broad range of creative, flexible fee structures which align our and our clients’ interests. Traditional hourly billing accounts for a small percentage of our work. Because we often share risk with our clients, we are committed to their success.

At Susman Godfrey, we approach each case as if it is headed for trial. Everything that we do is designed to prepare our attorneys to persuade a jury. When you are represented by Susman Godfrey, the opposing party will know that you are willing to take the case all the way to a verdict if necessary—this fact alone can make a good settlement possible.

We're Number 1 

Susman Godfrey has a longstanding reputation as one of the premier firms of trial lawyers in the United States. We have been named the nation’s best litigation boutique by Vault 13 years in a row (every year since they started ranking). Benchmark Litigation named us Trial Firm of the Year in 2022. American Lawyer Named us Boutique Litigation Firm of the Year in 2019. Our lawyers are regularly recognized by legal media and researchers as leaders in their field.

Unique Perspective 

Susman Godfrey represents both plaintiffs and defendants. We thrive on variety, flexibility, and creativity. Clients appreciate the insights that our broad experience brings. Our dual perspective informs not just our trial tactics, but also our approach to settlement negotiations and mediation presentations. We are successful in court because we understand our opponent's case as well as our own.

Unparalleled Talent 

Susman Godfrey prides itself on a talent pool as deep as any firm in the country. Clerking for a judge in the federal court system is considered to be the best training for a young trial attorney. Over 95% of our lawyers served in these highly sought-after clerkships after law school. Ten of our trial lawyers have clerked at the highest level—for Justices of the United States Supreme Court.

A Record of Winning 

No matter the practice area or side of the courtroom, our lawyers are adept at becoming experts on the relevant subject matter, committing to the client’s ultimate goal, and working tirelessly to exceed expectations. Major victories include:

  • Secured a a $787.5 million settlement to resolve Dominion’s massive defamation suit against Fox, just before jury trial was to commence in Delaware Superior Court.
  • Secured a favorable award for client, Flutter Entertainment PLC, when an arbitrator nearly doubled the exercise price of FOX Corporation’s option to acquire 18.6% of Flutter’s portfolio company, FanDuel Group in a multi-billion dollar arbitration.
  • Won a $166.3 million jury verdict on behalf of client Finesse Wireless LLC against AT&T Mobility LLC and Nokia Corporation of America over patent infringement claims relating to wireless networks.
  • Secured a $600M settlement for residents of Flint, Michigan in the nationally followed Flint Water Crisis litigation.
  • Serve as National Trial Counsel for Walmart in products liability litigation relating to portable gasoline containers and National Monitoring Counsel on all products liability litigation relating to Talc.
  • Won a $25.25M jury verdict for client, Steven Lamar, in a contract and intellectual property dispute with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine over the iconic Beats headphones — this verdict was also included on The National Law Journal’s “Top 100 Verdicts of the Year” list.
  • Secured a favorable settlement for defendant, Uber, in its epic battle against Google’s Waymo over self-driving car technology.
  • Won a jury verdict valued at $128M for client General Electric, in its legal battle against the Nebraska Investment Finance Authority.
  • Secured one of the largest settlement awards ever to a single whistleblower in a False Claims Act case—over $450M from Novartis Pharmaceuticals, who was accused of defrauding Medicare and Medicaid by illegally paying kickbacks to pharmacies so they would recommend Novartis’s medications to doctors and patients.
  • Secured a complete defensive win for Apache Corporation by winning a full a motion to dismiss a royalty class action brought by a putative class of plaintiffs who alleged that Apache breached thousands of mineral leases by allegedly underpaying royalties
  • Secured a settlement valued at $100M for a certified class of plaintiffs in a copyright infringement class action against well-known music streaming service, Spotify.
  • Won a defense-side jury verdict on behalf of The Rawlings Company in a certified class action challenging the company’s classification of its employees. After a three-week jury trial in Kentucky state court, the jury decided in favor of the defense.
  • Won a $50.3M federal jury verdict for Green Mountain Glass, in a patent infringement lawsuit against Ardagh Glass. The verdict was #34 on National Law Journal’s “Top 100 Verdicts of 2017” list.
  • Secured a $91.25M settlement for insurance policy owners in 37 Besen Parkway, LLC v. John Hancock Life Insurance Company.
  • Secured over $1.2B with several international automobile parts suppliers in theIn Re Automotive Parts price-fixing class action.

Offices 

  • Houston (713) 651-9366
  • Los Angeles (310) 789-3100
  • New York (212) 336-8330
  • Seattle (206) 516-3880

Ranked Offices

Provided by Susman Godfrey LLP

USA - Head office
USA
  • Dallas
    Suite 5100, 901 Main Street, Dallas, Texas, USA, TX 75202 -3775
    View ranked office
    Los Angeles
    Suite 950, 1880 Century Park East, Los Angeles, California, USA, CA 90067-1606
    View ranked office
    New York
    560 Lexington Avenue, Fifteenth Floor, New York, New York, USA, NY 10022
    View ranked office
    Seattle
    Suite 3090, 1201 Third Avenue, Seattle, Washington, USA, WA 98101-3000
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Susman Godfrey LLP rankings

USA Guide 2024
Filter by
Band
California
Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff
1 Department
2 Ranked Lawyers
Department
Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff
2
Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff
2
Band 2
Lawyers
Kalpana Srinivasan
1
Kalpana Srinivasan
1
Band 1
Marc Seltzer
2
Marc Seltzer
2
Band 2
Litigation: General Commercial
3 Ranked Lawyers
Lawyers
Kalpana Srinivasan
2
Kalpana Srinivasan
2
Band 2
Marc Seltzer
3
Marc Seltzer
3
Band 3
Amanda Bonn
4
Amanda Bonn
4
Band 4
Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs
1 Department
Department
Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs
1
Litigation: Mainly Plaintiffs
1
Band 1
New York
Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff
1 Department
1 Ranked Lawyer
Department
Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff
2
Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff
2
Band 2
Lawyers
Bill Carmody
2
Bill Carmody
2
Band 2
Litigation: General Commercial
5 Ranked Lawyers
Lawyers
Bill Carmody
Bill Carmody
Star Individuals
Jacob W. Buchdahl
1
Jacob W. Buchdahl
1
Band 1
Shawn Rabin
3
Shawn Rabin
3
Band 3
6
Stephen Shackelford
6
Band 6
Mark Musico
U
Mark Musico
U
Up and Coming
Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite
1 Department
Department
Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite
1
Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite
1
Band 1
Texas
Antitrust
1 Department
2 Ranked Lawyers
Department
Antitrust
2
Antitrust
2
Band 2
Lawyers
Barry C Barnett
1
Barry C Barnett
1
Band 1
Alexander L. Kaplan
U
Alexander L. Kaplan
U
Up and Coming
Intellectual Property
1 Department
1 Ranked Lawyer
Department
Intellectual Property
3
Intellectual Property
3
Band 3
Lawyers
Max Tribble
1
Max Tribble
1
Band 1
20 of 38 results