- Managing Partners: Stuart Grant, Jay Eisenhofer
- Number of Attorneys: 75
Firm Overview:
G&E is distinctively different from other securities law firms. This is evident through the firm’s continued commitment to excellence and unparalleled results (including achieving more securities settlements in excess of $100 million than any other law firm). The firm utilizes state-of-the-art data systems and cutting-edge technology platforms, which combined with our knowledge, judgment and experience results in exemplary service to our clients. The firm was founded in 1997 by two entrepreneurial attorneys (Jay Eisenhofer and Stuart Grant) who saw an opportunity to forge a new path in the litigation landscape for institutional investors. Since that time, G&E has grown exponentially, representing institutional investors in over 100 cases, adding over 120 new employees, and expanding its practice offerings to include securities litigation, corporate governance litigation, antitrust litigation, bankruptcy litigation and False Claims Act litigation. For over 15 years G&E has remained a recognized leader in the area of complex litigation.
Main Areas of Practice:
Securities Litigation:
G&E has built a national and international reputation as a leader in securities litigation. In both class action and “opt out” cases, the firm has attracted widespread recognition for protecting investors’ rights and recovering damages for investors. The firm has been lead counsel in many of the largest securities class action recoveries in US history, including a $3.2 billion recovery against Tyco International, and multi-hundred million dollar recoveries against companies such as General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, and Royal Dutch Shell. G&E regularly serves as lead counsel in national securities class actions, working closely with public and private institutional investors across the globe as lead plaintiffs. G&E was the first law firm in the country to argue the provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”) allowing an institutional investor to be appointed as lead plaintiff in a securities class action. The opinion, Gluck, et al. v.Cellstar, which appointed the State of Wisconsin Investment Board as lead plaintiff and G&E as lead counsel, is considered the landmark on the standards applicable to lead plaintiff/lead counsel practice under the PSLRA, resulting in a class recovery of approximately 56% of the class’ actual losses, which was, at the time, four times the historical average gross recovery for securities fraud litigation. The firm has recovered over $12.5 billion for institutional shareholders in the last five years alone.
Corporate Governance:
G&E’s experience in advising institutional investors with respect to corporate governance matters is second to none. The firm has successfully used shareholder class and derivative litigation to achieve considerable benefits for shareholders in connection with corporate transactions and breach of fiduciary duty claims, including: a $115 million settlement against former executives of AIG, Delaware Chancery Court’s largest derivative shareholder litigation settlement; a $420 million settlement against the directors and majority stockholder of Digex, Inc., the largest reported settlement in Delaware Chancery Court history; and a settlement against the board of Caremark Rx Inc., resulting in an additional $3.19 billion in cash consideration. The firm has achieved many landmark decisions and/or settlements in litigation over companies’ corporate governance practices, including the seminal case enabling proxy access for shareholders to nominate director candidates and the pioneering case that invalidated “dead hand” shareholder rights plans. The firm has also achieved significant victories in the area of back-dated options. G&E is regularly consulted by some of the world’s largest public pension funds and strategic investors, including hedge funds, in connection with general policies and practices that may impact the investor’s entire portfolio. As Delaware law practitioners, G&E has particular expertise in corporate governance matters involving Delaware corporations, and is well prepared to advise its clients regarding the current state of the law, but also recent developments and legislative initiatives on the horizon.
False Claims Litigation:
The impact of corporate wrongdoing is not limited to shareholders and private consumers. When corporate fraud impacts governments, False Claims Acts allow whistleblowers, acting in the name of the government, the right to seek redress against any company, entity or person. G&E counsel works with whistleblowers in all phases of the process, from initial meetings with government officials through the litigation process. Whistleblowers bringing suit under federal and state False Claims Act laws have enabled the government to recover more than $20 billion since 1986. Whistleblowers who initiate false claims cases are entitled to a portion of the money, or a bounty, generally ranging from 15-30% of the government’s total recovery. Since 1986, False Claims Act qui tam whistleblowers have been paid more than $2 billion in bounties.
Antitrust Litigation:
Attorneys in G&E’s antitrust practice group have decades of experience prosecuting complex individual and class actions on behalf of individuals and corporations of all sizes that have suffered from wrongdoing. G&E currently serves as lead or co-lead counsel in several class and individual antitrust actions involving claims against manufacturers and producers of goods and services for monopolization, illegal price fixing, illegal tying arrangements and other violations of antitrust law. In these types of cases, G&E attorneys have obtained settlements on behalf of direct purchasers totaling well over $1 billion.G&E’s antitrust attorneys have been recognized by courts and colleagues across the country, regularly speak at major conferences, and contribute materials to academic and other publications.
Bankruptcy Litigation:
Widely recognized for innovative and aggressive representation of institutional investors, G&E brings that same approach to its bankruptcy litigation practice. With extensive experience in litigation arising out of major US Chapter 11 bankruptcies and other US and offshore insolvency and winding-up proceedings, the firm represents investor clients as creditors in bankruptcy cases,out-of-court workouts and offshore/cross-border insolvency matters. Combining sophisticated complex litigation skills with a practiced understanding of the Bankruptcy Code, G&E’s attorneys seek and obtain substantial client recoveries, both in third party litigation on behalf of debtor trustees to recover estate assets, and in reorganization plan challenges and actions aimed at increasing distributions to individual and group creditor clients. The firm’s attorneys have extensive experience in successfully prosecuting creditor claims in bankruptcy cases of all sizes, defending creditors from debtor “clawback” and other recovery actions.
Areas of PracticeSecurities Litigation
Corporate Governance
False Claims Litigation
Antitrust Litigation
Bankruptcy Litigation