Partner; Co-Chair, Litigation Department
New York
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| Phone: | (212) 592-1417 |
| Fax: | (212) 545-3330 |
InternationalLitigation
Securities and Derivatives Litigation and Regulatory Group
Commercial Litigation
Insurance & Reinsurance
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Business Divorce
New York University School of Law, J.D., 1981
Catholic University of America
New YorkNew Jersey
Christopher J. Sullivan is the Co-Chair of Herrick Feinstein's seventy-five member Litigation Department, and served as a member of the Firm's Executive Committee from 1999 through 2011. As a nationally-known trial and appellate attorney with 30 years of experience in complex national and international business litigation, Chris has tried over 25 jury trials and countless bench trials and arbitrations. His extensive appellate experience includes a number of precedent-setting cases in the Second Circuit and New York State Courts of Appeals.
Chris is regularly sought out by blue-chip public companies, and their Boards of Directors and Audit Committees, for his ability to take his finely honed trial skills from "the court room to the board room" in his role as an essential crisis strategist and counselor. He devotes a significant portion of his practice to board advisory work and investigations, including counseling directors, committees, and senior management in connection with internal investigations, criminal, quasi-criminal and regulatory matters, shareholder demands, governance issues and other special situations. He works closely with Herrick's Corporate, Tax and Real Estate Departments in structuring transactions to minimize the risk and cost of litigation.
Chris also regularly represents privately-held companies, funds, and individual clients in significant litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He has long served as counsel to numerous local and international banks and financial institutions, and is a recognized authority and frequent lecturer on litigation relating to loan workouts, distressed debt situations, and bank practices and procedures. He is often retained by lenders or investors in litigation related to complex structured financing transactions. He is actively involved in "business divorce" negotiations and litigations, ranging from the break-up of professional practices to fights for control of privately-held businesses.
Chris has represented AmLaw Top 100 law firms and individual lawyers in professional liability and disciplinary matters, and was appellate counsel in two of the leading cases in New York regarding the fiduciary duties owed by lawyers to their law firms.
Fluent in French, Italian and Mandarin Chinese, Chris is frequently retained by international clients to represent their interests both in the United States and abroad.
Strategic advice and counsel to the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of a public company regarding litigation in New York and Belgium.
Representation of a public diamond company in complex insurance coverage litigation in New York and London.
Strategic advice and counsel to a foreign bank concerning parallel litigations in New York and Ireland.
Representation of a group of garment contractors in a successful challenge on ERISA pre-emption grounds to a section of New York State Business Corporation Law.
Representation of a public advertising company in defense of claims for violation of the federal securities laws.
Representation of a bank in the successful defense of claims arising out of a massive check-kiting scheme by employees of an insurance company depositor. When the insurance company failed, a court-appointed receiver sought to hold the bank liable for over $250 million in losses resulting from the insurance company’s failure. The District Court dismissed the claims after discovery, and the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal.
Representation of Israeli bank in defense of lender liability claims.
Representation of a family-owned wholesale food company against claims for wrongful termination and constructive discharge asserted by a family member/principal.
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