Am Law Names Akin Gump’s Litigation Department Among Nation’s Top Six

(Washington, D.C.) – The American Lawyer, in its biennial “Litigation Department of the Year” competition, has recognized Akin Gump’s as one of the top six litigation departments in the United States.  In selecting the firm as one of five finalists, the magazine noted that Akin Gump, a recognized “legal and lobbying powerhouse in Washington, D.C.,” has succeeded in “enhanc[ing] its litigation mojo nationwide” and building a top-tier litigation practice with a reach that “extends far beyond the nation’s capital.”

The American Lawyer singled out among the high points in Akin Gump’s litigation achievements over the last two years the firm’s first-of-its-kind victory on behalf of Aluminium Bahrain, which recovered $447 million in federal court in a RICO suit.  It also focused on defense victories such as the appellate wins in California and New York on behalf of Starbucks in tip-sharing cases with nine figures in potential awards on the table.

Akin Gump’s patent infringement victories on behalf of Janssen Biotech and Amphastar Pharmaceuticals were also called out, as was the firm’s victory for nursing home company Golden Living—one of the very few litigations against the government under the False Claims Act and an even-rarer win.

Firm chairperson Kim Koopersmith said, “I am extremely proud and pleased that The American Lawyer has recognized our litigators as being among the country’s very best.  We have some of the finest trial and appellate lawyers in the industry working—and winning—on our clients’ behalf.  This recognition speaks to the depth, breadth and quality of our litigation team, including our IP, health care, labor and appellate litigators. It also speaks highly of the immense trust our clients place in us, for which we are tremendously grateful.”

The American Lawyer’s recognition caps a series of honors accorded Akin Gump’s litigators in 2013 from legal and general media, including Law360, Washingtonian, Chambers and Partners, Corporate Counsel and The Legal 500, among others.  Additionally, in June, Akin Gump was named to The National Law Journal’s Appellate Hot List for the sixth-straight year.

To read more about this recognition, please click here.

Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 850 attorneys in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

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