Latham Wins Four Notable New York Legal Awards

Latham & Watkins has earned a series of impressive honors in the New York Legal Awards, annually presented by American Lawyer Media’s New York Law Journal to recognize the achievements of lawyers based in the state “who have made a remarkable difference in the legal profession.”

The awards and honorees include:

• Lifetime Achievement: Miles N. Ruthberg, of counsel in the New York office, was recognized for his accomplishments and impact on the legal community and the practice of law across his entire career. Ruthberg is a “legendary” litigator who is universally recognized as one of the nation’s top securities and class action lawyers. He has steered the accounting profession and major companies through some of their most consequential litigation, successfully negotiated the then-largest class action settlement in mass tort history, and spearheaded the dramatic growth of Latham’s Global Litigation & Trial Department. Through it all, Ruthberg has distinguished himself with his humility, professionalism, strategic vision, and unrelenting excellence.
•  Distinguished Leader: Marc Jaffe, Global Chair of Latham’s Corporate Department and former Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets Practice, was named among attorneys in management roles who have “achieved impressive results… while demonstrating clear leadership skills leading to positive outcomes.” This honor adds to the widespread recognitions Jaffe has received for his leadership and trailblazing practice, in which he represents issuers, investment banking firms, and investors in both public and private debt and equity offerings, as well as lending transactions. 
• Innovation Award for Teams and Individuals: A trio of New York Corporate partners – David Concannon, Yvette Valdez, and Stephen Wink – have been recognized for their cutting-edge work in fintech, particularly a collaboration with our client ConsenSys, a leading blockchain technology company, to launch the Automated Convertible Note, a complimentary, OpenLaw-based document generator that helps startups raise capital with customizable market standard terms and optional digital token provisions. The partners are members of the firm’s market-leading Financial Institutions and Fintech Industry Groups and Emerging Companies Practice.
• Litigation Departments of the Year - Professional Liability: Latham’s work advising clients in complex, bet-the-company securities litigation during the past year earned recognition in the Professional Liability specialty practice category for the second consecutive year. The firm’s Securities Litigation & Professional Liability Practice has achieved outstanding results in high-profile cases ranging from federal and state class, individual, and derivative actions to US Securities and Exchange Commission Rule 2(e) and other regulatory proceedings. For example, for client Puma Biotechnology, Latham secured a resounding victory, in the first federal securities class action to reach a verdict in nearly 10 years.