Kathy Ruemmler Named a 2017 “Winning Litigator”

Kathy Ruemmler, a Washington, D.C. partner and global Co-chair of Latham & Watkins’ White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice, has earned recognition in The National Law Journal (NLJ)’s 2017 “Winning: Litigators” report. The annual report profiles a select group of lawyers who “scored big victories for their clients in high-stakes cases.”

NLJ featured Latham’s victory on behalf of Dubai-based client Emirates NBD Bank in a federal case centering on allegations of trade secret misappropriation and fraud. The plaintiff, California-based technology company InfoSpan, sought more than US$1 billion in damages. In an interview with the NLJ, Ruemmler recalls, “We faced a sympathetic plaintiff and a jury inherently skeptical of our client. However, our team countered with facts to refute InfoSpan’s arguments. We showed that the plaintiff misled Emirates, its product was never fully developed and was — in essence — vaporware.” The jury was persuaded and returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Emirates Bank.

Ruemmler also shared trial tips that she said have been key to her success. In particular, she encourages lawyers to “have a laser-like focus on your simple trial theme and cut anything that doesn’t directly support it,” while recognizing that “cases are won through direct examination, and they need to be structured to tell a compelling narrative.”

This award is the latest in several notable recognitions for Ruemmler, partners Dean Dunlavey and Dan Schecter, and the team for their unanimous defense verdict following this two-week jury trial.