Latham Partners Named 2026 Notable Leaders in Law by Crain’s New York Business

Latham & Watkins is proud to announce that Ben Naftalis and Ray C. Schrock have been recognized as Crain's New York Business Notable Leaders in Law for 2026. The annual program honors New York-based senior leaders who have demonstrated the ability to effect positive change within their organizations, serve as role models and mentors, and contribute meaningfully to their communities.

Ben Naftalis serves as Deputy Office Managing Partner of Latham's New York office and was previously Global Vice Chair of the White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice. He has helped guide the strategy and growth that elevated Latham’s New York office to new heights — surpassing many traditional New York-founded firms by attorney headcount and the significance of matters led.

Ben is unrivaled in white collar investigations and cross-border matters, advising the biggest players in crypto and financial services on pathbreaking matters across DOJ, SEC, and FinCEN. His wins include a landmark resolution for the former CEO of the world's largest crypto exchange, defending a16z against novel theories targeting developers and VC investors on decentralized protocols, and guiding Tysers through a multi-jurisdiction bribery investigation — cementing Latham as preeminent in digital asset and white collar defense. Read Ben's profile.

Ray C. Schrock, Global Chair of Latham's Restructuring Practice, has led the further buildout of Latham’s restructuring practice through several of the world’s largest liability management and complex restructurings since 2025. Among in-court restructurings alone, Ray and the world-class team of restructuring partners at Latham advised on several multi-billion-dollar restructurings that included Wolfspeed, FAT Brands, Office Properties Income Trust, Pine Gate Renewables, Exela Technologies, and Modivcare. Read Ray's profile.