James E. Brandt

James E. Brandt retired from the partnership in December 2025. He was a partner in Latham & Watkins’ New York office, where he formerly served as the Managing Partner and also formerly served as Co-Chair of the firm’s New York Litigation & Trial Department. James was a member of the Restructuring & Special Situations, Securities and M&A Litigation, and Takeover Defense practices. He focused extensively on complex litigation involving financial matters, including securities and corporate transactions and insolvency matters, which included litigation in bankruptcy court and commercial matters.

James was an experienced trial attorney who had run matters that were local, national, and international in scope. He practiced regularly in the state and federal courts of New York and had also handled cases in numerous jurisdictions, including, among others, California, Delaware, Illinois, and Florida.

James had handled numerous cross-border controversies and matters in alternative dispute resolution forums, and also had a specialty in the defense of companies against bondholder claims. He had handled the full gamut of commercial litigation matters and had served as outside litigation counsel to Jefferies, the Weider Companies, HedgServ, and Rothschild, Inc., among others. He received particular notoriety for his 2013 victory for the Beverage Industry against the City of New York in the infamous Soda Ban case.

He speaks and writes regularly on topics within his areas of specialty. James was routinely cited as a leading attorney in the area of commercial litigation by Legal 500 US and Chambers USA, and as a Client Service All-Star by BTI Consulting.