Friedman Kaplan Boosts Team with Steven Pesner

Friedman Kaplan is proud to announce that Steven M. Pesner has joined the firm’s New York office as Senior Counsel. Steve represents major private equity and investment management funds, domestic and international entrepreneurs, and public and private companies in connection with solving complex litigation, corporate, securities, regulatory and other issues, including class actions, securities actions, bankruptcy issues, RICO claims, and other complex litigations, disclosure issues, FCPA issues, and regulatory issues.  He also has significant experience in alternative dispute resolution, including arbitration and mediation.

Steve joins Friedman Kaplan from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he was a partner for 24 years and served on the firm’s executive, management, strategic planning, litigation steering and other committees.  In addition to his leadership functions, he supervised the preparation of global multi-defendant strategies, argued dispositive multi-defendant motions, and coordinated large, factually and legally complex, multi-defendant cases, arbitrations, trials and settlements.  He also advised clients in connection with many types of domestic and international business transactions involving public and private entities in the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, the CIS, South Korea and Western Europe.

Steve will be fully active in the firm’s practice, which has represented clients in some of the most high-profile disputes of the last decade. Some of the firm’s recent work includes representation of two hedge funds in their successful recovery of $1.3 billion in defaulted Republic of Argentina bonds, and representation of Caesars Entertainment Corporation in defense of federal and chancery court lawsuits brought by various creditor groups alleging that certain transactions violated the terms of bond issuances and the Trust Indenture Act.

Steve graduated with honors in 1967 from the University of Virginia, and received his law degree in 1971 from New York University School of Law.

“We are thrilled to welcome Steve to Friedman Kaplan. We greatly look forward to working together and to offering the benefit of his experience, expertise, and judgment to our clients,” said Friedman Kaplan Managing Partner Eric Seiler.