Benchmark Names Six BLB&G “Litigation Stars”

October 2016

Benchmark Litigation (“Benchmark”), a leading industry observer, has named BLB&G partners Max Berger, Salvatore Graziano, Mark Lebovitch,Gerald Silk, Hannah Ross, and Jonathan Uslaner as "Litigation Stars" in New York and California in its latest edition of its “definitive guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys.”

Benchmark cites peers who recognize that BLB&G’s senior managing partner Mr. Berger “still runs the show.  He is very hands-on and is very active in getting up and settling cases, getting big money back for his clients.”  Mr. Lebovitch is especially praised for his “high level of creativity, especially in the activist space, where he is very prominent,” and the profile highlights his success in obtaining the historic $153 million settlement in In re Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. Derivative Litigation – the second largest shareholder derivative settlement in Delaware Court of Chancery history.  The publication also highlights his success in obtaining a 26% premium for investor over the merger price in Merion Capital LP v. Safeway Inc., netting $127 million for the settling funds. 

Mr. Graziano is also highly revered by his peers, who refer to him as “Bernstein Litowitz’ dangerous new breed,” and as “someone who has successfully merged old-school trial lawyer panache with new-school comprehensive understanding of financial instruments.”  Both Mr. Graziano and Ms. Ross are recognized for their success in achieving multiple partial recoveries in the action against MF Global, which now total over $234 million.

According to Benchmark, peers “insisted that notice must be given to Gerald Silk.  He is a great organizer and a great thinker. [He is] never one of these ‘let’s just throw spaghetti against the wall and see if it sticks' types that inhabit too many plaintiff shops (and bring frivolous cases.) He is very business-minded and never wastes anyone's time."

The rankings are published in the 2017 Benchmark Litigation Guide to America's Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, which is compiled by the publishers of leading financial news magazines Institutional Investor and Euromoney and identifies the leading U.S. trial attorneys and firms at the local and national levels. Focused exclusively on the U.S. litigation market, the publication's rankings and editorials are the result of extensive interviews with private practice lawyers and in-house counsel.