Hannah Ross Featured by Law360 Discussing Plaintiffs’ Bar Perspective on Securities Litigation

May 10, 2017

In a feature interview with legal newswire Law360, BLB&G partner Hannah Ross discusses her role as a plaintiffs' litigator acting on behalf of large institutional investors in the article, “Plaintiffs’ Bar Perspective: Bernstein Litowitz’s Hannah Ross.”  

A self-described “prosecutor at heart,” Ms. Ross has nearly two decades of working as a trial lawyer in civil and criminal matters, both a public prosecutor and a private litigator.  She is committed to seeing “justice done” and is “passionate about doing everything in my power to ensure that happens.” As a plaintiff-side securities litigator, Ms. Ross has found her calling “representing hard-working Americans as we fight to recoup their retirement savings from corporate executives who defrauded their investors.”

As a senior woman partner at the firm, Ms. Ross is especially proud “to be a resource and mentor to the firm’s women attorneys, who are learning their way in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field,” as well as how to navigate life and work balance.

She believes that in order to be a successful plaintiffs’ attorney, one has to be proactive, focused, strategic and knowledgeable.  As it is incumbent on plaintiffs’ counsel to push a case forward, she emphasizes the importance of having a strategic command, knowing “every aspect of your case—the facts, the judge, the relevant law, new legal developments, and the particular procedural requirements.”

In discussing recent challenges, Ms. Ross recalls her experience as a senior member of the team on Bank of America, a case that resulted in the historic recovery $1.062 billion for defrauded investors.  She describes her work on the case as an “all-encompassing commitment,” requiring her and her team to “dedicate significant portions of their lives.” According to Ms. Ross, the importance of the work “and the comradery of our team kept us focused on our end goal” as they vigorously litigated complex claims under the pressure of a demanding timeline set by the Court.  “Three years later, we were incredibly gratified” with the result.

Ms. Ross also discusses the political and legal trends over the last few years that have made securities actions “more difficult to prosecute.”  “We have seen the emergence of new substantive hurdles in the prosecution of a securities class action,” she states, “making it more time consuming and more procedurally challenging.”