July 7, 2016

Bernstein Liebhard LLP announced today that the Firm was ranked, for the 10th consecutive year, as one of the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country for securities litigation by The Legal 500, a guide to the “best of the best – the pre-eminent firms in the world’s strongest and most competitive legal market.”  According to its editors, “The Legal 500 United States is the client’s guide to the elite in the legal profession . . . only a small number of firms in the U.S. have a truly national presence coupled with the capability to handles sophisticated and complex work.”

The Legal 500 highlighted the Firm’s work as sole lead counsel City of Austin Police Retirement System v. Kinross Gold Corp., a securities fraud class action alleging that company executives knowingly issued a false and misleading development schedule for the company’s largest gold mine to inflate the company’s share price.  After years of litigation and the completion of fact and expert discovery, Partners Stanley D. Bernstein, U. Seth Ottensoser, and Michael S. Bigin negotiated a $33 million recovery for the City of Austin Police Retirement System and the class.

The Legal 500 also recognized Partners Stanley D. Bernstein and Stephanie M. Beige, for their work on behalf of the New Mexico Public Employees Retirement Association (“PERA”) in an individual action against Wachovia Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank) and affiliates arising from defendants’ alleged mismanagement of PERA’s securities lending program.  On the eve of trial, Mr. Bernstein and Ms. Beige negotiated a $50 million recovery for PERA, representing over 65% of PERA’s actual damages.

In addition to the ranking the Firm, The Legal 500 recommended Partners Stanley D. Bernstein, U. Seth Ottensoser, Michael S. Bigin, and Christian Siebott for their work in securities class action litigation.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP, established in 1993, represents plaintiffs in various types of class action and complex litigation and has pursued hundreds of securities, consumer, and shareholder rights cases, resulting in over $3.5 billion in recoveries for its clients and the classes it has represented.  For more information, please contact Stanley D. Bernstein at (212) 779-1414 or bernstein@bernlieb.com.