Accomplishments
The National Law Journal’s Plaintiffs‘ Hot List is based on The National Law Journal’s survey of the litigation scene over the 12 months leading up to the announcement of the list. The National Law Journal asks its readers (primarily attorneys) to nominate plaintiffs’ firms with at least one significant win within the period, plus an impressive record of victories over the preceding five years, which means ”prevailing in a bench or jury trial worth lots of money or testing a legal theory with the potential to shape future litigation.” Based on this criteria, The National Law Journal has named Bernstein Liebhard LLP to its annual Hot List for the past nine years—a recognition that only one other law firm has achieved.
In 2011, Bernstein Liebhard LLP was named for the fourth consecutive year to The Legal 500, a guide to the best commercial law firms in the United States. The Legal 500 is an independent guide to commercial law firms, can be found online here, and is the largest legal referral site on the internet. The editors of The Legal 500 noted the success of the Firm’s securities practice: ”The firm’s demonstrable expertise in this field means that it is regularly appointed to significant roles in complex or bellwether cases.” In addition to the overall accomplishments of the Firm, several partners were also praised for their work in their respective practice areas: ”The highly respected Stanley Bernstein is recommended along with Jeffrey Haber, Rebecca Katz and U Seth Ottensoser.”
Bernstein Liebhard LLP has been included in the inaugural edition of Benchmark Plaintiff 2012: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Plaintiff Firms & Attorneys. The Firm was recommended as one of the top litigation firms in New York, and Senior Partners Stanley D. Bernstein and Sandy A. Liebhard were recognized as “local litigation stars” for their securities work – a distinction earned by being recommended consistently as “reputable and effective litigators by clients and peers.” As described by its editors, Benchmark Plaintiff focuses exclusively on plaintiff litigation, “highlighting firms and individuals responsible for bringing the cases that matter.” Ranking recognition was achieved through targeted questioning that specifically solicited peer feedback regarding firms conducting plaintiff work.
The respected legal guide, Martindale-Hubbell, has given Bernstein Liebhard its highest ratings for legal ability (A) and ethical standards (V).
The Firm was recognized in 2009 by RiskMetrics Group in its annual Securities Class Action Services list as one of the top plaintiffs’ securities class action firms in the country, as measured by annual settlement amounts, for the second consecutive year. The Firm achieved the highest average settlement amount among all plaintiffs’ law firms, averaging $254 million in settlements – a noted indicator that the Firm consistently brings and settles high-impact cases.
The legal publication Law360 named the Firm to its list of the top six plaintiff-side securities firms in the nation. Bernstein Liebhard LLP made the list as a result of its “leadership work” on the recently obtained $586 million settlement in In re Initial Public Offering Securities Litigation, No. 21 MC 92 (S.D.N.Y. 2009), and the $400 million recent settlement in In re Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc. Securities Litigation, No. 04-CV-8144 (CM) (S.D.N.Y. 2009).
Several partners of the Firm have been recognized for their accomplishments within their fields of practice.
In 2006 and 2007, Senior Partner Stanley D. Bernstein was named by Lawdragon as among the top lawyers in the country for his extraordinary professional achievements. Lawdragon uses a proprietary rating system that weighs an objective assessment of attorneys’ achievements and bar participation with journalistic reporting and online surveying of clients and peers. The Lawdragon ”3000″ honors fewer than 1 percent of all lawyers in America. He has also been named to several other Lawdragon lists: Lawdragon’s ” 100 Lawyers You Need To Know in Securities Litigation ” (2008), ”500 Leading Plaintiffs’ Lawyers,” (2007), and ”500 Leading Litigators in America” (2006).
Mr. Bernstein was also named for three consecutive years (2009, 2010 and 2011) to Directorship magazine’s “Directorship 100,” the list of “The Most Influential People in the Boardroom” (a list that includes President Obama, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, Delaware Supreme Court Justice Myron T. Steele, Delaware Chancery Court Chancellor William B. Chandler and Vice Chancellor Leo E. Strine, Jr., and corporate attorney Martin Lipton) as determined by The National Association of Corporate Directors and Directorship magazine. In addition, Mr. Bernstein was featured as the cover story in the February/March 2011 issue of Directorship magazine, in an interview entitled “Investors v. Directors.”
Five of the Firm’s partners have been named Super Lawyers in the class action field by Super Lawyers magazine since 2007: Senior Partner Stanley D. Bernstein was named in 2007, 2008 and 2009; Partners Jeffrey M. Haber and Rebecca M. Katz were named in 2008, 2009 and 2010; Partner U. Seth Ottensoser was named in 2010; and Partner Felecia L. Stern was named in 2011. In addition, Mr. Haber, Ms. Katz, and Mr. Ottensoser have been included in the 2011 Super Lawyers Business Edition in the litigation practice area for their work in securities litigation.
