Seiden Law

Seasoned litigation attorney Lauren Elliot has recently joined Seiden Law's New York office as a partner, bolstering the team’s active and growing practice with her specialization in litigating complex commercial disputes in federal and state courts and in arbitration.   Recognized five times by Legal Media Group in its Expert Guides - Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law, Lauren brings three decades of experience at top global firms to Seiden Law. She is best known for her work in high-profile, high stakes litigation, responding to government investigations, conducting internal investigations and counseling on litigation avoidance, legal and regulatory compliance issues and crisis management.   Lauren comes to Seiden Law from the New York office of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where she was a member of that firm’s Class Actions, Commercial Litigation, and Crisis Management practice groups. With her arrival, the firm has rapidly expanded its staff to be led by five partners.   "I am very honored and excited that Lauren has joined our team," noted Managing Partner Robert W. Seiden. "She has quickly stepped up as a leader and role model and taken leading roles in some of our most sensitive and complex matters. Lauren's keen intellect, poised disposition, good humor and deep strategic thinking is a major asset to our clients and professional staff."    Lauren graduated from Brown University in 1989 with honors (International Relations) and received her Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School in 1993. Click the link after the jump to learn more about Lauren. https://lnkd.in/ejifvMaR

Please join us in congratulating Senior Associate Ian Weiss, who has been recognized in the 2025 edition of the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America list for his work in insurance law.   For over four decades, Best Lawyers has been widely recognized in the legal field as the “premier benchmark for legal integrity and distinction in the United States,” and a recognition by Best Lawyers is seen as “a “testament to exceptional practice.” Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America recognizes lawyers for their work in a specific area of law earlier in their careers based on a comprehensive-peer review methodology. “This year alone, we saw the highest voter participation in an individual edition, with almost 13,000 participants providing 1.2 million new evaluations,” stated Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. “Our commitment to a purely peer-based review process is central to our philosophy, as we believe that the top lawyers are best suited to identify their peers at the highest level.” More about the list can be found in the link after the jump.   https://lnkd.in/gXaXxzQ

Seiden Law is once again honored and thankful to have been recognized for its pro bono work by The Honorable Laura Taylor Swain, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Please see attached Chief Judge Swain’s letter recognizing the firm alongside some of the most reputable firms in the U.S.

Seiden Law is proud to announce that Partner Jake Nachmani has been recognized by Lawdragon as a national leading litigator in its 2025 list of the 500 Leading Litigators in America, specifically for his work in complex commercial litigation. In the third edition of this Lawdragon guide of the leading litigators of the U.S., Nachmani was named among 2,878 lawyers from large litigation firms such as Susman Godfrey, Quinn Emanuel, and Paul Weiss. As stated by Lawdragon about such litigators: “These lawyers win hundreds of millions, billions even. They win rights, or lose them. They win freedom, or lose it for someone. They have the abilities to change businesses and entire industries. It’s an audacious thing a trial lawyer does: to tell a judge, jury or other arbiter, ‘Hear me. Believe me. Rule for my client.’” Congratulations to Jake Nachmani; Seiden Law thanks Lawdragon for this recognition. You can find the full guide in the link after the jump. https://lnkd.in/ddht4CqM

On July 26, 2024, Seiden Law LLP Managing Partner Robert W. Seiden was appointed by the Honorable Judge Pamela K. Chen as the Distribution Administrator of the settlement funds in the matter of Security and Exchange Commission v. Richard Xia et al., No. 21-cv-05350. The complaint, filed in 2021 by the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), alleges that "Defendants fraudulently raised more than $229 million by offering and selling limited partnership interests to more than 450 investors" who participated in the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. Pursuant to the final judgment, Defendants are jointly and severally liable for disgorgement of $228,500,000 as a result of their fraudulent conduct alleged in the Amended Complaint with $25 million in prejudgment interests: Defendant Fleet New York Metropolitan Center is liable for a civil penalty in the amount of $15,538,635, and Defendant Richard Xia is liable for a civil penalty in the amount of $3,101,745. The SEC recommended Mr. Seiden, an experienced court-appointed fiduciary and former prosecutor, to the Court for this important position. Pursuant to the Court’s order, the Administrator and his team will craft and propose to the SEC and the Court a robust distribution plan and then, subject to approval of the Court, administer the payments of the funds to the victims of the fraud. More about the case can be read about on the SEC website by clicking the links after the jump. https://lnkd.in/e6Hu4eRd https://lnkd.in/eBVRrjjC

Please join us in congratulating partners Robert W. Seiden and Amiad Kushner on their selection to the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Global Litigators Guide. This honor shortly follows their selection to the 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers Guide, announced in May 2024, and marks the second consecutive year that they have been recognized in this guide. The list highlights advisors “at the forefront resolving global disputes” and “lawyers whose vision and reach is worldwide.” Our partners have been recognized for their work in international litigation, arbitration, and enforcement, and stand among 133 New York attorneys hailing from some of top law firms in the U.S. and from around the world. Congratulations to our partners and thank you to Lawdragon for this recognition. You can click the link after the jump to access The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Litigators. https://lnkd.in/eCt9a8DA

We are pleased to announce that four Seiden Law attorneys were recognized as the "next generation of legal leaders in America" by Lawdragon and selected to be part of the 2024 edition of the Lawdragon 500 X guide. This year's edition designated attorneys with a focus on the global aspect of their work. Selections are based on nominations as well as subsequent research by Lawdragon committees. Thank you to Lawdragon for this recognition, and congratulations to Dov Gold, Olivia Huang, Xintong Zhang, and Priya Lehal! The guide is linked after the jump. 2024 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation Dov Gold - Commercial Litigation Olivia Huang - International Arbitration, Corporate Litigation Xintong Zhang - China Practice, inc. Litigation, Judgment Enforcement Priya Lehal - Commercial Litigation, inc. International Disputes https://lnkd.in/eizfxyh7

On June 27, 2024, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit affirmed a Maryland district court judgment that confirmed arbitral awards issued in favor of Seiden Law’s client, the Estate of Ke Zhengguang. The case has been discussed on Law360 and Bloomberg Law; articles on the case can be found in the link after the jump. The underlying arbitration concerned a complex dispute related to real property in mainland China, which culminated in an arbitration before the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC).   Between 2018 and 2020, the HKIAC issued a series of awards.  The Estate filed a petition to confirm the awards in a Maryland district court against one of the arbitral respondents, Stephany Yu, who lives in Maryland.  In January 2023, the district court confirmed the awards and issued a $4 million judgment in favor of the Estate. The Fourth Circuit’s unanimous twenty-three-page decision addresses important questions related to the enforcement of international arbitral awards in the United States, including the availability of a forum non conveniens defense under the New York Convention, and whether arbitral awards that are denominated in a foreign currency can be converted into US dollar judgments.  The Fourth Circuit held that a forum non conveniens defense was inapplicable under the facts of this case, even if such a defense is available under the Convention. The Fourth Circuit also held that it was reasonable for the district court to enter judgment in US dollars, notwithstanding that the arbitral panel’s merits award was denominated in Chinese Renminbi (RMB). Seiden Law partner and litigation chair Amiad Kushner argued the appeal. Senior counsel Jennifer Blecher and Senior Associate Xintong Zhang were on the brief. Paralegal Lily Dempsey provided invaluable assistance. https://lnkd.in/eb_SiWh2 https://lnkd.in/eFD4zniu

Please join us in welcoming our 2024 Summer Associates Isaac Bills, Alyson Brusie, and Eric Stehmann. Our interns hail from Georgetown University Law Center and the University of Chicago. We are excited to have you on the team!

Seiden Law is proud to announce that two of our partners have been named to Lawdragon’s 2024 guide of the 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers. Partners Robert W. Seiden and Amiad Kushner have been honored with this selection for the second year running. A Lawdragon distinction is considered among the most distinguished honors for attorneys, covering the best attorneys in each practice area. Lawyers are selected based on their impact on the field and the cases they have handled. Robert Seiden and Amiad Kushner are among the 194 selected New York attorneys working for firms, including national heavyweights such as Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP and Susan Godfrey LLP, selected for this award. Read the complete Lawdragon guide in the links after the jump. Congratulations to our partners and thank you to Lawdragon for this recognition. https://lnkd.in/epwM55hF