Industries
Automotive
Sullivan Willoughby often assists clients in the automotive industry, including vehicle, tire, engine, and auto parts manufacturers, as well as interested parties who invest in the industry.
Our automotive lawyers have proven their litigation prowess for a wide range of automotive industry clients over and over again. Consumer class actions, shareholder litigation, customer/vendor issues, antitrust, intellectual property, and international arbitration matters have all been handled by the company for clients in this industry.
We have obtained favorable verdicts for our clients, including defeating class certification in securities fraud cases, obtaining a key ruling for the dismissal of a consumer class action asserting unfair trade practices, and obtaining a post-trial win in alleged false advertising cases where awarded damages were in dispute.
Our automotive lawyers also provide transactional advice to clients across the industry. We advise clients on M&A and other strategic transactions, as well as debt financing and securitization of prime and sub-prime auto loans, leases, and dealer floor plan loans.
The aviation attorneys at Sullivan Willoughby are industry leaders in the planning, negotiating, and completing of complex commercial transactions involving all types of aircraft, engines, spare parts, and associated assets. We have the expertise to run the acquisition, financing, leasing, and disposition of aircraft and related assets in a wide range of transactions, and our aviation team can advise clients in deals involving all aspects of the law.
A whole range of aircraft industry participants forms our client base. In the aviation financing industry, we represent banks, underwriters, placement agents, issuers, lenders, and liquidity providers. We also represent a significant number of airlines, as well as several of the world's top aircraft operating lessors, in a variety of areas, including aircraft leasing and finance, as well as joint venture advising. Our attorneys established standard aircraft sale and purchase documentation for the world's major aircraft operating lessor, and our experts have handled countless acquisitions of both individual aircraft and portfolios for airlines, operating lessors, and equity investors.
In addition to establishing aircraft financings, our aviation attorneys have assisted airlines and other borrowers in restructuring debt and lease obligations, both inside and outside of bankruptcy. We have also enforced legal and non-judicial remedies and recovered aircraft in jurisdictions all over the world to support our lender and lessor clients when borrowers and lessees fail.
The electric power and utilities expertise of Sullivan Willoughby is a major strength of the firm. In connection with practically every form of a legal issue affecting energy and utilities law, including energy regulation, corporate, tax, environmental, and litigation challenges, we offer our clients unrivaled professional experience, creativity, and a track record of success.
Our lawyers, in particular, have extensive knowledge of the challenges that affect today's energy markets. While we are best known for our expertise in the key areas of electric power production and transmission, we also have a lot of experience in the oil and gas industry. Our energy and utilities experts have significant experience with a wide range of projects, including traditional fossil-fueled, gas- and coal-fired, combined-heat-and-power, renewable and alternative energy (wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal), and nuclear power plants.
Sullivan Willoughby is unique among energy law firms because it provides clients with a global, full-service energy and utilities practice involving attorneys who specialize in project development, acquisitions and dispositions, finance, regulatory, tax, environmental, labor and employment, construction/EPC contracting, real estate, litigation, bankruptcy, and restructuring, among others. Our team has the experience, capabilities, and platform to help customers navigate the complex strategic and legal difficulties that today's changing power markets provide.
The attorneys of Sullivan Willoughby are well-versed when it comes to the challenges that financial services firms face around the world. We have extensive experience advising some of the world's largest banks and financial institutions on a wide range of complex regulatory and transactional matters, as well as litigation, dispute resolution, and regulatory matters, along with data security and privacy breaches, intellectual property issues, and labor and employment disputes. We represent debt funds, specialty lenders, broker-dealers, investment managers, funds, exchanges, and insurance companies, in addition to financial services firms.
We provide guidance on complying with state laws and regulations, representing our clients' interests in agency operations and policy discussions, and ensuring that acquisitions, mergers, and other transactions are completed on time. Our lawyers have actively participated in the implementation of significant financial legislation, such as laws governing financial services integration, strengthened supervisory oversight, money laundering prevention, confidentiality, corporate governance, and financial and public reporting.
Sullivan Willoughby has represented clients in the food, beverage, and agriculture industries, which are frequently the target of regulators, opportunistic competitors, and consumers. Our lawyers act as trusted consultants and valued business partners to some of the industry's most prominent companies, addressing some of their most high-profile matters. We have adopted a sector-specific strategy, dedicating a team of multinational and multi-disciplined attorneys to the laws, regulations, and market dynamics that affect our clients in this business.
We represent farmers, growers, packaged food manufacturers, ingredient manufacturers, restaurant chains, bakeries, dairies, grocery stores, confectioneries, wineries, brewers, distilleries, distributors, and franchisors, among others. Our food, beverage, and agriculture lawyers are familiar with the complexities of this industry's legal challenges and often provide advice on corporate and financial, regulatory, counseling, and litigation issues.
We also advise and counsel food, beverage, and agriculture customers on bankruptcy, real estate, data security, privacy, patent prosecution, restrictive covenants, securities litigation, and white-collar criminal defense, in addition to the legal services mentioned above.
Clients seeking government relations solutions for legal or corporate concerns require competent experts who are familiar with the complexities of both the legislative and regulatory processes involving the executive branch. The most effective advocates must be able to propose and implement realistic ideas while adhering to the rules of the legislative or regulatory process. Sullivan Willoughby provides the finest level of service to its clients. Our government relations attorneys and advisors have a vast network of essential contacts and a thorough understanding of the working environment. Our team evaluates client issues systematically and offers practical and successful solutions. We are known for developing and crafting unique solutions for customers that go beyond what traditional lobbying firms can provide.
The government relations law practice at Sullivan Willoughby assists the firm's corporate and association clients in a variety of ways, including direct advocacy and lobbying on specific tax, trade, infrastructure, agriculture, maritime, energy, environmental, transportation, pharmaceutical, and healthcare issues; state legislative drafting; preparation and presentation of testimony; and providing legal advice on the formation and operation of political action committees. Our government relations attorneys have assisted litigation clients facing high-profile congressional investigations in complying with requests, preparing for interviews with investigators, and drafting responses to interrogatories.
Cities, territories, state agencies, airport authorities, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, engineering/consulting firms, and corporations with an interest in publicly funded infrastructure programs work with the firm's legislative partners, associates, and advisors to secure available federal funds.
Sullivan Willoughby has created a healthcare industry-wide practice that incorporates virtually all aspects of the healthcare law and spans nearly every legal practice area. Our lawyers are seasoned professionals who have worked as general, litigation, and special counsels for a wide range of healthcare organizations and entities. We have a thorough understanding of the healthcare industry and a track record of successfully representing clients on a wide range of challenges.
Fraud and abuse regulation is a major emphasis of our healthcare expertise.
Attorneys in this area assist a broad array of providers with transactional matters and represent a wide range of businesses in the purchase and sale of health care providers. We represent investment institutions and large lending institutions in stock and debt issues, and we are active participants in the financing of health care businesses.
Our antitrust team has become one of the most sought-after experts in the country for healthcare clients seeking to navigate the increasingly high barriers posed by federal and state courts and regulatory authorities. Our lawyers have extensive experience in antitrust litigation, merger evaluations, and commercial litigation involving complicated issues of unfair competition, labor and employment, and contract law.
Our healthcare attorneys have extensive expertise representing hospitals and healthcare systems, as well as businesses in the industry, with labor and employment matters. We also have extended experience with compensation packages in general.
Our privacy and data security attorneys are experts in the field, helping clients with issues such as consumer and communications privacy, data breaches and security, employee and workplace privacy, financial privacy, and cross-border data transfers. Our health care attorneys are also supported by the firm's litigators and are well-equipped to provide litigation, investigative, antitrust, and consumer protection services.
Infrastructure practitioners at Sullivan Willoughby help clients handle complex projects. We have extensive expertise representing market participants in a variety of situations, including project development, complex financings, and mergers and acquisitions. We also assist with all elements of domestic and international public-private partnerships, provide skilled project bond counsel, and provide advice on practically all types of engineering, procurement, and construction arrangements.
Transportation (roads, bridges, tunnels, rail and mass transit, ports and airports), sports facilities and stadiums, social infrastructure and commercial buildings, telecommunications, water and wastewater are examples of our infrastructure experience. Sponsors, developers, investors, underwriters, public and private lenders, governments, and other project counterparties are among the firm's remarkable clientele, which we represent in a wide range of transactions and disputes in the infrastructure industry.
Sullivan Willoughby offers clients a solid understanding of the complexities - including impediments and risks - involved in infrastructure projects, counseling on many "first-of-their-kind" projects. Our experience in assisting with cutting-edge and innovative agreements across a diverse range of structures and locations enables us to successfully advise on all phases of a project, from conception to execution.
Our infrastructure practice's range of legal disciplines gives our clients instant access to attorneys with experience in project development, M&A, finance, tax, environmental, regulatory, labor and employment, construction, real estate, litigation, bankruptcy, and other legal disciplines as needed.
In both business deals and high-stakes litigation, Sullivan Willoughby is a valued advisor to international insurance companies.
We represent insurance firms in corporate lending, lease finance, acquisition, and restructuring activities, as well as all elements of private equity funds and financial products, in both transactional and government relations and legislative matters. We have helped several multinational insurance companies and intermediaries establish a solid presence, either through direct investment or by acquiring or partnering with other existing entities. We also help customers sell existing insurance companies and provide ongoing regulatory guidance to those doing business within the industry. Our lawyers are well-known and highly regarded for their work in these fields.
Sullivan Willoughby insurance attorneys have a thorough understanding of the specialized methods and strategies for defending insurance companies in high-stakes issues. They are one of the most experienced sets of insurance class action defense practices in the country. We have been involved in several landmark cases that have changed the way insurance law is practiced today. The issues in these cases have ranged from the interpretation of allegedly ambiguous policies to claims of sales practices under various state consumer protection statutes, denial of benefits, suitability of annuities, claims payment practices, modal premiums, class arbitration, and changes in non-guaranteed elements of universal life policies.
Beyond class action defense, our attorneys have extensive experience representing insurance companies in a variety of combative cases, ranging from commercial and coverage litigation to employment and intellectual property conflicts. The firm has a long history of working on corporate governance issues in the insurance industry, such as securities disclosure and board governance. In addition, we have represented big insurance firms in internal investigations and grand jury proceedings.
The maritime team at Sullivan Willoughby is familiar with the constraints of doing business and negotiating the maritime industry's complicated issues. Our attorneys have gained a deep understanding of the most important issues facing our clients by representing a diverse group of industry participants, ranging from vessel owners and operators to businesses that charter vessels, port authorities, and others involved in the financing of maritime transportation resources. While we are well-known as the "go-to" firm for complex maritime issues involving government policy, law, regulations, and enforcement, we also assist clients with vessel financing, commercial transactions, and non-government-related admiralty litigation, such as collisions and cargo claims, among other cases.
Our team has worked with the Coast Guard, Customs, Border Protection, and the Maritime Administration extensively. Our maritime team also has access to all of the firm's resources, including our corporate, restructuring, environmental, tax, litigation, labor and employment, and energy practices.
The media and entertainment practice at Sullivan Willoughby is comprised of an interdisciplinary group of litigators and transactional attorneys who advise some of the world's most well-known media, entertainment, and communications firms.
For new media, online entertainment, e-commerce, technology, and Internet-based consumer products companies, we are at the forefront of some of the most important and demanding copyright and trademark matters. Our media and entertainment attorneys have achieved several significant triumphs in high-stakes cases that are influencing the law governing media and developing technology in the entertainment sector. We also represent technology innovators in digital media distribution, the Internet, anti-piracy and copy protection, data and analytics, and gaming in complicated patent challenges.
Our attorneys have undertaken transactions involving prominent and independent studios as well as private equity firms in the worldwide media and entertainment sector including media finance, private equity, and M&A. We have been at the forefront of major studio feature financing and structured television programming financing. Recent acquisitions in Asia and beyond demonstrate our expertise in screened entertainment.
The oil and gas lawyers at Sullivan Willoughby have extensive expertise representing clients in situations including upstream, midstream, refining, and petrochemicals. Our clients include internal and overseas oil and gas exploration and production companies, lenders, midstream companies, equipment manufacturers and service providers, private equity and other investors, petrochemical companies, refiners, and shippers, as well as lenders. Acquisitions and divestitures, as well as oil and gas litigation, regulatory, and environmental advising, are all areas of law where we have experience. Our energy team has the right competence with cross-border deals, strategic investments, projects, and financings. Our oil and gas lawyers advise clients all around the world in energy transactions such as mergers and acquisitions, project development, and infrastructure.
Our oil and gas transaction and project experience extend across the whole value chain, from exploration and production to midstream oil and gas storage and transportation, LNG, refining, and petrochemicals. In a wide range of transactions and projects, Sullivan Willoughby works with industry participants and partners, including interest owners, operators, private equity investors, project coordinators, issuers, borrowers, refiners, operators, contractors, suppliers, lenders, and governments (including national oil companies).
The firm's experienced litigators often manage complex commercial disputes in the oil and gas industry, and our litigators have handled patent infringement cases involving a wide range of oilfield technologies. In addition, Sullivan Willoughby has a team of attorneys who are experienced in representing clients in enforcement proceedings before federal and state energy regulatory bodies.
Clients in the pharmaceutical, medical device, and life sciences industries have a wide range of legal needs, ranging from litigation to corporate transactions to intellectual property and regulatory compliance. The depth and breadth of Sullivan Willoughby's competent attorneys are extremely beneficial to companies in this area.
Pharmaceutical and medical device lawyers at Sullivan Willoughby often represent clients from all parts of the industry, including brand-name firms, generics manufacturers, and trade associations. We are without a doubt one of the most prestigious law firms in the area when it comes to representing generic pharmaceutical companies in patent litigation.
Antitrust cases brought by competitors or consumers, often as class actions; investigations and allegations of regulatory violations; consumer class actions alleging product liability violations; the defense of corporate acquisitions; and insurance claim disputes are just a few of the complex business disputes we have handled.
Our work in the pharmaceutical and medical device industry includes labor and employment, corporate, tax, bankruptcy and insolvency, and environmental law, among other areas of law.
The malpractice lawyers at Sullivan Willoughby have extensive expertise representing clients in the professional services sector in a wide range of legal matters. We represent large legal firms, accounting firms, consulting firms, architects, engineers, and other professional services firms as part of this activity.
We are a national leader in defending professional service firms accused of misconduct in the context of major corporate incidents. In a variety of situations, from securities fraud class actions to third-party tort claims to litigation and arbitrations involving audit clients or bankruptcy trustees, we have redefined auditor defense. Sullivan Willoughby has also handled professional liability defense for other limited liability partnerships.
For years to come, Sullivan Willoughby has established a track record in key areas, such as the in pari delicto defense, that will control the scope of charges of accountant malpractice and situations concerning auditor liability. We have a reputation for contesting charges of professional malpractice throughout our cases, lowering or eliminating our clients' exposure in many situations before trial, but defending complicated auditor liability matters to judgment when required.
In the field of labor and employment, we provide human resources and employment law advice to professional service organizations around the area, as well as management training on topics including social media, workplace harassment, and affirmative action. We have also represented clients in this industry in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative bodies.
The real estate attorneys at Sullivan Willoughby have considerable institutional knowledge and experience in a wide range of property transactions. We can assist purchasers, sellers, developers, borrowers, and lenders in the acquisition, financing, sale, development, and leasing of commercial, industrial, and multifamily properties by combining our corporate, tax, environmental, and litigation capabilities. Our team also represents clients in capital markets transactions, such as the structuring, financing, and securitization of mortgage loans and other real estate-related assets. Major local and worldwide corporations, financial organizations, real estate funds, insurance firms, and other high-level real estate market participants are among our diverse client base.
Our real estate finance practice focuses on representing financial institutions in a wide range of lending products, including traditional finance transactions, securitization transactions, and transactions in which we serve as counsel to issuers, underwriters, sponsors, and other market participants.
We have a great deal of experience defending clients in real estate-related bankruptcy, workout, and restructuring situations for many kinds of projects. We have worked on several operations at the property and entity level, as well as bankruptcies and foreclosures, and have advised clients on asset restructurings involving a wide range of asset types.
We represent a variety of real estate investors and owners in the acquisition, ownership, management, and sale of real estate assets. We have established and improved novel purchase, development, financing, partnership, joint venture, and other equity involvement structures for institutional customers in addition to addressing standard acquisition and sale matters.
Our lawyers have also planned and implemented a wide range of organizational and real estate ownership structures. We often counsel lenders, funds, investors, and buyers on financing strategies at all stages of the investment cycle, including the creation, purchase, sale, and securitization of mortgage loan interests.
The retail and consumer products lawyers at Sullivan Willoughby assist clients in overcoming the specific challenges and issues that the retail sector faces around the world. We handle substantial, high-profile matters for our retail clients across a wide range of practice areas as they operate and grow their footprints.
Our consumer product lawyers have a wealth of expertise litigating class actions, particularly those involving consumer and product liability claims, as well as complex commercial matters. We advise retailers on how to apply anti-competitive behavior and other consumer protection rules, as well as defend them in court when necessary.
In important wage and hour class actions concerning exempt/non-exempt status, employee overtime status, and off-the-clock pay practice claims, attorneys in our Labor & Employment Department defend their clients. We also assist retail clients in standard labor matters such as counseling and guidance on employment.
Using innovative and cost-effective patent, copyright, and trademark development, maintenance, policing, and protection tactics, our intellectual property attorneys help clients build powerful brands and secure their IP assets. Furthermore, our lawyers represent consumer products and retail clients in advertising lawsuits and consumer privacy issues.
Attorneys in our Corporate Department represent both public and private corporations, as well as financial sponsors, in M&A transactions of various sizes and degrees of complexity. We also provide real estate advice and assist with environmental counseling and negotiations for our clients.
Luxury brand products, fashion and accessory retailers, electronics and technology retailers, healthcare products, and food and beverage makers and retailers are among the company's clientele.
Our sports law experts have a comprehensive practice that provides a wide range of services throughout the country and overseas, and they have an unparalleled depth of knowledge in the sports business.
All of the major player associations, professional athletes, player classes in antitrust and other litigation, sports ownership groups, sports event organizers, intellectual property licensees and licensors, media companies, sports agents, lenders and underwriters of team and sports facility debt, governmental entities, coaches, competing sports leagues, sponsors, and others involved in disputes and transactions in the sports industry are represented by our sports law attorneys. Our expertise covers the entire legal spectrum of the sports industry:
Our sports litigation practice also includes full legal services for clients involved in academic and amateur athletics.
Sullivan Willoughby's technology clients are diverse, and the firm handles a wide range of litigation, transactional, and counseling concerns for pioneering enterprises in telecommunications and networking, digital media, computer, software, and semiconductors, among other fields.
Few technology law firms can match the breadth and depth of our computer, software, inter-networking, and mobile technology competence in the intellectual property area. Our attorneys have represented the industry's leading participants at all levels and throughout the business cycle.
Our lawyers are also on the cutting edge of the legal and business concerns that arise from disruptive and emergent technology. The firm's Disruptive Technologies Team serves as a one-stop-shop for comprehensive, frequently cross-practice legal guidance on the commercial ramifications of emerging technologies, such as blockchain and distributed ledger technology, digital currencies, and artificial intelligence (AI).