Rankings: MVPs of the Year

Law360’s MVPs of the Year recognizes the five attorneys who had extraordinary wins and contributed most to their practice area in the past year. The series showcases standout attorneys across the practice areas and industries covered by Law360.
  • November 03, 2023

    MVP: Sullivan & Cromwell's Nader Mousavi

    With more than 25 years in the industry, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's Nader Mousavi has worked a wide range of deals, but one recent transaction really stands out: Microsoft's planned multibillion-dollar bet on OpenAI, setting the stage for further integration of the technology and earning him a spot among Law360's 2023 Technology MVPs.

  • November 03, 2023

    MVP: Paul Hastings' John S. Darden

    John "Jay" Darden of Paul Hastings LLP's white collar practice has successfully defended international clients, including a Swiss tech firm and a Brazilian electricity company, from complex, high-stakes investigations over the last year, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 White Collar MVPs.

  • November 03, 2023

    MVP: Williams & Connolly's Enu A. Mainigi

    Enu A. Mainigi of Williams & Connolly LLP's litigation practice led Fifth Third Bank to victory against a certified class action amid a nationwide banking crisis, secured a win for Cardinal Health in a trial over distribution of opioids leading to the nation's opioid crisis, and shepherded CVS to triumph over a certified consumer class action regarding the prices of generic drugs, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Trials MVPs.

  • November 02, 2023

    MVP: Kirkland's Craig Primis

    Craig Primis of Kirkland & Ellis LLP led the firm's efforts to defend United Healthcare's $13 billion purchase of Change Healthcare against a failed intervention by the U.S.. Department of Justice, landing him a spot among Law360's 2023 Trial MVPs.

  • November 02, 2023

    MVP: Sidley's Kevin Lewis

    Buying 100 Boeing 787s and building 2,000 charging stations for electric cars were just a few of the projects worked on by Kevin Lewis of Sidley Austin LLP, making him one of Law360's Transportation MVPs.

  • November 02, 2023

    MVP: Skadden's Ken D. Kumayama

    Ken Kumayama of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has worked on numerous large technology transactions, including Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard's multibillion-dollar buy by Microsoft, earning him a spot among Law360's 2023 Technology MVPs.

  • November 02, 2023

    MVP: Moore & Van Allen's John A. Fagg Jr.

    John Fagg Jr. of Moore & Van Allen PLLC achieved an acquittal at the end of a historic third federal trial for a retired Pilgrim's Pride CEO accused of conspiring to fix chicken prices and then quickly pivoted to help Bank of America resolve a U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission matter, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 White Collar MVPs.

  • November 01, 2023

    MVP: O'Melveny's Mark Robertson

    Mark Robertson of O'Melveny & Myers LLP's transportation practice aided American Airlines in getting a nationwide discrimination class action dismissed and led the company to a victory in a biometric privacy case out of Illinois, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Transportation MVPs.

  • November 01, 2023

    MVP: Kramer Levin's Barry Berke

    Barry Berke of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP successfully defended a former New York lieutenant governor against bribery charges and secured a win in a seven-year-old insider trading suit, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 White Collar MVPs.

  • November 01, 2023

    MVP: Irell's Jason Sheasby And Lisa S. Glasser

    Jason Sheasby and Lisa S. Glasser of Irell & Manella LLP's trials practice racked up major litigation victories with hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts while representing major companies such as USAA and a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, earning them a spot on Law360's list of 2023 Trials MVPs.

  • November 01, 2023

    MVP: Paul Weiss' Karen Dunn

    Karen Dunn of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP helped Oracle Corp. win a copyright infringement trial and is defending Google in the Justice Department's digital advertising monopoly case, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Technology MVPs.

  • October 31, 2023

    MVP: Hogan Lovells' Lisa Ellman

    Lisa Ellman of Hogan Lovells led companies through an uncharted regulatory landscape for commercial drones to secure groundbreaking federal approvals to allow these emerging technologies to scale their operations for the first time, landing her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Transportation MVPs.

  • October 31, 2023

    MVP: Jones Day's Bethany Biesenthal

    Bethany Biesenthal of Jones Day's white collar practice secured a full acquittal for a client who was accused of spoofing and market manipulation while working at a large Wall Street bank, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 White Collar MVPs.

  • October 31, 2023

    MVP: Orrick's John Bautista

    John Bautista led a team of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP attorneys through a nearly $6.5 billion Series I funding round for payment processing client Stripe Inc., earning him a place among Law360's 2023 Technology MVPs.

  • October 31, 2023

    MVP: Desmarais' John Desmarais

    John Desmarais of Desmarais LLP secured a full defense verdict for Cisco that found the tech giant had not infringed software company Egenera's patents, then, just two weeks later, traveled to Texas and flipped to the plaintiff side to win Ravgen the third-largest patent verdict of 2022, earning him a place among Law360's 2023 Trial MVPs.

  • October 30, 2023

    MVP: Shearman's Adam Hakki

    Adam Hakki, a senior partner of Shearman & Sterling LLP, led Paramount Global to a total victory this year in a multibillion-dollar securities class action in New York state court that arose from the collapse of family office Archegos Capital Management, earning him a spot as one of Law360's Securities MVPs.

  • October 30, 2023

    MVP: Gibson Dunn's Joshua S. Lipshutz

    Joshua S. Lipshutz of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's technology group helped Facebook skirt a major privacy suit related to the Cambridge Analytica data scandal and is representing DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub in their suit challenging New York City's 20% cap on the fees food-delivery apps can charge restaurants, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Technology MVPs.

  • October 30, 2023

    MVP: Covington & Burling's Steve Fagell

    This is the second time in three years that Steve Fagell of Covington & Burling LLP has earned a spot among Law360's White Collar MVPs — and for good reason: He continues to negotiate impressive, relatively painless resolutions for prominent corporate clients grappling with high-stakes regulatory investigations and enforcement matters.

  • October 30, 2023

    MVP: Weil's Evan Levy

    Thanks to his work on multiple transactions north of the $20 billion mark, including a $100 billion semiconductor facility deal, Evan Levy of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP has been named among Law360's 2023 Real Estate MVPs.

  • October 30, 2023

    MVP: Sullivan & Cromwell's Davis Wang

    Through work on notable transactions including Amgen's purchase of Horizon Therapeutics and Pfizer's acquisition of Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, Davis J. Wang, co-head of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP's tax group, has been recognized as one of Law360's 2023 Tax MVPs.

  • October 27, 2023

    MVP: Willkie's Jared Bartie

    Jared Bartie of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP's sports transactions practice led an NBA team in an unprecedented naming-rights deal, represented minority investors in the sale of another NBA team, and brokered a groundbreaking league streaming rights agreement, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Sports & Betting MVPs.

  • October 27, 2023

    MVP: Proskauer's Amanda Nussbaum

    Amanda Nussbaum of Proskauer Rose LLP served as lead tax counsel for the owners of the Denver Broncos in their $4.65 billion sale of the NFL franchise last year, earning her a spot among Law360's 2023 Tax MVPs.

  • October 27, 2023

    MVP: Willkie's Archie Fallon

    Archie Fallon of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP's project finance practice shepherded Haddington Ventures in the complex formation of Haddington ESP I LP to finance what will be the largest green hydrogen platform in the world, advised PBF Energy in its joint venture of a renewable diesel biorefinery, and represented Tokyo-based Mitsui in its strategic alliance to develop an underground carbon capture facility, earning him a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Project Finance MVPs.

  • October 27, 2023

    MVP: Pomerantz's Emma Gilmore

    Over the last year, Emma Gilmore of Pomerantz LLP secured a ​​$26.3 million settlement with Deutsche Bank that ended claims it mishandled bad actors like Jeffrey Epstein. She also brokered a $74 million settlement with Arconic Inc. resolving allegations it concealed certain product information. These accomplishments have earned her a spot among Law360's 2023 Securities MVPs.

  • October 27, 2023

    MVP: Simpson Thacher's Marni J. Lerner

    Marni Lerner of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP's private equity practice shepherded KKR in its $975 million acquisition of S&P Global Inc.'s engineering solutions business and its $4 billion acquisition of security and data protection company Barracuda Networks, earning her a spot as one of Law360's 2023 Private Equity MVPs.

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