Shearman & Sterling has been designated a top tier US national firm in Benchmark Litigation 2012: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys. A publication of Euromoney/Legal Media Group, the guide focuses exclusively on the leading US law firms and lawyers.

Three Shearman & Sterling litigation practice areas were ranked top tier nationally: General Commercial, International Arbitration and Securities Litigation. The national section of the guide identifies the firms and lawyers who have displayed the ability to consistently handle complex, high-stakes cases in multiple jurisdictions. Four Shearman & Sterling partners were ranked as “stars” in their areas of expertise nationally and seven lawyers were named in their respective states as either “local stars” or “rising stars.” See details below.

In New York, Shearman & Sterling’s litigation practice was ranked “Highly Recommended,” with four Shearman & Sterling litigators singled out for mention: Stuart J.Baskin, Stephen Fishbein, Adam S. Hakki and Herbert S. Washer.

Benchmark Litigation 2012 notes that while the practice has a full-service litigation offering, “Shearman & Sterling is respected most for its high-level appointments to matters of the securities and white-collar and FCPA enforcement variety.”

Stuart J. Baskin is described by his peers as someone who is “big time,” practicing in the areas of mergers and acquisitions litigation, securities litigation, bank regulatory and antitrust matters.

Stephen Fishbein is acknowledged to be “the top FCPA practitioner outside of Washington.”

Adam S. Hakki is hailed as a securities and white collar star, with a growing number of peers describing him as “the real new force at Shearman.”

Herbert S. Washer is recognized for his defense work in the areas of securities, derivatives and commodities, and for work in connection with several criminal and regulatory investigations into the collateralized debt obligations and credit default swaps markets.

Benchmark Litigation 2012 Summary

National Rankings:

• Securities
  Securities Stars: Stuart J. Baskin, Adam S. Hakki, Herbert S. Washer
• General Commercial
  General Commercial Stars: Stuart J. Baskin
• International Arbitration
• White Collar Crime Star: Stephen Fishbein

State Rankings:

• District of Columbia Local Litigation Star: Scott Doyle
• New York: Highly Recommended
• New York Local Litigation Stars: Stuart J. Baskin, Stephen Fishbein, Adam S. Hakki, Herbert S. Washer, Richard F. Schwed
• New York Rising Star: Brian H. Polovoy