Mr. Baskin has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions litigation, securities litigation, criminal defense, and bank regulatory and antitrust matters.  He joined the firm as a partner in 1989, serving as head of the litigation department from 2003 to 2008.  From 1978 to 1982, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York and was awarded the John Marshall Award for Best Justice Department Trial Lawyer for 1982.  Mr. Baskin served as the Special Assistant to Director, Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health, Education and Welfare in Washington, D.C., from 1977 to 1978.  He was also a Law Clerk to Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1976 to 1977 and to Judge Walter R. Mansfield of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, from 1975 to 1976.  Mr. Baskin is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and has been an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy at New York University School of Law.  Mr. Baskin is recognized as a leading attorney in the areas of commercial and securities litigation by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, New York Super Lawyers and Best Lawyers in America.

• Counsel to and conduct investigation for independent directors of Wells Fargo & Company with regard to sales practices in the Community Bank
• Counsel to independent directors of Wells Fargo & Company with respect to multiple derivative litigations
• Counsel to and conduct investigation for independent directors of JPMorgan Chase & Co. with regard to “London Whale”
• Counsel to independent directors of JPMorgan Chase & Co. with respect to multiple derivative litigations
• Counsel in defending derivative actions (for companies or boards of directors) on behalf of Merrill Lynch, Toyota, JPMorgan Chase, Schering Plough, Ford, Nortel, Morgan Stanley, Deloitte, Credit Suisse First Boston, Viacom, CBS, Delphi and Elan
• Counsel to Merrill Lynch in connection with litigation arising from merger with Bank of America
• Counsel for Toyota Motor Company in defense of securities and derivative cases arising from car acceleration issues
• Counsel to Ford Motor Company in multiple class actions arising from Firestone tire matters
• Counsel to Merrill Lynch in securities and derivative actions arising from relationship with Enron
• Counsel to Credit Suisse First Boston in multiple class actions arising from the acquisition of Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette
• Counsel to Equitas, Lloyd’s of London’s reinsurance vehicle, as litigation counsel in reorganization of Lloyd’s of London’s insurance market
• Trial counsel for Viacom in dispute with Google and YouTube concerning copyright violations
• Trial counsel for Consolidated Edison in suits alleging breach of a merger agreement with another utility company
• Trial counsel for Merrill Lynch in trial against Allegheny Energy Corporation over sale of business
• Trial counsel to BCE Inc. against former subsidiary of Teleglobe Inc.
• Counsel to Nortel Networks and its officers and directors in regulatory investigations, multiple consolidated securities and ERISA class actions
• Counsel to Delphi Corporation in multiple securities fraud and ERISA class actions
• Counsel to Elan Corporation in securities class action, derivative and regulatory investigations
• Counsel to Viacom in multiple class action, derivative and securities litigations regarding spinoff of Blockbuster Entertainment
• Counsel to SGL Carbon in one of the nation’s largest criminal antitrust cases and parallel civil actions
• Defend SEC investigations for three of the Big 4 accounting firms, three of the top five investment banking firms, a telephone equipment manufacturer, two pharmaceutical companies, a medical equipment manufacturer, two automobile companies and two media conglomerates
• Counsel to companies or officers and directors in criminal investigations of an accounting firm, an investment banking firm, a public utility, a medical equipment manufacturer and a pharmaceutical company
• Internal investigations for companies in telecommunications, entertainment, banking, pharmaceutical and consumer products industries
• Counsel to First Boston, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, Shearson Lehman Brothers and Salomon Brothers in brief in United States Supreme Court addressing contribution issue under 1934 Securities Exchange Act

Professional Affiliations

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
• Board of Directors, Legal Aid Society
• Member, Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• Member, American Bar Association
• Member, Federal Bar Council
• Articles in American Bar Association, Federal Bar Council and Practicing Law Institute publications
• Book chapter on “Insider Trading” in U.S. Securities and Investment Regulation Handbook