Shearman & Sterling and partner Stephen Fishbein (New York-Litigation) were recognized by the Financial Times (FT) for their innovative work on behalf of clients at the FT North America Innovative Lawyers Awards 2016, held in New York on December 5. 

Shearman & Sterling, named one of the 25 most innovative North American law firms overall, received the award for “Most Innovative North American Law Firm 2016: Making a Difference.” The firm was honored with this accolade for challenging the definition of insider trading through its defense of Todd Newman, a hedge fund trader, resulting in a victory in the Second Circuit. Partner John Nathanson (New York-Litigation), who co-led the Newman matter with partner Stephen Fishbein, accepted the award on behalf of the firm noting, “I am very pleased to accept this award on behalf of Shearman & Sterling, which would not have been possible had we not had a client who was willing and able to fight for the justice that he ultimately received. By the same token, I think it is important to recognize that not every criminal defendant has the resources to pursue justice and defend themselves against government allegations as our client did.” Due to his critical work on this case, Fishbein, described as “brilliant and courageous,” was recognized as one of the top 10 most innovative lawyers in North America. 

In addition, the firm was “Commended” for developing Merger Matrix, a web-based tool that automates the analysis of antitrust filing obligations for M&A deals in 62 countries, and for helping Dow Chemical sell 52 chlor-alkali facilities to Olin in a $5 billion Reverse Morris Trust transaction.

Now in its seventh year of publication and covering the United States, Canada and Mexico, the FT North America Innovative Lawyers Report has become one of the top legal rankings in the region, evaluating lawyers on their innovation both for clients and in their own businesses.