Paula Anderson is a partner in the firm’s Litigation practice.  Her experience is broad, with an international focus, and encompasses a wide range of areas, including internal and government investigations, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) risk assessments and compliance reviews, cross-border litigation, corporate governance, bankruptcy litigation, antitrust, M&A-related litigation, and international arbitration.  Her clients have included global leaders in the finance, insurance, automotive, telecommunications, oil and gas, engineering, media and entertainment, consumer goods, healthcare and manufacturing industries.  Ms. Anderson has taught Advanced Trial Advocacy Training programs for prosecutors at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and at the International Criminal Court. 

Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Anderson served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Diane Lebedeff, New York Supreme Court in 1999, and the Honorable Donna Mills, Civil Court of Manhattan, New York in 1998. 

In 2011 and 2012, Ms. Anderson was named a “Rising Star” in the area of international law by SuperLawyers Magazine.  In 2013, Ms. Anderson was named to New York Law Journal’s inaugural “2013 Rising Stars” list. In 2012, she was awarded the National Organization of Women’s “2012 Women of Power and Influence Award,” and was named to Crain’s NY Business Magazine’s “40 Under 40” list of top achievers under the age of 40.  In 2014, Ms. Anderson was named to Global Investigations Review’s inaugural “40 Under 40” list of the world’s leading young investigations specialists. Ms. Anderson has also been recognized by the Council of Urban Professionals (“CUP”) as a 2014 CUP Catalyst Change Agent in Law for her extraordinary professional achievements and service to the community.  In 2016 and 2018, Ms. Anderson was recognized by Benchmark Litigation in its “Under 40 Hot List” and was honored by The Network Journal with its 40 Under Forty Achievement Award.  She was also named a "Next Generation Lawyer" in 2018 and 2019 in The Legal 500 for her notable International Litigation experience.  Most recently, Ms. Anderson was recognized by Crain’s New York Business as a “Notable Woman in Law” and was listed as one of Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Black Lawyers.”

• An independent monitor in the FCPA compliance monitorship of York International
• An independent monitor in the FCPA compliance monitorship of Baker Hughes, Inc.
• An international engineering and construction company in a criminal investigation by the United States Department of Justice for possible violation of United States export control laws
• A U.S.-based global manufacturing company in a corruption investigation of its Asian subsidiary
• A U.S.-based engineering company in an internal corruption investigation of its African operations
• General Electric Company (“GE”) in a series of litigation matters in state and federal court relating to its acquisition and subsequent sell down of its majority stake in Baker Hughes, Inc.
• Liberty Global, Inc. in a shareholder class action challenging its $23 billion acquisition of Virgin Media Inc.
• Synthes, Inc. and its directors in a shareholder class action challenging the company’s $20 billion acquisition by Johnson & Johnson
• The audit committee of a leading global insurance company in an internal investigation of its accounting and financial controls
• Daimler AG in a fraudulent conveyance action by Chrysler’s creditors based on Daimler’s divestiture of 80% of its interest in Chrysler in a 2007 transaction with Cerberus Capital Partners
• One of the largest financial institutions in the Asia Pacific region in a multi-million dollar international arbitration against the government of South Korea relating to investment in the state-owned insurance company
• EMLICO, an insurance subsidiary of GE, in a multi-jurisdictional reinsurance dispute
• Consolidated Edison (“ConEd”) in tax litigation against the New York City and New York State tax authorities
• BCE Inc. in creditor derivative litigation involving corporate governance and fiduciary duty issues
• Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd in a pre-merger dispute with Taro Pharmaceutical Industries
• Schindler Elevator Corporation in a class action antitrust lawsuit by foreign and domestic plaintiffs

Professional Affiliations

• Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2011 Fellow)
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice
  • Board of Trustees
    • Audit Committee
• New York City Bar Association, African Affairs Committee (2009–2011)
  • Subcommittee on Doing Business in Africa
  • Subcommittee on International Tribunals
• Shearman & Sterling LLP FCPA Digest, Editorial Board
• Metropolitan Black Bar Association
  • Judicial Screening Panel
• Harvard Law School Alumni Association
• South African Chamber of Commerce in America
• Practising Law Institute
  • Faculty Member, Bridge-the-Gap Program for New Attorneys
• Shearman & Sterling LLP’s Diversity Committee (2005–present)
• Shearman & Sterling LLP’s Black Lawyers Affinity Group (Co-Chair , 2007–2009)
• Shearman & Sterling LLP’s Women’s Affinity Group, WISER (Mentoring Committee , 2008–2010)
• Shearman & Sterling LLP’s Summer Associate Committee (2008–present)

Publications/Speaking Engagements

• Author, A Wealth of Challenges: Anti-Corruption Compliance Risks Posed by Sovereign Wealth Funds, Risk & Compliance (January 2019)
• Author, The Changing Tide of Delaware Deal Litigation, The Review of Securities and Commodities Regulation (January 2018)
• Panelist, Hot Topics in Mergers & Acquisitions, Practising Law Institute (New York/Chicago, 2014, 2015 and 2017)
• Panelist, Board Responsibilities in Managing Investigations and Crises, Directors and Boards Magazine (New York, 2014)
• Panelist, Delaware Law Developments 2014, Practising Law Institute (New York, 2014)
• Panelist, In Pursuit of a Level Playing Field: FCPA and the Global Anti-Corruption Movement, Regulatory Compliance Association (New York, 2014)
• Presenter, Public Procurement and Tender Awards: Unlawful and Illegal Practices Associated with Tender Processes (Johannesburg, S. Africa, 2014)
• Author, Avoiding Successor Liability in M&A Transactions: How to Conduct Anticorruption Due Diligence on Target Companies and Joint Venture Partners, Financier Worldwide Magazine (2014)
• Author, “Win-Win” Scenarios for Shareholders in M&A Transactions, The Review of Securities and Commodities Regulation (October 2013)
• Author, Indian Bribery and Corruption Exposed, International Financial Law Review (April 2013)
• Panelist, Recent Developments in Delaware Corporate Law, Practising Law Institute (New York, 2013)
• Panelist, Recent Developments in Global Anti-Corruption Enforcement (New York, 2013)
• Panelist, How Not to Go to Jail in Four Places at Once: A Discussion on Recent Anti-Corruption Trends (New York, 2012)
• Panelist, Navigating the FCPA in India (New York, 2012)
• Panelist, Hot Issues in Securities Laws, Practising Law Institute (New York, 2011)
• Columbia Law School, International Law Panel (New York, 2010)
• Harvard Law School, International Arbitration Panel (Cambridge, MA 2008)
• International Law Conference for Implementation of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Sierra Leone, 2006)
• Moderator, Panel on Women of Color at Law Firms (Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, 2006)
• Moderator, Panel on Motherhood and the Law (Shearman & Sterling LLP, New York, 2006)