Emily Griffen is counsel in the Litigation practice, focusing on securities fraud litigation, white collar crime and corporate governance issues. She has represented banks, companies and individuals in class action litigation, shareholder derivative suits, SEC and DOJ inquiries, and SEC enforcement actions. Ms. Griffen also spent one year in Shearman & Sterling’s International Arbitration Group in Paris, focusing on investment treaty arbitration. Ms. Griffen served as a law clerk to the Honorable Claudia Wilken, United States District Court for the Northern District of California, from 2001 to 2002.

Stock Option Backdating

• Represent former Chief Financial Officer of Silicon Valley software company in SEC enforcement action, as well as in settled federal class action and dismissed federal and state derivative actions
• Obtained dismissal on behalf of Adobe Systems Incorporated of state shareholder derivative action
• Represented founder and former Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Valley software company in SEC and DOJ inquiries, federal class action, and federal and state derivative actions
• Represented Special Litigation Committee of Silicon Valley software company in shareholder derivative litigation

Securities Fraud Litigation

• Represent Toyota Motor Corporation and its subsidiaries, directors and officers in federal class action securities litigation related to unintended acceleration recalls; obtained dismissal related state securities class action on behalf of bondholders and state shareholder derivative action
• Obtained dismissal on behalf of Ariba, Inc. of federal securities fraud class action and state shareholder derivative action related to accounting restatement alleging violations of GAAP
• Obtained dismissal on behalf of H&R Block Financial Advisors, Inc. of federal securities fraud class action related to sale of Enron bonds

Investment Treaty Arbitration

• Represent former shareholders of Yukos Oil Company in investment treaty arbitration against the Russian Federation pursuant to the Energy Charter Treaty

Publications

• Comment: “‘Relations Stop Nowhere’: ERISA Preemption of San Francisco’s Domestic Partner Ordinance,” 89 Cal. L. Rev. 459 (2001)