Five Milbank partners have been recognized in the 2019 edition of Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under Hot List, which honors the achievements of those deemed the most promising emerging talent in their respective litigation communities by peers and clients.
We congratulate this year’s honorees:
Matthew Brod: As a partner in the Financial Restructuring Group, Mr. Brod focuses on the representation of debtors and creditors in chapter 11 cases and out-of-court restructurings. Mr. Brod also represents hedge funds and other financial institutions acquiring control positions in financially distressed companies. His recent achievements include obtaining a victory in a bankruptcy appeal concerning the chapter 11 reorganization of Vantage Drilling International, successfully representing a Crossholder Ad Hoc Group in the chapter 11 restructuring of Hexion, Inc., and representing Ambac Assurance Corp. in the Commonwealth insolvency proceedings of Puerto Rico.
Adam Fee: As a partner in the Litigation & Arbitration Group, Mr. Fee focuses his practice on white-collar and regulatory enforcement matters, data privacy and cyber security, and internal investigations. As a former federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, he led many of the government’s highest-profile cross-border prosecutions involving corruption, money laundering, cyber-crime, fraud, counterintelligence, and terrorism. At Milbank, Mr. Fee has served as co-lead partner in several notable criminal and SEC matters, including on behalf of John Stetson in an SEC action alleging “pump and dump" activity in the small cap market. Mr. Fee also recently obtained for an individual client a historically low sentence in an insider trading prosecution in the Southern District of New York.
Alexander Lees: As a partner in the Financial Restructuring and Litigation & Arbitration Groups, Mr. Lees focuses primarily on bankruptcy, insolvency and restructuring-related litigation. He has represented creditors, debtors, private equity sponsors, official committees, ad hoc groups, collateral agents, and bidders in bankruptcy proceedings and other litigation matters arising out of insolvency scenarios and financial restructuring transactions. His recent achievements include obtaining a victory in a bankruptcy appeal concerning the chapter 11 reorganization of Vantage Drilling International, representing Mercuria Energy Trading as debtor-in-possession lender and successful bidder for the debtor’s assets in Aegean Marine Petroleum’s chapter 11 case and the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in M&G USA’s chapter 11 case.
Atara Miller: As a partner in the Litigation & Arbitration Group, Ms. Miller focuses on federal and state court litigation of complex commercial matters and bankruptcy-related litigation. Her recent achievements include successfully challenging the Department of Justice’s interpretation of Broadcast Music, Inc.’s antitrust Consent Decree in a case that impacts more than 750,000 songwriters, composers and music publishers in the more than $2 billion music performing rights industry. Ms. Miller also litigates and negotiates appropriate rates for music performing rights, on behalf of BMI, one of three national performance rights organizations. Ms. Miller represents BMI in a proceeding to set license fees for use of BMI music by virtually all commercial radio stations in the United States as well as in a rate setting proceeding with the North American Concert Promoters Association to determine license fees for the right to perform BMI music. She also represents Ambac Assurance Corp. in federal litigation against the Governor of Puerto Rico and other Commonwealth officials to enjoin the diversion of monies pledged to bondholders in violation of the US Constitution. Ms. Miller was previously recognized on the Hot List in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
Jed Schwartz: As partner in the Litigation & Arbitration Group, he counsels companies and individuals on a wide variety of complex matters throughout the US, including commercial and securities litigation, stockholder disputes, bankruptcy matters, and regulatory investigations. Mr. Schwartz recently achieved dismissal of an appeal seeking to undo confirmation of client JD Holdings’ creditor-proposed chapter 11 bankruptcy plan of reorganization for over 70 debtors affiliated with John Q. Hammons Hotels and Resorts. Mr. Schwartz has recently been involved in several securities litigations including representing VEREIT in more than a dozen securities civil actions and a consolidated class action in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and other courts around the country. Jed was previously recognized on the Hot List in 2018.
