Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP

Headquarters	San Diego, CA
No. of offices	10
No. of attorneys	200
No. of employees	425
Major practice areas	securities, consumer, insurance, healthcare, human rights, employment discrimination, and antitrust
Key people	Darren J. Robbins Paul J. Geller Samuel H. Rudman Michael J. Dowd
Company type	Limited liability partnership
Website
http://www.rgrdlaw.com

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP ("Robbins Geller") is an American limited liability partnership, governed by a seven-member Executive Committee with a total of 425 employees. Founding partners are Darren J. Robbins,^[1] Paul J. Geller,^[2] Samuel H. Rudman,^[3] and Michael J. Dowd.^[4]

Robbins Geller practices law related to securities fraud, corporate governance, shareholder derivative litigation, options backdating litigation, corporate takeover litigation, insurance, antitrust, consumer fraud, human rights, environment and public health, and intellectual property.^[5]

The firm has 10 offices located in San Diego, Atlanta, Boca Raton, Chicago, Manhattan, Melville (NY), Nashville, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.^[5]

Performance

For the second consecutive year, Robbins Geller was ranked first among all securities class action firms in the SCAS Top 50 Report that was published by Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”) in May 2016. According to ISS, the Firm recovered more than $1.5 billion for investors in 2015 (or 50% more than any other law firm). Additionally, the Report highlights the top five firms based on the number of settlements in 2015, and ranked Robbins Geller first in both the total amount recovered for investors and the number of shareholder class action recoveries.^[6]

Other services

In addition to litigation services, Robbins Geller monitors the investment portfolios of hundreds of institutional investors, including public and multi-employer pension funds, fund managers, banks and insurance companies.^[7]

Areas of practice

Robbins Geller represents plaintiffs in litigation involving securities fraud, corporate takeovers, shareholder derivative claims, intellectual property, consumer and insurance fraud, and antitrust claims, as well as whistleblower protection and qui tam suits.^[8]

Notable cases and record recoveries

Robbins Geller has obtained some of the largest recoveries in history.^[9]

• Obtained securities class action settlement against Enron in excess of $7.2 billion.^[10]
• Obtained a settlement of $1.575 billion after 14 years of litigation in Jaffe v. Household Int’l, Inc. (now HSBC Finance Corp.).^[11]
• Obtained court approval of a $388 million recovery in nine 2007 residential mortgage-backed securities offerings issued by J.P. Morgan in Fort Worth Emps.’ Ret. Fund v. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.^[12]
• Obtained a $272 million settlement on behalf of Goldman Sachs’ shareholders in NECA-IBEW Health & Welfare Fund v. Goldman Sachs & Co.^[13]
• Obtained a $215 million settlement for former HCA Holdings, Inc. shareholders.^[14]
• Obtained a $925 million recovery on behalf of the UnitedHealth Group shareholders.^[15]
• Securities action recovery of $657 million against WorldCom in In re WorldCom Securities Litigation.^[16]
• Secured a $500 million settlement against Countrywide Financial Group.^[17]
• Merger & acquisition recovery of $200 million from Kinder Morgan in In re Kinder Morgan, Inc. Shareholders Litigation. The case was one of the largest securities class action cases to be settled in 2010.^[18]
• Obtained $629 million recovery in In re AOL Time Warner, Inc. Securities and "ERISA" Litigation. The AOL Time Warner litigation arose out of the merger of AOL and Time Warner, which the companies consummated while AOL was falsifying its financial results. Over 100 of Robbins Geller’s institutional clients followed the firm’s recommendation to "opt-out" of the securities fraud class action settlement and instead pursued individual actions.^[19] By doing so, those institutional clients successfully recovered $629 million, approximately 10 times of what they would have received in the class action settlement.^[20]
• Secured a $627 million settlement in In re Wachovia Preferred Sec. & Bond/Notes Litigation. The global recovery, including $590 million from Wells Fargo and $37 million from Wachovia’s auditor, KPMG, is one of the largest recoveries under the Securities Act of 1933 arising out of the credit crisis. The suit focused on Wachovia’s exposure to "pick-a-pay" loans, which the bank’s offering materials assured were of "pristine credit quality." Investors had alleged that these loans were made to subprime borrowers, many of whom defaulted, which ultimately led to a massive impairment of the bank’s mortgage portfolio, and alleged that Wachovia’s offering documents materially misstated and failed to disclose the true nature and quality of Wachovia’s mortgage loan portfolio, which exposed the bank to tens of billions of dollars in losses on mortgage-related assets and misled investors. Robbins Geller was one of these firms appointed to represent the class.^[21][22]
• Obtained a $600 million recovery for Cardinal Health shareholders in In re Cardinal Health, Inc. Securities Litigation.^[23]
• Obtained final approval of a $590.5 million settlement with three private equity firms: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, the Blackstone Group and TPG. The accusations were that the three firms colluded with one another to drive down the prices of corporate takeover targets. This resulted in investors receiving less per share for their shares in the target companies. The case was filed as Kirk Dahl, et al. v. Bain Capital Partners, LLC, et al. Robbins Geller was one of these firms appointed to represent the class.^[24]
• Obtained a $400 million class action settlement with Pfizer, Inc. in Jones v. Pfizer Inc. Pfizer was accused of misleading investors in connection with off-label marketing, making false statements to shareholders, and making misleading statements about various government investigations.^[25][26]
• Obtained a $265 million settlement in In re Massey Energy Co. Securities Litigation. The shareholder suit stemmed from a coal mine accident. Massey Energy, its executives and its board were targeted in civil and criminal actions since the April 5, 2010 explosion at its Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, which killed 29 workers. A government investigation found that the explosion was the result of basic safety violations and unlawful policies and practices. Robbins Geller represented shareholders that claimed Massey made false and misleading statements and omissions about its health and safety practices, policies and results, and that its true conduct was revealed through the Upper Big Branch disaster and subsequent disclosures.^[27]
• Secured a $67 million settlement in City of Westland Police and Fire Retirement System v. Stumpf. The shareholder derivative action alleged Wells Fargo’s directors’ failure to disclose their lack of cooperation in a federal investigation into the bank’s mortgage and foreclosure practices. The shareholder suit arises from allegations that Wells Fargo participated in "robosigning," i.e. mass-processing foreclosure documents.^[28][29]
• Secured a significant recovery in a case against Morgan Stanley & Co. Inc., Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's Rating Services in Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank v. Morgan Stanley & Co. The details of the settlement were confidential, but the case resulted in documents never seen by the public before that gave a behind the scenes look at how the ratings companies work and their role in the financial crisis on Wall Street^[30][31]

Recognition and rankings

Many Robbins Geller attorneys have been recognized as leaders in their field by various publications and organizations.

• Best Lawyers® selected Darren J. Robbins, Paul J. Geller, Michael J. Dowd and Patrick J. Coughlin to its “2017 Best Lawyers in America” list.^[32]
• The National Law Journal named Randall J. Baron as a 2016 M&A Trailblazer.^[33]
• Lawdragon selected the Firm’s named partners, Darren J. Robbins, Paul J. Geller, Samuel H. Rudman and Michael J. Dowd, to its list of the top 500 Leading Lawyers in America for 2016.^[34]
• Chambers & Partners Ranks the firm a Band 1 Law Firm, the highest rating available both nationally and statewide in California and New York from 2014-2016.^[35]
• The Legal 500 ranked the firm as a top law firm in 2016 for “Securities Litigation – Plaintiff” and “M&A Litigation – Plaintiff.”^[36]
• Benchmark Litigation ranked the firm as a “Highly Recommended” plaintiffs firm for 2016^[37] and named partners Lucas Olts and Daniel Pfefferbaum to its nationwide Under 40 Hot List for 2016.^[38]
• Law360 named the firm as one of the nation’s Securities Groups of the Year in 2015.^[39]
• BTI Consulting Group named the firm one of the Most Feared Litigation Firms for 2014-2015.^[40]
• Forbes selected the firm to its 2014-2015 Legal Black Book.^[41]
• The National Law Journal named the firm to its "Elite Trial Lawyers" list in 2014 and 2015,^[42] as well as the "Plaintiffs' Hot List" for 2004-2009, 2011, 2013-2014.^{[43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]}
• U.S. News Ranked Robbins Geller a National Tier 1 Firm.^[52]
• In 2012, A. Rick Atwood, Jr. and Randall J. Baron were named Attorneys of the Year by California Lawyer.^[53]
• California Lawyer named Michael J. Dowd Attorney of the Year in 2010.^[54]

References

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2. "Paul J. Geller". Equilar Atlas. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
3. "Samuel Rudman". chambersandpartners.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
4. "Michael Dowd". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
5. "Offices". Securities Fraud and Class Action Litigation Law Firm with Ten Offices: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP. Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
6. ISS SCAS Top 50 for 2015
7. "Portfolio Monitoring Program". Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
8. "Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
9. "Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP". Chambersandpartners.com. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
10. "Enron settlement: $7.2 billion to shareholders". Chron. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
11. "HSBC to pay $1.575 billion, ending Household International class action". Reuters.com. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
12. "JPMorgan Inks $388 Million MBS Settlement". ValueWalk.com. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
13. "Goldman Sachs Agrees To Settle Mortgage Suit Led By Union Pension Funds For $272 Million". Forbes.com. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
14. "HCA to Pay $215M in Latest Big Securities Class Settlement" (PDF). LitigationDaily.com. 4 November 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
15. "UPDATE 2-Judge OKs UnitedHealth $925.5 mln backdating pact". Reuters. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
16. "$651 million is recovered in WorldCom settlement". UT San Diego. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
17. "BofA Reaches $500M Deal In Countrywide MBS Class Action". Law360. Retrieved 2 December 2015.
18. "Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP Partners Named California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year". Business Wire. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
19. Perez, Juan Carlos (April 11, 2006). "Judge Approves AOL Shareholder Settlement". IDG News Service. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
20. "University Snags $246M From Time Warner". Law 360. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
21. "Wachovia Bondholders Reach Record Settlement for $627 Million". The AM Law Litigation Daily. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
22. "Wells Fargo Agrees to Settle Wachovia Suit". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
23. "Cardinal Health Settles Suit For $600M". Law 360. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
24. "Prelim. approval for $590.5 mln U.S. buyout collusion settlement". Reuters. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
25. "Pfizer Strikes $400M Deal To End Shareholder Suit". Law 360. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
26. "Pfizer to pay $400 million to avert investor class action trial". Reuters. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
27. "Massey Energy Parent To Pay $265M To Exit Shareholder Suit". Law 360. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
28. "Wells Fargo Agrees to Settlement for Alleged 'Robo-Signing' Practices". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
29. "Wells Fargo settles remaining 'robo-signing' mortgage litigation". The LA Times. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
30. "http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-last-mystery-of-the-financial-crisis-20130619". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 March 2015. External link in |title= (help)
31. "Morgan Stanley Settles Washington, Abu Dhabi Lawuits". Bloomberg Business. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
32. "BEST LAWYERS® RECOGNIZES ROBBINS GELLER ATTORNEYS AS BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA AND DARREN ROBBINS AS A LAWYER OF THE YEAR FOR 2017".
33. "The National Law Journal 2016 Trailblazers". The National Law Journal. 2015.
34. "Lawdragon Top 500 Leading Lawyers in America". Lawdragon.
35. "Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP". Chambers And Partners. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
36. "Legal 500 Ranks Robbins Geller Top Law Firm". legal500.com. 2016.
37. "Benchmark Litigation Ranks Robbins Geller Highly Recommended". benchmarklitigation.com. 2016.
38. "Benchmark Litigation Under 40 Hot List". Benchmark Litigation.
39. "Securities Group Of The Year: Robbins Geller". law360.com. 11 January 2016.
40. "Robbins Geller Selected as One of Nation's Most Feared Litigation Firms". San Diego Business Journal.
41. "2014 – 2015 Forbes Legal Black Book Law Firms". Forbes Legal Black Book. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
42. "Elite Trial Lawyers: Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd". The National Law Journal. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
43. "2004: Plaintiffs Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 26 July 2004.
44. "2005: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 10 October 2005.
45. "2005: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 17 October 2006.
46. "2007: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 22 October 2007.
47. "2008: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 6 October 2008.
48. "2009: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 5 October 2009.
49. "2011: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 3 October 2011.
50. "2013: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 21 October 2013.
51. "2014: Plaintiffs' Hot List". nationallawjournal.com. 3 March 2014.
52. "Best Law Firms". US News & World Report. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
53. "2012 California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year". California Lawyer. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
54. "2010 California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year". California Lawyer. Retrieved 1 April 2015.