Litigation and Regulatory Compliance

What clients and peers say about Wiggin and Dana’s litigation lawyers:

“the most sophisticated and intellectually superior lawyers in the state” – Benchmark (client)

“very capable lawyers of a very high quality; among the very best I’ve worked with” – Chambers (client)

“doyens of the bar … [t]hey have some very high-end calling cards” – Benchmark (peer)

The reasons? Talent, experience, and efficiency.

Talented Litigators

As a nationally recognized litigation law firm, Wiggin and Dana prides itself on the talent, drive, and integrity of its litigators. The firm’s deep bench includes leaders of the bar who have been honored with a fellowship in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American College of Appellate Lawyers, membership in the Product Liability Advisory Council and recognized in Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, as well as in The Best Lawyers in America, Guide to the World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers, and The International Who’s Who of Commercial Litigation Lawyers. Most recently, Benchmark Litigation selected our department as the 2024 Connecticut Litigation Department of the Year.

Wiggin and Dana recruits and cultivates talented associates, who come from highly ranked law schools, clerkships (our litigators have had over 30 clerkships), and from top national and international law firms. Our litigators have had distinguished careers as federal prosecutors, and collectively have well over 100 years of law enforcement and government experience. We encourage you to review the profiles of our litigation attorneys on our website.

At Wiggin and Dana, we try cases – frequently – before juries, judges, arbitrators, and agencies across the country, and even abroad. Whether we are retained to handle general commercial litigation and appeals, white collar criminal defense, or matters specific to certain industries (such as franchise and hospitality, pharmaceutical and medical device, and aerospace and defense), we bring the same savvy, integrity, judgment, and hard-won experience to each assignment. Our litigators go toe-to-toe with the biggest law firms in the country.

Litigation Experience

In recent years, our litigation team has been retained by a diverse range of clients with one thing in common: when faced with a high-stakes matter, they know who to call.

• When a global consulting firm reduced, from 100 to 10, the number of law firms to represent it in nationwide litigation and compliance matters, it selected Wiggin and Dana to be one of the 10.
• When a publicly traded financial-services company faced a bet-the-bank consumer class action lawsuit attacking its very business model, it selected Wiggin and Dana to represent it.
• When an insurance company received a $35 million judgment against it in a class action brought by automobile body shops, it turned to Wiggin and Dana to bring the appeal to the state supreme court.
• When a museum faced a challenge to its ownership of a van Gogh masterpiece valued at over $150 million, it turned to Wiggin and Dana, which succeeded in persuading a federal judge to dismiss the claim.
• When a former president of Mexico was served with a $50 million lawsuit alleging (falsely) that he was responsible for a massacre in Mexico in the 1990s, he hired Wiggin and Dana, which persuaded the District Court to dismiss the suit and the Second Circuit to affirm, in a case raising important issues of foreign sovereign immunity.
• When a major aerospace company needed a Special Compliance Official for its consent agreement with the U.S. Department of State regarding export law compliance, it selected a Wiggin and Dana partner who was then approved by the State Department.

Our lawyers give the same dedication to pro bono clients as to the major institutions on our client roster. With over 2,000 pro bono hours in 2023, the litigation team completed a busy year representing indigent clients in difficult Criminal Justice Act cases (and winning), representing Afghan refugees in asylum hearings, partnering with regional pro bono programs, coaching Yale law students on how to excel in appellate advocacy and inspiring New Haven Academy students to pursue legal careers. In previous years, the department was recognized for its pro bono work by Connecticut Legal Services and New Haven Legal Assistance, the two largest legal aid organizations in Connecticut.

Litigation Training Program

The litigation department training program helps associates to develop the skills they will need to succeed as trial lawyers. As an addition to the “on-the-job” training and feedback that associates get from working with partners on real cases, the program exposes associates to the nuts and bolts of litigation, the need to think strategically, and the importance of understanding and meeting client expectations.

Efficiency

We work collaboratively with our clients to provide efficient and cost-effective legal services and encourage mutually beneficial alternative fee arrangements where feasible. And we keep our litigation teams lean and responsive. We know from experience that a limited number of knowledgeable and responsible people produces the best results, while keeping costs contained. How do we do this? It’s simple, we invest time in our clients and associates. We make it our business to know your business through our cross-disciplinary industry or client-specific practice teams. And we train our associates: for example, we have an annual nuts and bolts trial training program, an annual mock jury trial, and a writing program comprised of seminars and one-on-one instruction.

While our litigation practice is exceptionally broad, here are specific areas in which we can serve you:

• Antitrust and Technology Disputes
• Accountant and Auditor Liability Defense
• Appellate and Complex Legal Issues
• Art and Museum Law
• Aviation
• Bankruptcy, Insolvency and Creditors’ Rights
• Class Actions
• Congressional Investigations
• Commercial Litigation
• Criminal Defense
• Cybersecurity and Privacy
• Design and Construction Litigation
• Education Law
• Environmental Litigation
• Franchise and Distribution
• Insurance and Reinsurance
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• International Trade Compliance
• Investment Adviser and Broker-Dealer Enforcement and Litigation
• Manufacturing Industry
• Medical Malpractice Defense
• Municipal Litigation
• National Security
• Probate Litigation
• Product Liability
• Professional Liability Defense
• Real Estate Disputes
• Securities Litigation
• Unmanned Aerial Systems
• White Collar Criminal Defense, Investigations and Corporate Compliance