Complex Litigation

Our lawyers handle complex appeals and high-stakes litigation around the world. We represent clients in the Supreme Court of the United States, federal appellate courts, state appellate courts, trial courts, and arbitration proceedings. We work with clients and local counsel to develop cohesive strategies across jurisdictions, especially when disputes proceed simultaneously in multiple courts or forums.

Our work covers every phase of appellate advocacy, including merits briefs, oral argument, petitions for discretionary review, emergency applications, and amicus briefs. In trial courts, we help shape case strategy, preserve issues for appeal, and draft key motions. We also represent clients in administrative law matters before federal and state agencies, as well as in challenges to agency action.

Our lawyers handle class actions of every size in courts around the world. Businesses need more than the best litigators—they require practical partners to navigate the management of large-scale, high-stakes litigation with the company’s long-term goals in mind. From the outset, we assess each matter carefully, work with clients to develop a proactive litigation strategy, and pursue the approach the circumstances require—whether that means narrowing the case, seeking dismissal, or resolving it on favorable terms. We approach each class action strategically and draw on the right lawyers and industry knowledge across the firm to meet the needs of the matter. Combining individual and collective knowledge with an understanding of clients’ businesses and industries, we regularly achieve successful litigation outcomes.

We counsel clients facing allegations of unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent business practices, including matters involving the FTC, state attorneys general, consumers, competitors, and international enforcement agencies. We defend claims involving advertising, marketing, and product promotions, manage government investigations, and advise on regulatory response strategy.

We are also well-versed in consumer class-action litigation and challenges arising under major consumer protection laws, including in California, and we help consumer product company clients take prompt action to reduce liability and, when feasible, shut down class-action litigation early and efficiently.

We use our significant real-world courtroom experience to help you achieve better case resolutions earlier and reduce litigation expenses.

Clients rely on our business-minded, client-centric litigation services for claims and disputes involving agreements or contract rights, business torts, infringement of copyrights and other IP rights, negligent misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, and federal or state regulatory violations. Whether in courts or in arbitrations around the world, we have the experience and judgment to help clients pursue their objectives.

In insurance coverage disputes, Ashurst Perkins Coie only represents policyholders. Our practice spans the full life cycle of insurance recovery, from assessing potential coverage and developing practical strategies to prelitigation claims advocacy, litigation, and domestic and international arbitrations. We have a proven record of enforcing coverage rights under every type of commercial insurance policy across all major industries. What further distinguishes Ashurst Perkins Coie is our robust insurance counseling practice, including policy language negotiation, holistic risk assessments, policy audits, insurance due diligence in corporate transactions, claims triage, and drafting indemnification language in commercial contracts.

International arbitration is increasingly the default mechanism for resolving global commercial disputes, and many businesses include arbitration provisions and class-action waivers in their terms of service to reduce class-action litigation risks.

We advise on the benefits of arbitration versus other mechanisms, including litigation, based on the circumstances, such as the need for confidentiality and privacy, and being able to appoint an arbitrator with strategic legal and industry experience.

Plaintiffs’ lawyers have turned to mass arbitration, threatening, or filing coordinated waves of individual claims based on the same facts and handled by the same counsel. We help businesses address these risks proactively and manage exposure when a mass arbitration threat arises or a proceeding is filed. Our team has the experience and knowledge to reduce arbitration risk at every stage, from pre-threat preparation to defense on the merits.

We are a national leader in mass arbitration defense, having represented companies in some of the earliest and largest mass arbitrations ever filed, and against the most prolific plaintiffs’ lawyers in this space. Our work has resulted in the savings of billions of dollars and years of litigation.

We maintain a proprietary database, through which we track the landscape of mass arbitration—including number and nature of demands, fees, case status, and outcomes. This database enables us to deliver to our clients evidence-based guidance on trends, risks, and settlement strategies.

Our global team of professionals has obtained outstanding results in sensitive investigations and regulatory enforcement matters involving all forms of corporate and employee misconduct, including declinations with no charge, reversals on appeal, nonprosecution agreements, and deferred prosecution agreements. Many of our best outcomes remain confidential because they resulted in no public disclosure.

Our lawyers regularly handle matters before criminal and regulatory enforcement authorities around the globe, including the U.S. Department of Justice, SEC, U.K. Financial Conduct Authority, Serious Fraud Office, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Federal Reserve, FTC, IRS, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, state attorneys general, and district attorneys. Our courtroom wins have spanned trial and appellate courts around the world.

We represent clients in regulatory compliance and investigation matters that involve significant legal, business, and reputational risk across complex cross-border and regulated environments.

We bring deep government, enforcement, and industry experience to help clients anticipate risk, build durable compliance programs, and keep business moving—from sanctions and anti-money laundering and anti-corruption to trade, procurement, government contracts, and workforce mobility. We partner with in-house teams to design practical controls, conduct internal investigations, and respond confidently to regulators, using coordinated trial, appellate, and regulatory capabilities when disputes escalate. With an integrated bench spanning national security, political law, and supply chain/corporate responsibility, we deliver business-focused strategies that protect reputations, reduce exposure, and position clients for what comes next.

Our work includes designing and implementing ethics and compliance programs, conducting risk assessments, and investigating alleged misconduct. We help clients address complex compliance issues around the world and advise on compliance program design and enhancement, transaction-related compliance risk, internal investigations, and responses to enforcement inquiries involving individuals, companies, and regulators. In close coordination with in-house teams, we help clients identify and address internal and third-party misconduct risks and strengthen the policies and controls that support effective compliance laws.

Our Securities Litigation lawyers defend clients in class actions, corporate governance litigation, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and professional liability matters. We represent publicly traded and privately held issuers, officers and directors, investment advisers, and professional services firms in consequential, sensitive disputes and investigations. We have served as lead counsel to national and regional clients in a broad range of actions and investigations, including shareholder class actions alleging securities fraud, shareholder derivative actions alleging breach of fiduciary duty, proceedings before the SEC, and disputes arising from mergers, acquisitions, and other contests for control.

Our firm's U.S. trial lawyers turn complex facts and legal issues into clear, persuasive case themes for juries and judges. In jury trials, we build and present clients’ cases through careful development of admissible evidence, strategic motion practice, and compelling courtroom advocacy. Our team includes former federal prosecutors, government counsel, public defenders, district attorneys, and judges.

We staff trial teams with lawyers, subject matter professionals, and graphics specialists who support cases across industries and disputes, including technology, products liability, IP, employment and labor, business disputes, securities, fiduciary matters, class actions, political law, privacy, and real estate. We also field rapid-response teams that can step in shortly before trial and prepare a case quickly. Our firm is one of the only law firms of its geographical scope with an in-house Trial & Litigation Consulting team as part of its full-service Trial practice offerings.