Commercial and Complex Litigation
Our litigation practice was built on the foundation of our complex business litigation experience in contract, warranty, sales, bankruptcy and related business disputes. We draw upon the skill and substantial experience of our 30 trial lawyers to manage disputes involving mergers, acquisitions and strategic affiliations, many of which involve class actions. 

Corporate and Securities
Our securities litigators handle large-scale financial fraud matters, class action defense cases, NASD arbitration and other broker-dealer disputes, auditor liability claims, tender offers or proxy contests, and regulatory investigations and enforcement actions involving the SEC, NASD and other regulatory organizations. Corporate governance issues, such as shareholder derivative lawsuits and board room disputes, are also a mainstay of our work.

Construction
We have more than 40 years of experience representing contractors, private owners, sureties, developers and suppliers in complex, multi-party lawsuits in federal, state and arbitration forums.  As counselors, we advise owners and contractors in public and private bidding processes, including contract and bid preparation, contract for design and construction management services, risk management, bonding and dispute resolution.

Insurance
Representing both insurance companies and companies with insurance issues, we have litigated insurance coverage disputes involving environmental coverage, directors and officers policies, errors and omissions policies, surety and construction bonds, fidelity and employee dishonesty policies and CGL policies. Our insurance expertise includes extensive experience litigating bad faith claims.

Antitrust and Unfair Competition
We advise clients nationwide in all types of civil, criminal, and regulatory antitrust matters, including unfair trade practices, price fixing, bid rigging, price discrimination, distributor and franchise termination, territorial restraints, tying arrangements, trade associations, predatory pricing and the antitrust issues surrounding mergers and acquisitions. We represent clients in grand jury investigations related to antitrust matters and antitrust specialists have successfully litigated complex civil and criminal antitrust cases, including class actions, before federal and state courts and against government agencies nationwide. MORE

Health Care
Hospitals, managed care organizations and doctors across the region choose Stevens & Lee's health care litigators to argue their cases. Our Health Care Litigation Group focuses exclusively on the representation of health care providers and other health care related organizations, and is one of only a few groups of its kind in the region. Aside from medical care litigation, we litigate medical staff issues, licensing issues, and have handled numerous civil and criminal fraud and abuse cases involving the civil false claim and anti-kickback statutes.   MORE

ERISA and  Employee Benefits
From complex class action to denial of benefit claims, we litigate all aspects of ERISA in our representation of health and life insurers and employer/plan sponsors. We regularly litigate issues arising from fiduciary duty violations, plan designs, amendments and terminations, ESOPs, health and welfare benefit plans and group life insurance plans. We also have extensive experience in denial-of-benefits claims - the most common form of ERISA claim employers face - and frequently represent employers, plan administrators and others in benefit disputes under pension plans, health and welfare benefit plans, disability plans, AD&D and group life insurance plans.   MORE

Corporate Investigations and Criminal Defense
Several former federal and state prosecutors are among Stevens & Lee's litigators, which makes our representation of clients in grand jury investigations, SEC investigations and criminal prosecutions only natural. We also regularly conduct internal corporate investigations, including those involving potential securities fraud, employee dishonesty, fiduciary breaches and regulatory violations. We also have the capability to represent clients in the management of criminal investigations and prosecutions for environmental crimes. We can assist clients beginning with receipt of the grand jury subpoena or service of the search warrant through the defense of the prosecution.

Bankruptcy
Our strength in representing the interests of creditors arises from the substantial experience of our lawyers in highly complex bankruptcy law and litigation. Many times this involves defending or prosecuting lender liability claims and pursuing offensive claims on behalf of trustees. We provide effective litigation, arbitration and negotiation in our representation of lending institutions, financially distressed companies, stockholders, bondholders, creditors' committees in all aspects of reorganizations and liquidations, workouts and related commercial litigation. Our debtor's practice is nationally recognized, having been built upon our strong corporate finance practice and our industry segment expertise.   MORE

Employment and Discrimination
Many of our litigators defend employers involved in employment disputes such as wrongful discharge and discrimination. We appear regularly before the EEOC, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights and Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations.   MORE

Environmental
Our environmental litigators have a proven track record in cost recovery, enforcement and other environmental litigation both in court and before the EPA and state regulatory agencies in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. We represent policyholders in major insurance coverage litigation and serve as common and liaison counsel in complex Superfund cases.  We also have the capability to represent clients in the management of criminal investigations and prosecutions for environmental crimes. We can assist clients beginning with receipt of the grand jury subpoena or service of the search warrant through the defense of the prosecution.   MORE

Products Liability and Toxic Torts
We have successfully resolved challenging toxic exposure allegations on behalf of many clients and regularly represent chemical, industrial and consumer product manufacturers in the defense of personal injury claims involving numerous and varied consumer and industrial products. Our toxic tort experience includes defense of major claims arising from alleged exposures to asbestos, mold, lead and a large variety of chemical compounds such as cutting oils, paints, fuels, solvents, benzene, vinyl chloride and others. Our attorneys handle complex civil litigation involving catastrophic injury, premises liability, multi-party litigation and class action suits and handle administrative litigation involving hazmat transportation, warranties, packaging, labeling and product recalls, among other areas.  MORE

Intellectual Property, Computer and Technology
We pursue and defend our clients' interests in trade secrets and unfair competition claims as well as intellectual property issues involving copyright and trademark infringement, and patent-related litigation. The skill and expertise of our lawyers in computer and electronic technology law allows us to successfully resolve cases involving computer contract issues for both buyers and suppliers.   MORE

Administrative and Regulatory
Stevens & Lee attorneys are experienced in representing clients before various administrative agencies and their hearing examiners and commissions. These include the Department of Environmental Protection, the Insurance Department, the Department of State, including the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs and the Department of Health. We have particular expertise before the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in matters involving rates, terms and conditions of service and financial obligations. Several of our litigators are former in-house utility lawyers with a working knowledge of the Commission’s rules of practice and procedure and possess an in-depth understanding of the specific issues underlying disputes. In addition, we have a wide variety of experience in matters before the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court, both in its capacity as an appellate court in reviewing agency determinations and as a trial court involving claims against the Commonwealth.

Municipal and Government Liability
With an emphasis on municipal and government liability defense, this group focuses its practice on civil litigation matters involving civil rights and employment discrimination.

Defamation and First Amendment
Our clients include newspaper and magazine publishers who require both counseling and representation on the variety of legal issues they confront daily. But libel and slander transcend the publishing business, and we pursue and defend other clients' problems with business defamation and disparagement claims.

Franchisors
Franchisors and manufacturers in disputes with their franchisees and distributors are among the clients we have represented in state and federal courts throughout the country. Frequently these matters involve injunction actions when the termination of the franchise relationship is involved.

Financial Services
Few firms can match our experience in the myriad litigation matters faced by financial institutions. For many years we have represented financial service institutions such as banks, insurance companies, thrifts, mortgage banking, and investment banking firms on virtually every issue facing the financial service industry.