Holwell Shuster & Goldberg is a heavy-hitting litigation boutique with one office in New York. The firm specializes in complex commercial cases, dealing with financial, securities, antitrust, intellectual property, and bankruptcy-related disputes.

A 21st Century Firm

HSG was founded in 2012 by the Hon. Richard J. Holwell following his resignation from his post as federal judge in the Southern District of New York. He was joined by three former White & Case colleagues (Holwell had been a partner at the firm prior to judgeship): Michael S. Shuster (who was global head of commercial litigation), Daniel P. Goldberg, and Dorit Ungar Black. Over the past several years, HSG has expanded to around 60 lawyers who handle disputes in trial and appellate courts, arbitral tribunals, and administrative agencies nationwide.

Impressive Beginnings

After opening its doors, HSG got right to work handling high-profile, high-dollar disputes. No doubt, its ability to dive in head first is thanks to the experience and knowledge that comes from a founding team of seasoned partners and a former federal judge. But to be sure, the talent pool extends beyond the firm’s founders. HSG’s roster comprises a very selective group of lawyers, many who have held prestigious clerkships at all levels of the federal judiciary (including the U.S. Supreme Court), served as editors of the nation’s top law journals, and worked in impressive careers before joining the firm.

Among the firm’s practices are antitrust, appellate, bankruptcy litigation, complex commercial litigation, distressed debt and fund litigation, IP, securities litigation, transnational litigation, and white collar and internal investigations. The firm’s clients have included Bank of New York Mellon, Foursquare, the Herzog Collection, HSBC, Kickstarter, Meetup, U.S. Bank, Vimeo, and Visa.

Diversity in Practice

HSG practices what it preaches, and it preaches diversity. Attorneys play prominent roles in diversity-focused organizations, and the firm works hard to recruit top diverse talent. But beyond internal initiatives, HSG advocates for diversity in high-profile ways. The firm’s commitment comes from the top down. It works with such organizations as the ACLU, International Refugee Assistance Project, and New York Office of the Appellate Defender.