News

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10 Nov 2008

Acclaimed Securities Litigator Christopher “Kip” Hall joins DLA Piper in New York

Veteran Trial Lawyer Brings More than 25 Years of Courtroom Experience

Press Release

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(New York) – DLA Piper announced today that Christopher “Kip” Hall has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in the Litigation group. Kip is a prominent securities litigator in New York and has more than 25 years of experience in and outside the courtroom.
Kip has been lead counsel in more than 30 criminal and civil jury/non-jury trials and preliminary injunction hearings and more than 50 arbitrations. He has a long and successful track record representing public companies and financial institutions including leading investment banks, issuers, mutual fund complexes, investment advisers, broker-dealers and their boards of directors in securities class actions, commercial litigation, M&A disputes, proxy battles, corporate governance disputes and domestic and international arbitrations. Prior to joining DLA Piper, Hall headed the Civil Securities Litigation Initiative at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

“Kip is a top-flight trial lawyer who has been called upon time and time again by broker-dealers, investment advisers and other financial institutions in bet-the-company litigation,“ said Joseph G. Finnerty III, Chair of DLA Piper’s New York Litigation Practice. “There is little doubt that the current financial crisis will lead to a wave of securities litigation, particularly in the financial sector. Kip’s deep relationships on Wall Street and impressive track record in the courtroom will be a tremendous asset to the team as we help our clients navigate this difficult environment.”

“There are very few litigators in New York with the trial experience and track record that Kip has,” said Robert J. Mathias, Joint Global Leader and US Chair of DLA Piper’s Litigation Practice. “We have a great securities litigation team in our New York office, but the addition of someone like Kip is a game changer. His leadership will be critical as we continue to build a top tier securities and business litigation practice in New York, nationally and globally.”

Hall currently serves on the Securities Litigation committees of the American Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He also served on the City Bar’s Task Force on Court Restructuring, Committee on State Courts, Judiciary Committee, and Council on Judicial Administration. Kip speaks and writes regularly on securities law and trial practices, and has served on the faculty of the National Institute for Trial Advocacy and other trial academies.

“DLA Piper has a unique platform, an entrepreneurial culture and a global vision,” said Hall. “The firm offers something very different from any competitive firms, and I believe DLA Piper has the best platform on which to build my practice. The existing strength of the team in New York, coupled with the dynamic and sustained growth of the firm over the past few years, is a compelling combination. I am excited to help my new colleagues further their efforts to build a world class securities litigation practice.”

Hall received his B.A. from Dartmouth College, summa cum laude, where he was elected Phi Beta Kappa. As a Rhodes Scholar, he completed his degree in jurisprudence at the University of Oxford. Hall received his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School.