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Brian S. Weinstein
Partner
Mr. Weinstein is a member of Davis Polk’s Litigation Department, representing domestic and international clients in complex civil litigation, regulatory enforcement and criminal matters. He represents corporations and financial institutions around the world with their most challenging litigation matters, including in federal and state courts throughout the United States and before the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators, and state attorney general’s offices. He also regularly conducts internal investigations for clients, and advises clients on compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
Contact
Bar Admissions
  • State of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, E.D. New York
  • U.S. District Court, S.D. New York
Education
  • A.B., Duke University, 1994
    • summa cum laude
    • Angier B. Duke Faculty Scholar
    • Faculty Scholar
  • J.D., Yale Law School, 1997
    • Editor, The Yale Law Journal

Work Highlights
Representative Civil Matters
  • Morgan Stanley in connection with litigation relating to residential mortgage-backed securities
  • CNInsure, Inc., a Chinese insurance intermediary, in a class action securities fraud lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • Partial summary judgment for Rabobank in a dispute with a monoline insurer over coverage for credit losses on a $1 billion synthetic CDO transaction
  • Summary judgment for JPMorgan Chase in a suit to recover approximately $500 million on defaulted foreign exchange derivatives contracts
  • Nippon Express Co. Ltd. in antitrust litigation relating to allegations of price fixing in the freight forwarding industry
  • Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Credit Suisse, Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia in litigation in New York and Texas relating to the funding of the $20 billion private equity buyout of Clear Channel
  • F. Hoffman-LaRoche Ltd. in connection with litigation arising from the U.N. Oil for Food Program
  • Successfully represented Delta Air Lines as lead trial counsel in bankruptcy court litigation concerning Delta’s pilot pension plan
  • Summary judgment for the New York Mets professional baseball franchise in litigation with MSG Networks concerning the formation of SportsNet New York, a Mets-anchored regional sports network
  • The owners of the New York Mets in connection with various litigations, including litigation arising from the Bernard Madoff scandal, litigation relating to Sterling Equities’ real estate holdings, and litigation relating to the purchase of the remainder of the team from its previous partial owner
Representative Enforcement and Criminal Matters
  • Various internal investigations relating to possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
  • Siemens AG in connection with the corruption investigations by the Department of Justice, the SEC and other international enforcement authorities
  • An Asian bank in connection with inquiries from the SEC relating to compliance with broker-dealer registration requirements by foreign banks
  • Various financial institutions in connection with SEC investigations into matters involving structured products, dark pool trading platforms and auction rate securities
  • The chief executive officer of a consumer products corporation in a stock option backdating investigation in which the SEC, following the receipt of a Wells notice by the client, was persuaded not to proceed
  • An adviser to a hedge fund complex in connection with an SEC investigation into alleged compliance deficiencies
  • An asset management firm in connection with a state attorney general’s inquiry concerning investments on behalf of the state employee pension fund
  • A prominent international law firm in connection with threatened litigation by a former client and a concurrent SEC investigation
Of Note
  • Served as deputy counsel to Chief Judge Kaye’s Commission on Drugs and the Courts
  • Was lead pro bono counsel for 36 Chinese immigrant workers who won a landmark $4.6 million verdict after trial for federal and state labor law violations 
Current Memberships
  • Member, American Bar Association
  • Member, New York City Bar, where he served on the Committee on Pro Bono and Legal Services from 2005 to 2008
Professional History
  • Partner, 2005-present
  • Member, Pro Bono Committee, 2008-present
  • Associate, 1998-2005
  • Law Clerk, Hon. José A. Cabranes, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit 1997-1998