James P. Rouhandeh

Partner

rouhandeh@davispolk.com

Mr. Rouhandeh is head of Davis Polk’s Litigation Department, representing clients in a variety of civil, criminal and regulatory matters. His practice includes representation of clients in complex civil litigation, including class action securities litigation and shareholder derivative actions, as well as grand jury, SEC and internal investigations. Mr. Rouhandeh has represented a variety of clients in the most well-known investigations and litigations in recent years; his matters typically involve parallel civil, criminal and regulatory proceedings.

Contact

New York
450 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
P: 212-450-4835
F: 212-701-5835

Related Practices

Litigation

Bar Admissions

State of New York
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court, W.D. Michigan
U.S. District Court, E.D. New York
U.S. District Court, S.D. New York

Education

B.A., Southern Illinois University, 1984
J.D., Harvard Law School, 1987
- Editor, Harvard Law Review

Work Highlights

Recent Civil Litigation

Dismissal with prejudice of all claims against national law firm in connection with the collapse of Allen Stanford-related entities
Dismissal with prejudice of class action securities litigation relating to the Libertas CDO
Dismissal of all claims in class action securities litigation relating to mortgage pass-through certificates on standing and statute of limitations grounds
Representation of senior management of major pharmaceutical company in shareholder derivative action following resolution of federal grand jury investigation
Denial of class certification in favor of Morgan Stanley in case in which plaintiffs sought certification of claims of investors in a structured investment vehicle backed by CDOs and RMBS
Representation of special committee of the board of major mutual fund in connection with shareholder demand
Landmark denial of class certification in favor of Pfizer in MDL in which plaintiffs sought $4.6 billion in alleged damages for payments relating to the off-label use of the prescription drug Neurontin
Unanimous reversal by the U.S. Supreme Court in case representing amicus curiae seeking to overturn the application of 21 U.S.C. 843(b) to certain purchasers of controlled substances
Representation of Morgan Stanley in multiple litigations relating to mortgage-backed securities
Summary judgment awarding actual and consequential damages in favor of Deutsche Bank in a breach of contract action relating to convertible bonds
Decertification of a class action brought against Pfizer in Pennsylvania
Dismissal of RICO and antitrust claims against Smith & Nephew brought in federal court in New Jersey
Dismissal of all claims against J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Bank of America in the AOL Time Warner MDL securities litigation relating to restatement of earnings following $10 billion bond offering
Summary judgment on ’34 Act claims and dismissal of ’33 Act claims brought against TD Securities in federal securities fraud class action brought in federal court in South Carolina following restatement and bankruptcy of Safety Kleen Corp. and indictment of Safety Kleen’s top officers
Dismissal of all claims against J.P. Morgan, Citigroup and Bank of America in California state court securities fraud action relating to AOL Time Warner
Summary judgment for J.P. Morgan in federal securities class action in federal court in Michigan relating to Perrigo Company, whose stock dropped 40% in a single day shortly after the then-largest IPO in Nasdaq history
Dismissal of consumer fraud class action against Pfizer in New York state court
Dismissal of all class claims in consumer fraud action against Pfizer in New Mexico state court
Summary judgment for Pfizer in a consumer fraud action brought in federal court in North Carolina and West Virginia

Criminal and SEC Investigations

Mr. Rouhandeh’s recent representations include:

A broker-dealer in an internal investigation relating to potential insider trading
A major pharmaceutical company in a federal grand jury investigation and related matters that resulted in a resolution with the federal government and all 50 states
A national law firm in connection with a federal investigation relating to tax opinions
The foreign parent of a pharmaceutical company in a federal grand jury investigation
A former Worldcom executive in connection with a federal investigation of alleged accounting fraud
An individual in a criminal antitrust trial
Over 30 partners of a major professional service firm in an SEC investigation
A tobacco company in the DOJ’s investigation of the industry
An investment bank in an SEC investigation relating to the municipal bond business
A former executive of a major pharmaceutical company in a criminal investigation in Japan

Recognition

Named an “MVP of the Year” for Securities by Law360 in 2011
Multiple matters featured in Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers in 2010 and 2011
Listed as a leading litigation lawyer in Legal Media Group’s Benchmark Litigation: America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys
Recognized by The Legal 500 in connection with white collar criminal defense

Professional History

Partner, 1996-present
Associate, 1988-1996

News

James Rouhandeh Named 2011 MVP in Securities

Benchmark Litigation Recognizes 21 Davis Polk Lawyers and Names the Firm Among the Best in the Nation in Three Practices

Davis Polk Ranks 2nd Overall in FT's “U.S. Innovative Lawyers” Report

View More > >

Client Publications

Supreme Court Limits False Statement Liability Under Rule 10b-5 To Those Who Actually Make Misstatements
Client Newsflash

Supreme Court Determines that Class Certification Does Not Require Proof of Loss Causation in Securities Fraud Cases
Client Newsflash

Supreme Court Rejects Rule Disfavoring Arbitration of Disputes Between Companies and Consumers
Client Newsflash

View More > >

Last Name
Title ALL TITLES Associate Consultant Counsel Counsel - Registered Foreign Lawyer General Counsel Litigation Counsel Partner Registered Foreign Lawyer Senior Counsel Special Counsel for Pro Bono
Offices ALL OFFICES Beijing Hong Kong London Madrid Menlo Park New York Paris São Paulo Tokyo Washington DC
Practices ALL PRACTICES Antitrust and Competition -- Litigation Antitrust and Competition -- Transactional Asia Practice Bankruptcy Litigation Board of Directors Litigation and Strategic Counseling Capital Markets China Practice Commercial Dispute and Contract Compliance and Advisory Compliance and Advisory Consumer Class Action Consumer Products Corporate Corporate Governance Credit Derivatives and Structured Products Energy/Utilities Environmental Europe Practice Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Financial Crisis and Subprime Lending Financial Institutions Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Health Care Health Care/Life Sciences Hedge Funds India Practice Insolvency and Restructuring Intellectual Property Intellectual Property Litigation Internal Investigations International International and Domestic Arbitration International Litigation and Enforcement Investment Funds Litigation and Investigations Investment Management Japan Practice Leveraged Finance Litigation M&A-Related Litigation Mass Torts and Product Liability Media and Telecom Mergers and Acquisitions Private Equity Professional Liability Project Finance Real Estate Securities Class Actions Securities Enforcement Spain and Latin America Practice Tax Tax Controversy Technology Trading and Markets Trusts and Estates White Collar Criminal Defense
Law School ALL SCHOOLS American University, Washington College of Law Beijing Foreign Studies University Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law Bond University Faculty of Law Bordeaux University Boston University School of Law BPP Law School Brigham Young University, J. Reuben Clark Law School Brooklyn Law School Campus Law Centre, Delhi University Chicago-Kent College of Law - I.I.T. China University of Political Science and Law College of Law, London Columbia Law School Columbia University Cornell Law School Duke University School of Law Ecole de formation des Barreaux (EFB-Paris) Emory University School of Law Fordham University School of Law Frankfurt University, Institute for Law and Finance Fudan University Law School George Washington University George Washington University Law School Georgetown University Law Center Ghent University Faculty of Law Harvard Law School Hofstra University School of Law Howard University School of Law Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, Faculty of Law King's College London School of Law King's College, University of London London School of Economics London School of Economics and Political Science London School of Economics Department of Law McGill University, Faculty of Law Murdoch University School of Law National Taiwan University (NTU Law) National University of Singapore Faculty of Law New York University New York University School of Law Northwestern University School of Law Osgoode Hall Law School of York University Peking University Pontificia Universidade Católica de São Paulo Faculdade Paulista de Direito Queensland University of Technology Renmin University of China Renmin University of China Law School Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Die Juristiche Fakultät Rutgers University Rutgers University School of Law - Newark Seton Hall University School of Law Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade Shanghai University of Finance and Economics St. John's University School of Law Stanford Law School Stockholm University School of Law SUNY Buffalo Tel Aviv University The College of Law, Chester, England Transnational Law and Business University Trinity College, Dublin School of Law Trinity College, University of Cambridge Tsinghua University UC Berkeley - Boalt Hall School of Law UC Hastings College of the Law UCLA School of Law Universidad Carlos III de Madrid School of Social Sciences and Law Universidad Católica Argentina (Buenos Aires), Facultad de Derecho Universidad de Buenos Aires Universidad de Deusto Universität Zu Köln Université de Strasbourg - Faculté de Droit, Sciences Economiques et Gestion Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 - Faculté de droit Université Nancy II - Faculté de Droit, Sciences Economiques et Gestion Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas Université Paris-Sud XI University at Buffalo Law School - SUNY University of Bristol School of Law University of British Columbia Faculty of Law University of Cambridge University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law University of Cape Town University of Cape Town, Faculty of Law University of Chicago University of Chicago Law School University of Connecticut School of Law University of Delhi Faculty of Law University of East Anglia University of Edinburgh School of Law University of Genoa (Italy) University of Georgia School of Law University of Glasgow School of Law University of Groningen University of Hong Kong University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Law University of International Business & Economics University of Iowa College of Law University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Law University of London University of Melbourne University of Melbourne Law School University of Miami School of Law University of Michigan University of Michigan Law School University of Minnesota Law School University of Munich, Faculty of Law University of Murcia University of Naples Federico II School of Law University of Natal, School of Law University of New South Wales University of New South Wales, Faculty of Law University of Notre Dame Law School University of Otago, Faculty of Law University of Oxford University of Pennsylvania University of Pennsylvania Law School University of Pittsburgh School of Law University of Queensland University of Queensland, TC Beirne School of Law University of San Diego School of Law University of South Carolina School of Law University of Stellenbosch, Faculty of Law University of Sydney Law School University of Tel Aviv, The Buchmann Faculty of Law University of Texas at Austin University of Texas School of Law University of the West of England, Bristol University of the Witwatersrand, Oliver Schreiner School of Law University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law University of Toronto, Faculty of Law University of Toronto, Faculty of Law/Joseph L. Rotman School of Management University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law University of Virginia University of Virginia School of Law University of Warsaw, Faculty of Law and Administration University of Washington School of Law (Seattle) University of Western Australia University of Western Australia, Faculty of Law University of Western Ontario University of Wisconsin Law School Univerzita Karlova v Praze Vanderbilt University Law School Wake Forest University School of Law Washington & Lee University School of Law Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis School of Law Wayne State University Law School Yale Law School Yale University
Clerkship ALL CLERKSHIPS Amon, Carol Bagley Aspen, Marvin E. Bates, John D. Bea, Carlos T. Becker, Edward R. Beezer, Robert Berman, Richard Bernstein, Stuart M. Binnie, Ian Block, Frederic Boggs, Danny J. Bork, Robert H. Boyle, Terrence Breitel, Charles D. Breyer, Stephen G. Brody, Morton A. Brown, Janice Rogers Buchwald, Naomi Reice Byrne, Jr., William Matthew Cabranes, José A. Caffrey, Andrew A. Callinan, Ian Cardamone, Richard J. Casey, Richard Conway Castel, P. Kevin Cedarbaum, Miriam Goldman Chagares, Michael A. Chandler III, William B. Chin, Denny Clark, Thomas A. Clay, Eric L. Coffey, John L. Conboy, Kenneth Conner, William C. Cote, Denise Cummings, Walter J. Cyr, Conrad K. Daniels, George B. Davis, Legrome Drain, Robert D. Duffy, Kevin Thomas Edelstein, David N. Feinberg, Wilfred Fisher, Raymond C. Flannery, Thomas A. Fogel, Jeremy Fuentes, Julio Gagliardi, Lee P Garaufis, Nicholas G. Garibaldi, Marie L. Garth, Leonard I. Ginsburg, Douglas H. Ginsburg, Ruth Bader Glasscock III, Sam Glasser, I. Leo Gleeson, John Goettel, Gerard L. Goodwin, Alfred T. Gorenstein, Gabriel W. Greenberg, Morton I. Gregory, Roger L. Griesa, Thomas P. Grunis, Asher Haight, Jr., Charles S. Hall, John E. Hays, Paul R. Henry, Robert H. Herndon, David R. Hornby, D. Brock Hurley, Denis R. Iacobucci, Frank Imber, Annabelle Clinton Irenas, Joseph E. Irizarry, Dora L. Jacobs, Dennis Jiuyong, Shi Judges' Chambers, Senior Kaplan, Lewis A. Karas, Kenneth M. Katzmann, Robert A. Kaufman, Chief Judge, Irving R. Kearse, Amalya L. Keeley, Irene M. Kelly, Jr., Paul J. Kennedy Jr., Henry H. Kennedy, Anthony M. Kennedy, Cornelia G. King, Carolyn Koeltl, John G. Korman, Edward R. Kravitch, Phyllis A. Laster, Travis Leaphart, W. William Lechner, Jr., Alfred J. Legg, Benson E. Leisure, Peter K. Leon, Richard J. Letts, J. Spencer Leval, Pierre N. Lew, Ronald S.W. Lumbard, J. Edward Luttig, J. Michael Marshall, Thurgood Martin, Jr., John S. Matthes, M.C. Mauskopf, Roslynn R. McLaughlin, Joseph M. McLaughlin, Mary A. McMahon, Colleen Motz, J. Frederick Mukasey, Michael B. Murphy, Diana E. Nelson, David A. Newman, Jon O. Nickerson, Eugene Oakes, James L. O'Scannlian, Diarmuid F. Otis, Louise Owen, Richard Parker, Barrington D. Patterson, Jr., Robert Pauley III, William H. Pitman, Henry B. Platt, Thomas C. Pogue, Donald C. Pollak, Louis H. Pooler, Rosemary S. Pratt, George C. Preska, Loretta A. Raggi, Reena Rehnquist, William H. Robinson, Stephen C. Roth, Jane R. Sand, Leonard B. Saunders, Mary E. Scalia, Antonin Scheindlin, Shira A. Seitz, Collins J. Sifton, Charles P. Silberman, Laurence Silberman, Laurence H. Skotnikov, Leonid Smith, D. Brooks Smith, Jerry E. Snow, G. Murray Sprizzo, John E. Stahl, Norman H. Stotler, Alicemarie H. Straub, Chester J. Sullivan, Richard J. Swain, Laura Taylor Sweet, Robert W. Sykes, Diane Tauro, Joseph L. Thomas, Clarence Thompson, David Tjoflat, Gerald B. Townes, Sandra L. Trager, David G. Van Dusen, Francis L. Wallace, J. Clifford Walls, William H. Webster, William H. Weinfeld, Edward Weinstein, Jack B. Wellford, Harry W. Wesley, Richard C. White, Byron R. Widener, Jr., H.E. Wilbur, Richard C. Williams, Richard L. Williams, Stephen F. Winter, Ralph K. Wisdom, John Minor Wollman, Roger Wright, Caleb M. Young, William G. ALL COURTS British Columbia Court of Appeals Delaware Court of Chancery District of Columbia Court of Appeals High Court of Australia International Court of Justice Montana Supreme Court New Jersey Supreme Court New York Court of Appeals Quebec Court of Appeals Supreme Court of Arkansas Supreme Court of Canada Supreme Court of Israel U.S. Bankruptcy Court, S.D. New York U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit U.S. Court of International Trade U.S. District Court, Arizona U.S. District Court, C.D. California U.S. District Court, Delaware U.S. District Court, District of Columbia U.S. District Court, E.D. New York U.S. District Court, E.D. North Carolina U.S. District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania U.S. District Court, E.D. Virginia U.S. District Court, Maine U.S. District Court, Maryland U.S. District Court, Massachusetts U.S. District Court, N.D. California U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois U.S. District Court, N.D. West Virginia U.S. District Court, New Jersey U.S. District Court, S.D. Illinois U.S. District Court, S.D. New York U.S. Supreme Court U.S. Tax Court