Top of page
Lawyers

James P. Rouhandeh

Lawyers

James P. Rouhandeh

Partner
Civil Litigation
New York

Head of Litigation Department and Management Committee member. Named an American Lawyer “Litigator of the Year.”

Jim is the head of Davis Polk’s Litigation Department and a member of our three-person Management Committee. He is a trusted adviser to leading corporations in multiple industries – including three of the 10 largest companies in the Fortune 500 – as well as to corporate boards and CEOs. His recent work has included antitrust and privacy investigations in the tech sector, as well as pharmaceutical-industry issues with broad public-health significance. Clients appreciate his experience in many of the largest investigations and litigations in U.S. history – including the tobacco industry, Enron-era prosecutions, pharmaceutical marketing, and the 2007 financial crisis – and the declinations he has achieved in many major matters.

Jim was named a “Litigator of the Year” by the American Lawyer and is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers and in Legal 500’s Hall of Fame. A highly regarded appellate lawyer, Jim has achieved numerous appellate victories in federal and state court.

Experience

Civil Litigation
  • Lead trial counsel to Fortune 500 energy company in contract litigation that favorably settled on the first day of trial
  • Lead trial counsel to Exxon in a $1.8 billion tax dispute
  • Lead trial counsel to Morgan Stanley in longstanding RMBS litigation
  • Leading energy company in securities litigation following deferred prosecution
  • Multinational software provider in securities litigation following short seller report
  • Tech company in antitrust investigations/litigation
  • Energy company in contractual dispute relating environmental liability
  • Largest worldwide cryptocurrency exchange in securities litigation
  • Walmart in litigation against Tesla asserting breach of contract
  • Dismissal of RICO class claims against Novo Nordisk
  • Novo Nordisk in securities litigation relating to long-term financial targets
  • Dismissal of RICO class claims against Walmart
  • Dismissal of securities class action against BT Group relating to accounting issues at Italian sub
  • Dismissals of Facebook IPO underwriters in securities class action asserting Section 16(b) and 20A claims
  • Dismissals of claims against major New York law firm relating to Stanford Ponzi scheme
  • Lead counsel to Morgan Stanley in 50+ lawsuits arising from the financial crisis, eliminating $10+ billion in potential damages
  • Numerous successes for Pfizer in class actions around the country, including multiple denials of class certification and dismissals of consumer fraud claims
White Collar Defense & Investigations

Federal and state criminal/regulatory investigations including:

  • Tech company in FTC antitrust investigation
  • Morgan Stanley and another bank in DOJ and state AG investigations relating to subprime RMBS
  • Broker-dealer in internal investigation relating to potential insider trading
  • Major pharmaceutical company in multiple federal grand jury investigations
  • National law firm in federal investigation relating to tax opinions
  • WorldCom executive in federal investigation of alleged accounting fraud
  • Individual in federal criminal antitrust trial
  • Over 30 partners of a major accounting firm in SEC investigation
  • Tobacco company in DOJ’s investigation of the industry
Appellate Litigation
  • Recent victories in the Second, Fourth, and Fifth Circuits, and the New York Court of Appeals on behalf of Morgan Stanley, General Dynamics, a major New York law firm and an international real estate company.
View more experience

Insights

Recognition

American Lawyer – “Litigator of the Year,” 2018

Chambers USA – Litigation: Securities, New York, Band 1

Legal 500 U.S. – Financial Services Litigation, Hall of Fame

Legal 500 U.S. – Securities Litigation: Defense, Hall of Fame

Legal 500 U.S. – General Commercial Disputes

Benchmark Litigation – United States and New York, Star

American Lawyer – “Litigator of the Week,” 2016

National Law Journal – “Litigation Trailblazer,” 2016

Law360 – “Securities Litigation MVP of the Year,” 2011, 2014 and 2016

Education

J.D., Harvard Law School
  • Editor, Harvard Law Review
B.A., Southern Illinois University

Qualifications and admissions

  • State of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth 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, Third Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Colorado
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, E.D. New York
  • U.S. District Court, N.D. Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, N.D. New York
  • U.S. District Court, S.D. New York
  • U.S. District Court, W.D. Michigan
  • U.S. Supreme Court
Back to top