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Hal Shaftel is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses on complex commercial litigation covering a range of areas and business sectors. His experience includes handling jury and bench trials and appeals in court rooms across the country; financial and antitrust regulatory proceedings; and domestic and international arbitrations. He has prevailed in litigations involving securities law and financial regulation, corporate governance, antitrust, joint ventures and partnerships, intellectual property, insurance/reinsurance, real estate and infrastructure, and products liability. He is proud to have represented both long-established and emerging companies and individuals in the financial services and funds, medical and Internet technology, media and content, healthcare, real estate development and consulting industries. Hal’s cases are often featured in the media, including being highlighted on lists of the most important cases of the year. He also regularly lectures and publishes on commercial litigation topics.

Capabilities

Experience

  • With respect to cases arising under the federal securities laws, Hal has defended corporate and individual clients in major securities class and derivative actions, as well as litigated tender offer and proxy matters.° Hal also has litigated on behalf of a broad array of institutional and individual clients in the financial services and investment funds sectors. He has represented investment banks and broker-dealers, as well as individual professionals, in cases concerning financial advisory, underwriting, corporate governance and cash management/accounting matters, including in connection with institutional customer disputes, class actions and regulatory investigations. He has handled regulatory investigations concerning market making and other trading desk activities. He also has handled cases for funds and fund managers concerning investment selection, governance and accounting disputes with investors and outgoing mangers. His broad experience on behalf of financial service firms has included, among many other things, the scope and terms of advisory engagements and indemnities; algorithmic trading programs and trade secrets; fiduciary duties and D&O insurance coverage issues.

  • Hal has represented clients in antitrust matters encompassing private litigations, class actions and federal and state regulatory proceedings. He has litigated antitrust claims for companies competing in the pharmaceutical, consumer products, media and entertainment and waste management sectors. He has handled matters for both companies defending against antitrust claims and companies challenging competitor practices. His cases have involved cutting-edge matters at the cross-section of antitrust and intellectual property law, including Hatch-Waxman drug regulation issues and Internet/media activities.°

  • Hal’s track-record includes litigating for companies and entrepreneurs in “new economy”/technology industries, particularly positioned in the healthcare/medical device and the Internet fields. He has handled cases for technology clients with respect to disputes over joint ventures and licensing arrangements, corporate governance, transactional payment terms, content/intellectual property, user/customer privacy issues, trade secrets and employment issues. Relatedly, he also has been involved in cutting-edge regulatory proceedings and other disputes involving the overlap between financial regulations and computerized trading programs.°

  • Hal has handled a variety of cases in the real estate development context. For example, he has represented clients in joint venture disputes regarding rights and interests in development projects. He has brought claims on behalf of developers against contractors, architects/designers, and finders involved in the assemblage and construction of major infrastructure projects, which further implicate related insurance coverage issues. He also has experience with disputes over real estate financing commitments and terms.°

°The above representations were handled by Mr. Shaftel prior to his joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.

Recognition & Leadership

  • Team Member, a Law360 "Real Estate Practice Group of the Year," 2023
  • Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firms Edition, "Law Firm of the Year," Real Estate - Litigation, 2017 and 2022
  • Listed, Thomson-Reuters, "Stand-Out Lawyers," 2022
  • Listed, Acritas Stars™ Independently Rated Lawyers, "Star Lawyers," 2020-2021
  • Listed, The Legal 500 United States, International Litigation - Securities Litigation, 2017-2019
  • Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firms Edition, "Law Firm of the Year," Banking & Finance - Litigation, 2017
  • Team Member, BTI Power Rankings, "The 16 Strongest Firms for "Go-To Outside Counsel" Insurance Work," 2016
  • Member, New York City Bar
  • Member, New York State Bar Association
  • Member, American Bar Association

Credentials

Education
  • J.D., Yale Law School, 1989
    • Senior editor, Yale Law Journal

  • B.A., magna cum laude, Yale University, 1986
Admissions
  • New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York