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Mark P. Ressler

Partner | New York
T (212) 506-1752
F (212) 506-1800

Mark's practice focuses on complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal defense, including trials and appeals.  Since joining the firm in 1998, he has successfully represented financial institutions and corporations in numerous complex commercial disputes.  Mark repeatedly has been selected as one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" in Chambers USA, where he has been described as "undertak[ing] a wide range of commercial litigation for clients who greatly appreciate his easy conversance with governmental and regulatory institutions.  This clout attracts a high-caliber clientele drawn from a range of industries..."  Mark is also recognized as a “local litigation star” in New York by Benchmark Litigation 2011-2013 and he has been recognized as one of Avenue Magazine’s “Legal Elite.”

In the criminal and regulatory arena, Mark has represented individuals and corporations in government and internal investigations concerning alleged insider trading, securities fraud, accounting fraud, obstruction of justice, insurance fraud, market manipulation, price-fixing, bid rigging, options backdating, health care fraud, market timing, FDA misbranding, commercial bribery and labor racketeering.

Companies have turned to Mark to devise and execute litigation and trial strategies across a range of jurisdictions and industries.  For example, retained last year by a leading European bank to overhaul its defense of individual and class action tax shelter lawsuits pending in courts around the country, Mark obtained a series of dismissals, class de-certification rulings and highly favorable settlements by pursuing an aggressive trial-ready strategy that substantially reduced his client’s exposure.

Mark has also handled some of the largest cases to date against software companies and consulting firms stemming from failed projects involving the implementation of SAP and other business software.  An active part of Mark’s current practice involves representing companies and financial institutions in disputes over structured products stemming from dislocations in the financial markets.

From 1991 to 1998, Mark was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where his notable prosecutions included corruption charges against an SEC attorney; insider trading charges against a celebrity CEO; securities fraud charges against an investment banker Fortune magazine dubbed the "Hannibal Lecter of Wall Street"; and racketeering trials against some of New York's most feared drug and murder-for-hire gangs.  Mark was twice awarded the Justice Department's Director's Award for Superior Performance, and was chosen as the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation's "Prosecutor of the Year."

Mark has served on the Judiciary Committee of the New York Bar Association, where he assisted in evaluating all federal and state judges and prospective judges in New York.  He has also been consulted by and quoted in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Fortune and other publications concerning criminal law, trial strategy and other legal matters.

Notable Representations

Financial Crisis Litigation and Counseling

 
  • Appointed as Liaison Counsel to hedge fund and corporate investors pursuing relief against a Reserve money market fund that “broke the buck” following Lehman’s bankruptcy
  • Companies, banks and financial institutions in disputes over swaps, CDOs, auction rate securities, guaranteed investment contracts, liquidity provider arrangements, repos and forward delivery contracts
  • Real estate companies in disputes over mezzanine loans and related financing issues

General Commercial Litigation

 
  • National counsel to a leading European bank defending class and individual actions in jurisdictions throughout the country in connection with tax shelter transactions
  • A prominent European bank pursuing claims against Textron entities stemming from a securitized note program involving insurance agency franchise loans
  • A major financial institution pursuing claims against AIG in connection with collateralization obligations under leveraged lease transactions
  • SL Green Realty in a litigation against a major gaming company arising out of the bidding process to run New York’s Aqueduct racetrack casino
  • A leading financial institution defending against claims arising out of the demise of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc.
  • A multinational conglomerate pursuing fraud and other claims against AIG stemming from a large public works project for the City of San Francisco
  • A leading REIT defending against class action claims stemming from a multi-billion dollar acquisition and spin-off
  • The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in a trial defending against claims arising from the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center
  • Donald J. Trump in a high-profile defamation action against a New York Times reporter and book publisher 

 Software Implementation Litigation and Counseling

 
  • Waste Management, Inc. in a litigation alleging fraud and other claims against SAP stemming from an implementation involving SAP’s waste and recycling software
  • Levi Strauss & Co. in a litigation alleging fraud and other claims against Deloitte Consulting stemming from an implementation involving SAP’s apparel and footwear software
  • The bankruptcy trustee of a leading drug distribution company, FoxMeyer Corp., in lawsuits against SAP, Accenture and other software vendors and integrators stemming from an implementation of SAP software
  • One of the world’s largest religious charities in a dispute with a software company stemming from an implementation of a software application for not-for-profit entities
  • A leading bank in a litigation alleging fraud and other claims against Siebel Systems stemming from a CRM software implementation
  • Counseling numerous clients in the utility, internet, retail, financial, automotive and IT services industries, as well as public entities, in connection with negotiating and drafting software licensing and implementation contracts

Criminal Defense, Regulatory Enforcement and Internal Investigations

 
  • Appointed by the SEC as independent monitor in connection with the criminal and regulatory probes of New York Stock Exchange specialist firms
  • The CEO of a broker-dealer indicted for securities, mail and wire fraud
  • Executives of prominent Asian companies in four separate DOJ international price-fixing investigations
  • A leading health care company conducting an internal investigation of business practices
  • A senior executive of a leading medical diagnostic company in a DOJ and FDA medical misbranding investigation
  • A leading insurance company conducting an internal investigation of commercial bribery

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