Paul Spagnoletti
Co-head of Civil Litigation. Represents clients in complex civil and criminal litigation matters across the country and around the world.
Paul is co-head of our Civil Litigation practice. He regularly represents clients in complex civil and criminal matters across the country and around the world. His clients include not only Wall Street banks and Fortune 500 companies, but also other law firms, which look to him when facing “bet the firm” malpractice and breach of duty claims. He recently won judgments on behalf of two international law firms facing malpractice, breach of duty and fraud claims in New York and California courts.
Paul has substantial experience in securities, civil RICO, real estate, breach of duty, negligence and FCPA matters, as well as on post-closing contract disputes related to mergers and asset sales. He also has deep experience as counsel to independent audit and special committees in the context of internal corporate investigations. He advises clients on investigations by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York State Attorney General’s Office.
Experience highlights
- Lead counsel to an international media company in connection with a multi-billion-dollar breach of contract arbitration
- Lead counsel to a major pharmaceutical company in connection with litigation in Delaware regarding earn-out provisions in an M&A deal
- Lead counsel to a major Wall Street bank in a dispute over post-closing indemnification obligations relating to the sale of a loan portfolio
- Lead counsel to a multinational industrial client in connection with multi-billion-dollar civil RICO and Robinson-Patman Act claims involving allegations of bribery and anti-competitive conduct
- Lead counsel to JPMorgan Chase in federal antitrust actions in Louisiana relating to allegations of price-fixing through the use of complex derivatives in the gold industry; settled favorably on the eve of the trial
- Lead counsel to Deloitte in connection with U.S. and Canadian securities-related matters concerning alleged misconduct by former executives of Canadian telecommunications giant Nortel Networks Corporation
- Lead counsel to a large multinational corporation in connection with an internal investigation in Brazil involving allegations of bribery, fraud and anti-competitive conduct
- Represented the audit committee of a large European telecommunications company in connection with a cross-border internal investigation into bribery and fraud
News
Credentials
Recognition
Benchmark Litigation – Commercial Securities, New York, Local Litigation Star
Law360 – “Rising Star: White Collar,” 2012
Education
- cum laude
- Phi Beta Kappa
Clerkships
Professional history
- Partner, 2006-present
- Davis Polk since 1998
Qualifications and admissions
- State of California
- State of New Jersey
- State of New York
- 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, Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court, E.D. New York
- U.S. District Court, S.D. New York