Joseph Simone

Joseph De Simone is an experienced, well-respected litigator whose practice is focused primarily on securities and regulatory disputes, internal corporate investigations, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, complex arbitrations and general corporate litigation.

According to Chambers USA 2015, Joe is a “highly regarded securities litigator” who is “well versed in a range of complex disputes” and “highlighted for his impressive client roster and expertise in cross-border work.”

Previous editions have reported that Joe wins respect for a “business-oriented mentality” that helps to ease the passage of SEC investigations and securities-related disputes. . . . “he not only knows the law, he understands its impact.”

As co-leader of Mayer Brown’s Securities Litigation and Enforcement Action group, Joseph represents corporate and individual clients across a broad spectrum of civil, criminal, arbitral and investigative cases. These include:

Securities Litigation. Represents issuers, underwriters, and individual officers and directors in various federal securities class actions and derivative actions; counsels clients and boards of directors in connection with securities law issues.

Internal Corporate Investigations. Conducts and participates in internal corporate investigations on behalf of client management groups, audit committees, or special litigation committees in industry sectors such as banking, retail, Internet, technology, and broadcasting and communications.

General Civil Litigation. Represents corporate and individual clients in federal and state courts in a variety of civil actions, including commercial actions, contract disputes, breaches of fiduciary duty, employment, intellectual property, and mergers and acquisitions litigation.

Between 1998 and 1999, Joseph sustained an active teaching role as Supervising Attorney for the Columbia Law School’s Political Asylum Clinic. He lectured Columbia law students in seminars and supervised a student subgroup during the course of a successful political asylum application in US Immigration Court.

Prior to joining Mayer Brown in 2000, Joseph worked for another prominent law firm. Earlier, he served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Joseph McLaughlin, US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (1994–1995).

Education :

• Fordham University School of Law, JD
• Princeton University, AB

Admissions :

• New York
• US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• US District Court for the Southern District of New York
• US District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• US Supreme Court

Experience :

• Represented a financial institution client as a Claimant in an arbitration proceeding relating to an alleged breach of contract in connection with an energy development project; Case eventually settled on favorable terms for our Client.
• Lead attorney on behalf of families of deceased victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in a series of 20 short trials before Special Master Kenneth Feinberg of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund; conducted the trial testimony of over 70 live witnesses, and recovered $65.5 million for clients.
• Successfully represented a large financial institution in a three-month trial in Delaware Chancery Court; cross examined opposing party’s chief financial officer.
• Argued and won appeal on behalf of an individual before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in Benjamin v. Fischer, 2004 WL 206215 (2d Cir. Feb. 2, 2004).
• Drafted appellate briefs for the prevailing parties in Abbad v. Amman, No. 03-9169, 2004 US App. LEXIS 21033 (2d Cir. Oct. 8, 2004) and Simula, Inc. v. Autoliv, Inc., 175 F.3d 716 (9th Cir. 1999).
• Represented the ex-CEO of Collins & Aikman in the Collins & Aikman Securities Litigation in Michigan and Delaware; won motion to dismiss our client in the Delaware Action (2009).
• Won a motion to dismiss in an action under the federal securities laws in favor of an issuer defendant and its officers and directors in Fant v.Perelman, 97 CV 8435, 1999 WL 199078 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 9, 1999).
• Represented Core Laboratories, N.V. and its officers and directors in a Rule 10b-5 action and won a motion to transfer the proceedings to Texas.
• Represented officers of issuers in the investigation by the Attorney General of the State of New York into the allegedly improper securities practices of certain investment banks.
• Represented the CEO of a company in an SEC deposition and investigation in connection with insider trading allegations.