Department profile
Susman Godfrey LLP

Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite

USA Guide 2026 : New York

Share profile

Susman Godfrey LLP

Rankings

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite - New York

Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Susman Godfrey is an expert commercial litigation boutique offering deep expertise in representing plaintiffs and defendants in high-stakes disputes across a range of industries, including the financial services, energy and technology sectors. The firm fields a leading group of trial lawyers who regularly appear in bench and jury trials, as well as alternative dispute resolution and appellate proceedings. Its lawyers possess extensive experience advising on financial fraud disputes, antitrust matters and wider high-value class action claims.

View ranking table

Work Highlights

Provided by Chambers

  • Susman Godfrey secured a $266 million verdict on behalf of the City of Baltimore against McKesson and AmerisourceBergen in the City’s nearly seven-year lawsuit in connection with the opioid epidemic.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

  • Susman Godfrey possesses a unique combination of rarified advocacy coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit. The credentials of its lawyers put it in the highest bracket in terms of skills and pedigree and its entrepreneurial focus orients it toward an aggressive approach that yields great success. It is a team of highly motivated, highly capable lawyers.

    Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

  • Susman Godfrey is so well versed and really knows its cases inside and out. The team is extremely experienced.

    Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

  • Susman Godfrey's key strength is its creative, outside-the-box thinking. The team provides incredible preparation and courtroom excellence. It is an A+ team.

    Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

  • Susman Godfrey's lawyers are very smart and aggressive. They are excellent, very professional and very experienced trial counsel.

    Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

  • Trial expertise is what distinguishes Susman Godfrey. The fact that it prepares every case with the intent to try it means they focus on what actually matters along the way. Its team is sophisticated and second to none in responsiveness. Its attorneys quickly become experts in the part of the business involved in the matters they handle.

    Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

  • Bill Carmody
    Bill Carmody

    Bill Carmody

    Bill Carmody receives excellent reviews for his courtroom work, and frequently acts in high-stakes trials, representing defendants, single plaintiffs and class plaintiffs in their most complex and sophisticated disputes.

    • Bill is super smart, charismatic and almost clairvoyant in jury trials. Watching him in action is like watching an artist at work.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Bill is a top trial lawyer in America and one of the deans of the litigation bar.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Bill has an ability to digest the case, narrow down the issues and come up with our positions and counter positions. He is highly impressive and has a reputation in the courtroom that precedes him.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Bill is the best trial lawyer on the planet.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • I have never heard Bill be tongue-tied or stumble over his words. Every single time he speaks to me about a commercial matter, he is spot on with respect to his analysis. He litigates the biggest cases and he wins.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA
    View profile
  • Jacob W. Buchdahl
    Jacob W. Buchdahl

    Jacob W. Buchdahl

    Jacob Buchdahl maintains a broad and renowned commercial disputes practice which encompasses IP litigation, class actions and shareholder activism. He is noted in particular for his trial expertise.

    • Jacob is top-tier. He is an incredible trial lawyer with great commercial awareness.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Jacob is brilliant as a legal mind and strategist, as a courtroom litigator and as a trusted adviser to his clients.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Jacob is an excellent team leader. He is a very strategic thinker and is phenomenal at trial.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA
    View profile
  • Shawn Rabin
    Shawn Rabin

    Shawn Rabin

    Shawn Rabin garners excellent reviews for his work at trial. His impressive experience includes major class actions and contract disputes, as well as antitrust litigation.

    • Shawn is an outstanding, outside-the-box thinker. You want him on your side and never against you.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Shawn is a master strategist. He is supremely responsive and an excellent partner in the trenches.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Shawn leads huge cases with expertise. He is a force.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA
    View profile
  • Stephen Shackelford
    Stephen Shackelford

    Stephen Shackelford

    Stephen Shackelford is an accomplished litigator highly sought after to handle a raft of high-stakes commercial disputes and who is highly praised for his trial skill.

    • Stephen is very smart; he is amazing.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA

    • Stephen is an excellent lawyer.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA
    View profile
  • Mark Musico
    Mark Musico

    Mark Musico

    Mark Musico is recognized for his trial and appellate capabilities representing both corporate and individual clients in a variety of industries, including finance and technology.

    • Mark presents well in court and has good judgment. He is also good at being a team player.

      Litigation: General Commercial: The Elite respondentUSA
    View profile

Ranked Individuals at Susman Godfrey LLP (5)

New York

What success is built on

Chambers is the leading data and intelligence partner for the legal sector.

Explore thought leadership