Timothy J Perla

Tim Perla is a seasoned litigator and strategic counselor with over two decades of experience defending complex litigation involving securities, corporate governance, and life insurance. A results-oriented leader, he has repeatedly defeated class certification, secured dismissals, and led high-stakes defenses on behalf of banks, life insurance companies, life sciences and technology firms, healthcare companies, energy companies, and other companies across all sectors of the economy.

What sets Tim apart is not just his deep command of complex litigation defense, but his analytical rigor rooted in the latest technology. Before graduating first in his class at the Boston University School of Law, Tim earned a B.A. in computer science. He brings his unique technological expertise to his cases, championing the use of the latest artificial intelligence technologies to deliver legal services with greater speed, precision, and cost efficiency. Clients appreciate his blend of strategic clarity, technical fluency, and practical judgment.

Before joining WilmerHale, Tim clerked for the Honorable Nathaniel M. Gorton in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.

Class Actions

Early in his career, a major publication honored Tim as one of the top six class action practitioners under 40 in the country. His practice has only thrived since that time. Tim devotes much of his practice to defending securities fraud class actions and other class actions brought against companies and their officers and directors. In the past year alone, he defended more than a dozen securities class actions in federal courts around the country. He has repeatedly obtained dismissals as well as settlements on favorable terms. He has extensive knowledge of complex procedural and class certification issues, and is often called upon to consult on class certification proceedings. Finally, Tim has had the rare experience of taking a class action to jury trial, obtaining a full defense verdict on all 11 claims after a three-week trial.

Delaware Shareholder Derivative and Other Litigation

Dozens of companies, officers, and directors have looked to Tim for counseling and defense when faced with allegations of breach of fiduciary duty and other alleged corporate governance failures. He often litigates in the Delaware Court of Chancery, including recently defeating a motion for preliminary injunction in a bet-the-company matter brought against a renewable energy firm.

Other recent Delaware matters include: litigation challenging mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation litigation, disputes arising from conflict of interest transactions, statutory records demands, shareholder derivative demands, short-swing profits cases, and other corporate governance matters.

Regulatory Enforcement

Tim has represented clients before federal and state regulatory and law enforcement agencies, including the SEC, US Attorneys' Offices, the Department of Labor, and the Massachusetts Securities Division. Investigations have concerned allegations of: securities, accounting, tax and other fraud; insider trading; financial reporting and disclosure improprieties; noncompliance with professional and regulatory standards; anti-money laundering violations; and discriminatory conduct. His recent success includes persuading the SEC not to pursue charges against a company controller who had presided over accounting errors that led to a financial restatement.

Insurance and Business Litigation

Tim maintains a robust practice representing life insurance companies in the defense of class actions, claims of improper sales practices, regulatory enforcement matters involving departments of insurance, and other litigation matters. He boasts over a dozen insurance company clients and has successfully litigated in state and federal courts across the country, eliminating hundreds of millions of dollars of exposure to damages. He is a member of the Association of Insurance Counsel and has the rare experience of taking a life insurance class action to jury trial and obtaining a complete defense verdict.

AI Expertise and Leadership

Tim plays a leading role in the firm’s efforts to responsibly integrate artificial intelligence into legal practice. An early adopter of artificial intelligence, Tim was selected to serve on an internal AI committee focused on enhancing analytical rigor, efficiency, and client value while maintaining the highest professional standards. His leadership in this area is grounded in a formal background in computer science and more than two decades of experience litigating complex, data‑intensive matters, enabling him to translate advanced technology into practical, defensible litigation strategy.

Tim is active in the Boston Bar Association. He is also a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association.

How Delaware Courts Will Likely Evaluate AI Oversight Claims - Law360

Rare Delaware Oversight Ruling Sends Governance Wake-Up Call - Law360

Delaware Forum Selection Clause Binds California Shareholders - Bloomberg Law

Successfully represented Blue Apron in landmark Sciabacucchi v. Salzberg case, establishing that Delaware corporations may legally enact forum selection clauses requiring Securities Act class actions to be filed only in federal court

Obtained dismissal on behalf of a national bank of RICO and securities fraud class action claims stemming from alleged misconduct relating to the SEC Consumer Protection Rule

Defeated class certification of a nationwide consumer class action asserting that an e-commerce company’s web content violations of consumer protection laws

Successfully defended Theranos in securities class action litigation, repeatedly defeating certification of investor classes

Orchestrated the defense of nearly 30 securities class actions, shareholder derivative actions, and regulatory enforcement actions, obtaining multiple dismissals

Defended an insurer in a jury trial over alleged improprieties in connection with the administration of life insurance policies

Secured a defense verdict in a class action jury trial challenging more than 40,000 sales of insurance products and asserting $180 million in damages

Obtained dismissal of and successfully defended on appeal in a First Circuit securities fraud class action

Achieved dismissal of putative class action lawsuits alleging fraud and breach of contract in connection with the sales of insurance and investment products

Successfully represented an accounting professional in proceedings before the SEC resulting in no adverse action

Represented a major insurance company in cases around the country alleging fraud and unsuitability with respect to sales of equity-indexed annuities and other insurance products

Successfully completed several confidential internal investigations raising accounting and revenue recognition issues in healthcare, pharmaceutical and technology companies

Obtained dismissal of a shareholder derivative action alleging that a corporate officer engaged in stock options backdating

Secured denial of a preliminary injunction seeking to prevent a pharmaceutical company from entering into a merger agreement

Successfully brought to conclusion investigations by regulatory authorities including the SEC and the Massachusetts Securities Division into clients accused of improper revenue recognition, stock options backdating, market timing, unsuitable insurance sales and fraud

Boston University School of Law

JD

2004

State University of New York at Geneseo

BA

2001

Top Lawyers List -Class Action

Boston Magazine

2021

Top Lawyers List -Class Action

Boston Magazine

2022

Top Lawyers List -Class Action

Boston Magazine

2023

Top Lawyers List -Securities

Boston Magazine

2024

Top Lawyers List -Securities

Boston Magazine

2025

Massachusetts Super Lawyer

Thomson Reuters

2023

Massachusetts Super Lawyer

Thomson Reuters

2023

Massachusetts Super Lawyer

Thomson Reuters

2024

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2013

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2014

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2016

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2017

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2018

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2019

Massachusetts Rising Star

Thomson Reuters

2021