National Law Journal Names Zuckerman Spaeder a “D.C. Litigation Department of the Year”

2020 NLJ home

The National Law Journal gave its top legal honor to Zuckerman Spaeder, naming the firm a D.C. Litigation Department of the Year for General Litigation. The award recognizes the firm’s impressive body of litigation work, which included securing an acquittal for prominent attorney Gregory Craig and delivering a groundbreaking mental health parity win. Two other firms were also included with Zuckerman Spaeder as winners in the General Litigation category.

“It’s a great honor to receive The National Law Journal’s top litigation award for 2020,” said firm chairman Dwight Bostwick. “Our deep bench of trial attorneys have had remarkable success recently, from the dramatic acquittal of Greg Craig to the trial win on behalf of tens of thousands of people who faced mental health discrimination. The skill, teamwork, and dedication on display in those headline-making cases are hallmarks of Zuckerman Spaeder. That same level of commitment is at work for our clients outside the courtroom, where we provide sound advice and effective resolutions in many civil disputes and criminal investigations.”     

Among the firm’s most notable wins in 2019 was the not guilty verdict that a jury delivered for Mr. Craig. The New York Times said the case was “widely viewed as a litmus test” for the Department of Justice’s stepped-up enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. And The Wall Street Journal editorialized that the win should “prompt some soul-searching” at DOJ. Another important white collar win came when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped all charges against Gregory Law, a former executive with Osiris Therapeutics Inc. The SEC pursued the charges for more than two years and, after Zuckerman Spaeder presented a stream of witnesses who discredited its allegations, finally backed down – notably, without a settlement or agreement.

The firm also delivered a landmark win on behalf of more than 50,000 people who had their mental health coverage claims illegally denied by United Behavioral Health. Following the District Court ruling, former U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy called the case “the Brown vs. Board of Education for the mental health movement.” That case is part of the firm’s national effort to seek justice for patients and hold insurers accountable for widespread, systematic behavioral health claim denials.

In another health-related case, the firm sued the Department of Health and Human Services over a proposed rule change that would lead to $1.6 billion in annual cuts to the 340B drug discount program, which supports nonprofit hospitals, community health centers, and federally funded clinics that provide services for vulnerable communities. A federal district court sided with Zuckerman Spaeder’s hospital clients, ruling that the change was illegal and ordering previous cuts restored.

The National Law Journal honor follows similar awards Zuckerman Spaeder received earlier this year. In February, Law360 recognized the firm with three Practice Group of the Year awards for achievements in the areas of White Collar, Health Care, and Benefits. And, in January, partners William W. Taylor and William J. Murphy were named 2019 “Criminal Defense Trial Lawyers of the Year” at the National Trial Lawyers Summit.