Hon. Richard J. Holwell

The Hon. Richard J. Holwell has served as a federal judge in the Southern District of New York from 2003-12, before stepping down to found Holwell Shuster & Goldberg, LLP. During his tenure on the federal bench he presided over two of the most significant securities fraud matters to reach trial in recent decades: the insider trading trial of Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, and a securities class action brought against Vivendi that raised several novel points of law regarding the application of U.S. law to alleged securities fraud involving a foreign plaintiff.

Before his confirmation to the federal judiciary by the U.S. Senate, Judge Holwell practiced with Michael Shuster and Daniel Goldberg at White & Case, where he served on the Management Board and as the firm’s Executive Partner for Disputes. In an illustrious career preceding his time on the bench, Judge Holwell represented clients in highly complex commercial litigation matters involving securities, antitrust, and bankruptcy issues; in numerous investigations undertaken by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, and Federal Trade Commission; and in a leading appellate practice.

His numerous appellate arguments include one resulting in a decision, still significant today, establishing important precedent regarding the extraterritorial application of U.S. securities laws and antitrust standing under the Clayton Act. Also at White & Case, Judge Holwell and Mike Shuster litigated over 30 civil and criminal suits in the U.S. and abroad arising from the insolvency of Crédit Lyonnais, including a highly publicized fraud action against Kirk Kerkorian relating to his sale of MGM Film Studios.