Business Litigation

We handle a broad array of business disputes, nationally and internationally, including “bet-the-company” lawsuits, complex commercial disputes, class actions, private securities actions, insurance coverage litigation, professional malpractice claims, and antitrust litigation.

Most of all, we are committed to ensuring you get the most value for your litigation costs.

Commercial Health Insurance Disputes

Zuckerman Spaeder has developed a trailblazing and nationally recognized practice focused on expanding provider and patient rights in their relationships with commercial health insurers. 

Drawing upon nearly three decades of experience—primarily involving Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA)—we are at the vanguard of an entirely new health insurance recovery legal practice. We regularly handle disputes concerning wrongful denials, improperly accessed administrative fees, attacks on out-of-network services, reimbursement rates, and recoupments and offsets for supposedly overpaid claims.

Cultural Assessments and Internal Investigations

Culture matters at corporations, now more than ever. Cultural weaknesses can lead to internal complaints, shareholder requests, regulatory inquiries, media attention, lawsuits, and even criminal charges. Government enforcers are looking beyond specific instances of wrongdoing to scrutinize the underlying culture and how it contributed to the mistakes. Proactive assessment to identify and arrest potential problems can save money and reputations.

Employment Law and Litigation

Disputes between executives and their employers can arise before, during, or at the end of the employment relationship. These disputes can involve millions of dollars and impact both lives and livelihoods.

We handle these situations with savvy and sensitivity, vigorously defending our clients’ interests while remaining keenly aware of the high stakes and personal impact of these disputes.

False Claims Act

The stakes for health care providers, government contractors, and other businesses and individuals accused of seeking payment or reimbursement from the government to which they are not entitled (often based on alleged violations of arcane health care and government procurement statutes and regulations) are high. The consequences can include treble damages, punitive monetary penalties, exclusion from government programs, and sometimes criminal sanctions. We frequently defend our clients against allegations brought under the U.S. Department of Justice’s government weapon of choice in these cases—the False Claims Act (FCA)—including the qui tam provisions, which entice whistleblowers, referred to as relators, to file suit on behalf of the government in exchange for significant monetary rewards of up to 30 percent of recovered funds. 

Food and Drug

From litigating food and drug law in the courts, to advocating for clients before the FDA, Congress and other federal agencies, to counseling clients on FDA regulatory matters, Zuckerman Spaeder has decades of experience representing clients in food and drug-related matters.

Zuckerman Spaeder’s food and drug practice is led by Bill Schultz, the former general counsel at HHS and former FDA deputy commissioner.

Health Care

Hospitals and other providers, health care executives, and patients, face a great deal of uncertainty in an ever-shifting industry. 

From providers challenging insurers’ questionable billing practices to executives responding to fraud investigations, we advise clients throughout the health care industry.

Insurance

Zuckerman Spaeder litigates challenging insurance disputes on behalf of both insurers and policyholders. The firm has a thorough understanding of insurance law, a breadth of industry-specific knowledge, and decades of experience resolving disputes in and out of the courtroom. Our litigators are adept at identifying the most efficient and effective routes to resolving our clients’ challenges. We don’t employ cookie-cutter solutions, simply make the same arguments insurers have been asserting for decades, or more generally follow the typical playbook. Our strategic plans are developed with the intention of achieving our client’s objectives based on the specifics of the case at hand – whether that includes litigation or fierce advocacy behind the scenes.

Intellectual Property

Zuckerman Spaeder’s intellectual property (IP) litigation and counseling practice is different from many specialty firms because we are, first and foremost, trial lawyers who handle all manner of complex civil and criminal litigation. We understand new areas of technology and importantly, how to present complex issues in ways that a judge and jury will comprehend.

Investigations

With almost half of our partners having served as former prosecutors and public defenders, Zuckerman Spaeder has helped hundreds of clients navigate investigations, respond to government inquiries, and work to minimize or avoid enforcement actions and litigation.

When going to trial is inevitable, our attorneys are courtroom ready and bring decades of experience.

Legal Profession and Ethics

As a nationally recognized litigation powerhouse, Zuckerman Spaeder is a go-to firm among those who know the legal industry best: other lawyers.

For years, our lawyers have been at the center of some of the country’s most significant law firm investigations and disputes, from litigated matters like malpractice suits to business-of-law counselling and advising on ethics and innovations in the industry.

Plaintiffs and Class Actions

From helping patients obtain insurance coverage to leading the case that ignited scrutiny of NFL player head injuries, our plaintiffs' practice encompasses a broad spectrum of subject matters and industries. 

Unlike firms limited to class actions or a narrow range of plaintiffs’ specialties, we often dive into and master new, complex issues and subject matters, build strong legal arguments, and take them to trial.

Securities and Commodities Litigation

When the Department of Justice or a civil regulatory agency investigates, class actions, civil disputes, and parallel proceedings often follow. 

Led by the former Enforcement Director for the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission, our team has decades of experience defending clients in court, in front of the SEC, and in securities-related investigations.

Sports

Athletes and sports agencies compete under extreme public scrutiny. You need legal representation that understands not only the legal risks, but also the economic and reputational risks.

Led by litigators Jon Fetterolf and Eric Delinsky, our sports practice covers the gamut in representing sports agencies and athletes. We know your business because we are not just litigators—Jon is also a certified MLB Player-Agent who has represented a number of athletes.

Tax Controversy

Zuckerman Spaeder helps entrepreneurs and organizations handle their most challenging tax issues.

With a thorough understanding of IRS procedure, deep knowledge of substantive tax areas, and the skill to advocate a position before the IRS or, if necessary, in court, we represent individuals and companies in all types of tax controversies.

White Collar Defense

Described as “a haven for clients in trouble,” by The American Lawyer, Zuckerman Spaeder’s reputation was built on defending clients in high-stakes white collar litigation.

With a team assembled from former prosecutors and public defenders, our attorneys are trial-ready litigators with decades of experience in court.

Pro Bono

If you can’t afford a lawyer, most of the time that means you won’t get justice. Those who are most vulnerable—the poor, the sick, the children, the newly arrived—have a deep, and unmet, need for legal services. 

Pro bono work by lawyers and law firms helps to fill this gap, and doing our part has been a core value since the firm’s founding.