Crowell & Moring Receives Two American Lawyer 'Global Legal Awards' for Global Dispute of the Year in U.S. Litigation and Pro Bono

Washington, D.C. – July 27, 2015: Crowell & Moring LLP's Litigation & Trial Department has received American Lawyer's "Global Legal Award" for "Global Dispute of the Year: U.S. Litigation" and "Global Pro Bono Dispute of the Year." The honors were given for Crowell & Moring's work in DuPont v. Kolon, one of the largest trade secrets case of its kind, and David. v. Signal, a pro bono case that was one of the largest human trafficking cases in history. 

The American Lawyer's international contest attracted 225 strong entries across 30 categories and will be celebrated at a dinner on Sept. 28, 2015, at Gotham Hall in New York.

The "Global Dispute of the Year: U.S. Litigation" award was presented to Crowell & Moring for its work in DuPont v. Kolon. The firm represented DuPont in recovering Kevlar® trade secrets stolen by a South Korean conglomerate. After Crowell & Moring severed the antitrust claim and then defeated on summary judgment, the trade secrets case was able to proceed unimpeded through a victorious seven-week jury trial. Crowell & Moring then worked with DuPont to cooperate with the DOJ in bringing criminal charges against the Korean company. In April 2015, the defendant agreed to return key technology, pay $275 million in damages, plead guilty, and pay an $85 million criminal penalty. The Crowell & Moring team was led by Washington, D.C. partners Michael J. Songer, Kent A. Gardiner, Stephen M. Byers, and Jeffrey L. Poston.

The "Global Pro Bono Dispute of the Year" was presented to Crowell & Moring for its part in David v. Signal, an action brought on behalf of hundreds of skilled workers from India who were lured by false promises of green cards and forced to live in labor camps while working for Signal International, a Gulf Coast marine fabrication company with facilities in Mississippi and Texas. The action involved claims of labor trafficking, fraud, racketeering and discrimination and was the first of the dozen lawsuits against Signal to go to trial. In February 2015, before a federal jury in New Orleans, Louisiana, New York partner Alan Howard and counsel Chiemi Suzuki led the Crowell & Moring team that handled the first trial on behalf of five workers. That trial resulted in a verdict for plaintiffs on all claims and an award of compensatory and punitive damages totaling over $14 million. Since then, a $20 million settlement agreement was reached to resolve the remaining labor trafficking lawsuits against Signal, which has also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The "Global Legal Awards" aim to honor all law offices—including in-house legal departments—that played a substantial role in the most distinguished international work performed between January 1, 2014, and April 15, 2015, across a wide range of disciplines.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 500 lawyers representing clients in litigation and arbitration, regulatory, and transactional matters. The firm is internationally recognized for its representation of Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes litigation, as well as its ongoing commitment to pro bono service and diversity. The firm has offices in Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels.

Primary Contact
Kathy O'Brien
(203) 268-1315
kobrien@jaffepr.com