First Five Years Marked by Growth, Landmark Client Successes, and a Positive Social Impact
Selendy Gay is celebrating its fifth anniversary as a premier trial, investigations, and appellate practice. In the five years since its launch, the firm expanded its roster of talented partners and associates to more than 60, elevated Jennifer Selendy to join Faith Gay and Philippe Selendy as a named partner, promoted Maria Ginzburg to managing partner, and named Jordan Goldstein as its General Counsel. The firm represents sophisticated clients as both plaintiffs and defendants, and across industries in their most significant matters. In addition to its relentless pursuit of excellence in commercial matters, public impact and pro bono work are foundational priorities of the firm.
Key milestones in the firm’s accelerating growth have included the addition of lateral partners Caitlin Halligan, the former Solicitor General of the State of New York, David Flugman, a bankruptcy specialist from Kirkland and Ellis, and Temidayo Aganga-Williams (joining on February 27), who served as Senior Investigative Counsel for the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the Capitol. The firm has also elected two partners internally, Oscar Shine and Lauren Zimmerman. Last year featured the firm’s largest-ever class of 26 summer associates.
While growing, the firm has maintained its focus on inclusivity and diversity. Almost fifty percent of its equity is held by female partners, and LGBTQ+ attorneys make up close to a quarter of the firm.
“Selendy Gay has become the go-to litigation firm for sophisticated clients by taking on industry-shaping cases and the most complex investigations,” said Jennifer Selendy. “Whether as plaintiff or defendant, we help clients overcome impossible odds.”
Among the firm’s recent notable victories are:
- A top-to-bottom win in 2023 for Cerberus Capital Management on complex structured debt and options agreements, resulting in the recovery of $856 million for our client against Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, one of Canada’s largest banks;
- Novel nationwide class settlements with loan servicer Navient and the U.S. Department of Education that overhaul the critical Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and have sparked sweeping governmental reform and widespread forgiveness of student debt;
- An industry-first win on behalf of first-lien lenders to TriMark, in which the New York Supreme Court agreed that a First Lien Credit Agreement could reasonably be read to prohibit TriMark from converting its first-lien lenders to holders of third-lien debt, followed by a settlement that converted these lenders’ priority to “super-senior.”
- A complete dismissal of a complex patent infringement suit brought against a leading biotechnology company that sought over $500 million in damages;
- The unanimous reversal of a trial court decision ordering real estate developer SJP Properties to tear down numerous floors of a Manhattan building;
- Defeating a motion to dismiss an antitrust and fraud complaint alleging a conspiracy to manipulate crypto-commodity markets;
- Protecting the rights of nearly a million households by obtaining, pro bono, the dismissal of five lawsuits (together with two appellate affirmances so far) challenging the constitutionality of New York’s rent stabilization regime;
- Protecting New Jersey’s ban on so-called “conversion therapy” from a First Amendment challenge against the Third Circuit mandate, in a pro bono action on behalf of Garden State Equality, the largest civil rights organization in New Jersey, and thousands of LGBTQ+ youth.
Selendy Gay’s lawyers are fierce advocates on the issues that shape our society. In 2022, the firm was named Outstanding North American Firm for Pro Bono by Chambers and Partners. Selendy Gay attorneys average 145 pro bono hours a year, compared to the industry average of 55. The firm’s recent public interest work, in addition to the pro bono matters above, includes:
- Partnering as lead trial counsel with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights to bring a milestone civil rights suit on behalf of U.S. Capitol Police officers to hold former President Trump, extremist groups, and other individuals responsible for the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. The lawsuit seeks to protect our nation’s democracy, electoral process, and the rule of law.
- Evacuating and relocating nearly 500 Afghan schoolgirls and their families to Saskatoon, Canada, to escape Taliban rule and pursue freedom and education;
- Representing Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims’ families in seeking to preserve claims brought against Remington Outdoor Co. in the company’s chapter 11 bankruptcy filing;
- Helping residential solar customers get fair payments for power they export to the grid;
- Filing amicus briefs on matters including the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team’s fight for equal pay (won in 2022), the preservation of race-conscious admissions policies to foster diversity at colleges and universities, and the Biden administration’s application to reinstate its student debt forgiveness plan.
“We hit the ground running, right out of the gate,” said Maria Ginzburg. “Since our launch, we have sustained a steady cadence of growth, diversified our client base, and amassed an impressive record of industry-changing wins.”