Jennifer Selendy is a founding partner of Selendy Gay Elsberg.
Jennifer’s leadership has been recognized by Corporate Counsel, which named her 2020’s “Managing Partner of the Year,” and the New York Law Journal, which lists her among 2020’s "Distinguished Leaders." National Law Journal named Jennifer one of 2022's Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar, a small and highly selective list.
A seasoned trial and appellate lawyer, she is recognized as a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, one of the “Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers in America” by Lawdragon, and noted for her skill in complex commercial litigation by The Legal 500. Crain’s has twice named her one of the “100 Notable Women in Law.”
In addition to representing plaintiffs in high-stakes disputes, Jennifer also specializes in complex defense work and is frequently tapped for sensitive internal and governmental investigations into antitrust, financial misconduct, and employment-related matters. She has represented private equity and investment companies in precedent-setting litigation, represents renewable energy companies and related interests in cutting edge litigation aimed at protecting competition in power generation for the benefit of consumers, and has extensive expertise in RICO, bankruptcy, domestic and international arbitration, and cross-border disputes.
Representative Matters
- Audax Credit Opportunities Offshore Ltd., et al. v. TMK Haw Parent, Corp., et al.: Represented an ad hoc group of term lenders in the New York Supreme Court that alleged the defendants, TriMark, its equity sponsors, and several of its other lenders, violated the governing credit agreement by issuing new senior debt that effectively turned the plaintiffs’ first-lien debt into third-lien debt and issuing new “super senior” debt without inviting plaintiffs to participate. The plaintiffs alleged that the credit agreement did not allow the defendants to amend it without their consent or to strip them of their pro rata and priority payment rights. In August 2021, the court rejected the defendants’ motions to dismiss the plaintiffs’ contract claims. In January 2022, the parties settled the case, with TriMark allowing the former first-lien lenders to exchange their debt for new “super senior” debt and to pay all lenders’ attorneys’ fees.
- Jay Alix McKinsey & Co.: Representing McKinsey & Co. against claims by Jay Alix, founder of the consulting firms AlixPartners and Mar-Bow Partners, challenging McKinsey’s Chapter 11 disclosures under Rule 2014.
- Mar-Bow Value Partners LLC McKinsey & Co.: In the matter of Alpha Natural Resources, successfully achieved, despite a relentless campaign, a ruling in federal bankruptcy court in Richmond, VA that Jay Alix’s Mar-Bow Partners does not have the standing to be heard on its ongoing conflict-of-interest dispute concerning Alpha Natural Resources, a bankruptcy coal miner.
- Marshall Broadcasting Group, Inc. v. Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc.: Currently representing Nexstar Broadcasting Inc., one of the largest television station operators in the United States, in a chapter 11 case concerning several television stations sold to Marshall Broadcasting Group (MBG), past payments owed to Nexstar for services, and the ability of MBG to reject contracts as part of its restructuring.
- National Public Finance Guarantee Corp. v. UBS Financial Services Inc.: Currently representing National Public Finance Guarantee and MBIA in a lawsuit to hold eight major Wall Street banks accountable for inequitable conduct that contributed to Puerto Rico’s economic collapse. The plaintiffs are bond insurers that have received, and fully honored, over $1 billion in claims after the municipal debt underwritten by the banks-–without proper due diligence or disclosures-–became unsustainable for Puerto Rico and its agencies, leading to massive defaults.
- Discover Financial Services Visa: Led the prosecution of a complex antitrust suit against Visa and MasterCard that settled on the eve of trial in favor of her client for $2.75 billion. She currently represents Discover’s debit affiliation Pulse Network LLC in a debit monopolization case against Visa.
- Trilantic Capital Partners IV UFCW Int’l Union Ind. Pension Fund: Representing a private equity company in a declaratory judgment action challenging the pension fund's assertions of ERISA withdrawal liability against a private equity investor.
Jennifer maintains an active public interest practice, focusing on poverty, women’s rights, climate change, and education. Most recently, Jennifer co-founded the 30 Birds Foundation, an organization providing support to Afghan girls and their families escaping the Taliban. 30 Birds has moved more than 500 constituents to safety in Canada. In Thompson v. MacDonald, she served as lead trial counsel and won an injunction against the State of Maryland mandating delivery of federal benefits and services to indigent children and families; for this result, she received the Pro Bono Service Award from the Homeless Persons Representation Project of Baltimore.
Affiliations & Community Involvement
Jennifer received her law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School after completing an M.Phil. in International Relations at Oxford (St. Antony’s) as a Marshall Scholar. She served as the board chairman for the National Center for Law & Economic Justice from 2012 - 2017. Jennifer is also the co-founder of The Speyer Legacy School, an independent K-8 school for gifted children that focuses on identifying and educating low-income, high-achieving children in New York City.
