Complex Commercial Litigation Duo Joins Crowell & Moring, Boosts New York Trial Team

WASHINGTON, May 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Crowell & Moring LLP has added two prominent litigators to its growing New York office roster. The additions are Litigation Group partners Edwin M. Baum, a seasoned New York litigator whose practice is concentrated on representing sophisticated business clients in multi-faceted commercial litigation from Proskauer Rose LLP, and Alan B. Howard, a proven litigator and trial lawyer with over 25 years experience handling domestic and international litigation and arbitration cases from Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.

"The addition of Alan and Ed to our Litigation Group expands the firm's ability to serve our clients in the full range of complex commercial litigation matters. They are both highly seasoned trial lawyers with experience handling big-ticket matters for some of the world's largest corporations. As we continue to deepen the firm's national litigation bench, they are terrific additions to our team in New York," said Kathleen Taylor Sooy, national chair of Crowell & Moring's Litigation Group.

The former practice group leader of Proskauer Rose's Product Liability & Consumer Litigation practice, Baum has extensive experience counseling clients through matters requiring in-depth knowledge of multiple substantive disciplines including financial services, insurance, product liability, professional liability, unfair competition, theft of trade secrets, and employment. His litigation career, which includes serving as first-chair in two dozen courtroom cases and major arbitrations, spans both trial work and appellate advocacy. Baum's client base includes businesses in the financial services, entertainment, information technology, pharmaceutical, automotive, and insurance sectors. His clients include industry-leading businesses, such as the ORIX financial group, that Baum has represented for more than 20 years in a broad range of trial and appellate work.

Baum regularly serves as counsel for clients facing class actions, governmental investigations and litigations, or other complex matters requiring expertise in multiple disciplines. He frequently counsels clients in transactional matters and business planning, on assessing potential liabilities, and in developing action plans to prevent or minimize litigation risks. As part of his professional responsibility practice, he represents lawyers and law firms in matters involving ethics, employment, and disciplinary issues. In addition, Baum often serves, both as advocate and as a neutral, in mediations, arbitrations, and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings.

"I was drawn to Crowell & Moring by its tremendous litigation platform and the vision we share – building the firm around our clients' needs for the highest-quality representation provided in an efficient and cost-effective manner by lawyers who fully understand the clients' businesses.  Crowell & Moring has a proven record of client centric service and creative problem solving that distinguishes it from other firms," said Baum.

Baum devotes a significant portion of his professional and personal time in service to his community. He is the immediate past president of the West End Synagogue in New York City, and is a current member of its Board of Trustees. He is a founding member of the Commercial & Federal Litigation section of the New York State Bar and is a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. Baum holds a J.D. from Columbia Law School and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He earned a B.S., with honors, from Cornell University.

Howard is a general litigator with extensive experience handling commercial disputes for clients on securities, consumer class actions, fraud, product liability, mass tort, false advertising, antitrust, trade secrets, and intellectual property matters. He has represented Fortune 500 corporations and individuals, including manufacturers of high-speed trains and medical device manufacturers, as well as a leading telecommunications company. Most recently, Howard's practice has focused on representing major international financial institutions and industrial companies on complex high-stakes litigation and arbitration matters in the United States. Handling complex matters with extensive case management issues, Howard often represents defendants confronting multiple proceedings in multiple jurisdictions. He has tried cases to juries and judges in federal and state courts throughout the United States, and to arbitrators in proceedings under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and International Chambers of Commerce.

"Crowell & Moring has built a top-tier Litigation Group, known for its experienced and highly qualified lawyers, that work with many of the country's leading businesses on bet-the-company litigation matters. I am excited to be part of a firm so highly regarded for a culture of teamwork and commitment to client service, and look forward to the growth opportunity in New York," said Howard.

In addition to private practice, Howard is a committed pro bono lawyer and social justice advocate, serving as vice chair of the Board of Directors of the Southern Poverty Law Center. In 2008, Howard represented one of the defendants in the "Jena 6" proceedings in Louisiana, a case of national prominence for its civil rights implications. He is also lead trial counsel on behalf of 500 skilled workers from India who were victims of one of the largest human trafficking schemes in the country's history. Howard received his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and a B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with approximately 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, DC, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Orange County, Anchorage, London, and Brussels. Visit Crowell & Moring online at http://www.crowell.com.

Contact: Jessica O'Neil
[email protected]
(202) 508-8750

SOURCE Crowell & Moring LLP