Haynes and Boone, LLP is delighted to welcome litigator and defense lawyer Christos Papapetrou as its newest partner in the firm’s New York office. Repeatedly recognized as a top litigator, both in New York and nationally, Christos is known for handling high-profile, complex commercial litigation matters for a diverse range of clients across the country and has significant experience handling complex civil disputes, including securities and consumer class actions, contract and employment disputes, and breaches of fiduciary duties.
Christos also represents companies and individuals in white-collar criminal matters, regulatory investigations, enforcement proceedings, and internal investigations. Christos has defended individuals and companies in domestic and international criminal matters involving securities fraud, financial and accounting fraud, insider trading, public corruption, and cybercrime, among other issues. He regularly represents clients in investigations initiated by the Department of Justice, SEC, FINRA, and CFTC, among other agencies.
Christos also has extensive experience in complex cross-border matters and often advises clients on issues that arise in international cases and investigations. His clients often call upon him in crisis environments to craft effective solutions and to assist in identifying critical governance and regulatory risks.
“Christos is a multi-faceted litigator who is equally adept handling criminal and civil trials and appeals, both in state and federal courts,” said Leslie Thorne, a partner in Haynes and Boone’s New York office and co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. “He is particularly well-known and respected in the New York market and will be a tremendous asset to Haynes and Boone and our clients as we continue to expand our New York litigation practice.”
Christos is heavily involved in the New York legal community. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Federal Bar Council Inn of Court, where he is co-Membership Chair, and he serves on several committees of the Federal Bar Council, including its Awards Committee. He recently was a member of the Planning Committee for the Federal Bar Council’s 2021 Symposium on the Rule of Law. He is a long-time member of the Historical Society of the New York Courts, where he recently interviewed New York state judges to memorialize their experiences dispending justice during the pandemic. He also is a member of the New York Council of Defense Lawyers and the New York State and City bar organizations and has represented numerous clients’ pro bono in civil rights trials and appeals in federal court, including currently representing an individual facing the death penalty in Alabama in a federal habeas proceeding.
For the last three years, Christos has been included in Benchmark Litigation’s 40 and Under Hot List, published by Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC., of the leading young litigators in the United States. He also was named a “rising star” from 2015-2018 and a “super lawyer” from 2020-2021 in the New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars directory, published by Thomson Reuters.
“Christos’ reputation as a rising star in the New York litigation market, coupled with the depth of his experience assisting clients in commercial litigation and white-collar matters, make him the ideal candidate to continue the growth of our litigation practice in New York,” said Taylor Wilson, Haynes and Boone’s Managing Partner.
Christos added: “I am thrilled to be joining Haynes and Boone’s robust and growing litigation team in New York. With its deep resources in litigation and in many other practices, both in the U.S. and internationally, Haynes and Boone offers the perfect platform to grow my diverse practice and to provide my clients with a broader range of capabilities.”
Christos most recently was a partner with Levine Lee LLP and began his career at Mayer Brown LLP, where he was a member of the firm’s U.S. Supreme Court & Appellate and Litigation Practices. Christos also clerked for the Hon. Loretta A. Preska of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Hon. Peter G. Sheridan of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Drawing on the collective experience of former high-ranking federal prosecutors, including both the former director and assistant director of the Southwest Region of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, the former director of the Atlanta Regional Office of the SEC and the former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, Haynes and Boone has a long track record of representing clients facing investigations and criminal proceedings involving serious allegations of fraud, conspiracy, and financial crimes. Chambers USA in 2021 ranked the firm Band 1, the top tier, in Texas in the “Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Gov't Investigations” category.
Haynes and Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in Texas, New York, California, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Washington, D.C., London, Mexico City and Shanghai, providing a full spectrum of legal services across a variety of industries including the financial services, private equity, technology and energy sectors. With more than 600 lawyers, Haynes and Boone is ranked among the largest U.S.-based firms by The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and The Lawyer. It was recognized for excellence in the BTI Consulting Group’s 2021 “A-Team” report, which identifies the law firms that in-house counsel commend for providing superior client service.
Reuters: The Daily Docket