K&L Gates Adds Leading National Commercial Disputes Partner in U.S.

Los Angeles and Raleigh - Global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes national litigator Daniel J. Stephenson as a U.S. partner in the firm’s commercial disputes practice. Stephenson, who will be resident in the firm’s Los Angeles and Raleigh offices, joins K&L Gates from Dykema Gossett PLLC, where he served as director of the litigation department from 2012-14 and led its national trial team.

“We are very excited to have Dan join our commercial disputes practice team,” said Paul Sweeney, administrative partner of K&L Gates’ Los Angeles office. “His experience and reputation in handling high-profile class action and other complex cases will enhance our already substantial resources in this area. Additionally, his trial successes will resonate with our clients. In combination with his clients, we will expand our representation of a number of the world’s leading companies in their most sophisticated litigation matters.”

Focusing his practice on the defense of companies in the pharmaceutical, aviation, and consumer product sectors, Stephenson also represents clients in the financial services, mining, computer, telecommunications, energy, and other industries on matters involving intellectual property, commercial, securities, technology, and complex and mass tort litigations and class action defense strategies. He has counseled some of the world’s largest and most well-known companies — such as Bayer, General Motors, Rolls-Royce, Procter & Gamble, and Lenovo — including the successful representation of airframe manufacturer McDonnell Douglas in an 18-month jury trial involving the 1987 takeoff crash of Northwest Airlines Flight 255.

“With Dan’s arrival, we have a powerful answer to our clients’ litigation needs — which have become national, and frequently international, in scope,” commented A. Lee Hogewood, administrative partner of K&L Gates’ Raleigh office. “Dan’s trial successes in many complex commercial cases have made him one of the go-to trial lawyers for global companies facing a myriad of claims and disputes. Adding Dan as a member of our formidable commercial disputes practices nationally and internationally should allow his success — and, more importantly, our clients’ successes — to multiply.”

Stephenson is the latest in a series of additions to K&L Gates’ commercial disputes practice this year, following the earlier arrivals of Charleston partner Russell Abrams, Charlotte partner Marla Tun Reschly, and Chicago of counsel Seth Darmstadter. With more than 500 commercial disputes lawyers in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, K&L Gates’ disputes practice features the breadth, experience, and sophistication to successfully resolve matters ranging from simple commercial claims to complex multi-party, cross-border litigations and arbitrations. These capabilities have resulted in recent accolades for the practice such as being named a “Powerhouse” in class actions and torts litigation for two consecutive years and a “Standout” in the securities and finance, complex commercial, and routine commercial litigation areas in BTI Consulting Group’s annual “Litigation Outlook” survey.