Paul Hastings Welcomes Leading Securities Litigators in San Francisco and New York

SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK – Paul Hastings today announced that leading securities litigation partners Daniel Laguardia and Patrick Hein have joined the firm in San Francisco. Laguardia, who also practices in New York, will serve as co-chair of Securities Litigation. 

Joining from A&O Shearman, where Laguardia previously held various leadership positions, the pair expands Paul Hastings’ Securities Litigation team in Northern California and further enhances the firm’s broader capabilities for public company clients and financial institutions.

“Daniel and Patrick’s client relationships and combined extensive trial experience in both federal and state courts throughout the country will further strengthen our premier litigation platform and deepen our capabilities in Northern California and New York,” said firm Global Managing Partner Sherrese Smith. “Their addition highlights our commitment to attracting top litigators and enhances our ability to handle a broader range of disputes across key industries, positioning us to gain market share and driving strategic growth on both coasts and throughout the country.”

Consistently recognized as a litigation star by Chambers USA, Legal 500 and Benchmark Litigation, Laguardia represents individuals, corporations and financial institutions. He has extensive litigation experience across a broad spectrum of substantive areas, including securities and complex financial products, financial markets, mergers & acquisitions disputes, shareholder actions, distressed debt and bankruptcy issues, and commercial contracts, and he has achieved a strong record of success for clients in trial and appellate courts.

Laguardia also regularly counsels clients on pre-dispute situation management, risk control, high-exposure transactions, compliance and board governance. He conducts internal investigations for clients and board committees and provides guidance on corporate compliance, governance structures and controls. His clients intersect financial, manufacturing and technology sectors.

“Paul Hastings offers a premier platform to continue representing clients in their most complex and high-stakes matters,” said Laguardia. “I’m excited to join a firm with such a strong commitment to excellence in securities litigation and to work alongside so many talented colleagues who share my dedication to achieving exceptional results for clients.”

Hein, a former federal prosecutor with a proven trial record, focuses on matters ranging from bet-the-company civil cases to highly sensitive white collar investigations, including securities, Lanham Act, antitrust, unfair competition, and other commercial disputes in federal and state courts in California and cross-border litigation for clients navigating multijurisdictional issues. He also represents companies and individuals before the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission and other regulators.

Before returning to private practice, Hein served for eight years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, including as deputy chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section and as a senior member of the DOJ’s FIFA Corruption Task Force.

“Clients facing highly consequential litigation matters need a firm with global reach, a deep bench and sophisticated regulatory proficiency,” said Hein. “Paul Hastings offers that platform, and I am thrilled to contribute my trial experience and government insight to help clients navigate their most critical regulatory and litigation challenges.”

About Paul Hastings
With widely recognized elite teams across 17 core practices, Paul Hastings is a premier law firm with a culture of excellence focused on providing intellectual capital and superior execution globally to the world’s leading investment banks, asset managers and corporations.