Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced today that Jonathan K. Youngwood has been appointed as co-head of the Firm’s global Litigation Practice, joining current co-head, Paul Curnin.
Jon succeeds Tom Rice, who has served as co-head with Paul Curnin since 2011. Tom, a prominent commercial trial lawyer, will continue his practice as a partner in the Firm, actively representing clients, and in his current role as a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Tom leads some of the Firm’s most important matters, including significant litigations related to LIBOR and RMBS securities cases.
Outgoing co-head Tom Rice commented, “Paul and I are pleased that Jon has agreed to assume this leadership position. Jon is a leading securities litigator at the top of his field, and we are looking forward to the continued success of our litigation practice under his and Paul’s direction.”
“Jon is a natural choice for the position,” said Paul Curnin. “His experience with a wide variety of significant cases and challenging legal issues is an invaluable asset to the Firm’s clients. Given Jon’s many talents and the excellent job done by Tom leading the practice, we expect this to be a seamless transition.”
“Our litigation department has a long record of achieving outstanding results on behalf of some of the world’s most sophisticated clients, and with Paul and Jon at the helm, the practice is well positioned for the future. On behalf of the Firm, I’d like to thank Tom for his many contributions and congratulate Jon on his new role,” said Bill Dougherty, Chairman of the Firm’s Executive Committee.
Jon currently leads the Firm’s Securities Litigation Practice, and for more than 20 years he has represented financial institutions, corporations, executives and boards of directors in a wide range of high-profile litigations, arbitrations and regulatory investigations. His practice focuses on matters involving securities, antitrust and ERISA law as well as M&A litigation. Jon is widely recognized as a leader in his field by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 and Euromoney's Benchmark Litigation. He is also the co-chair of one of PLI's annual programs on securities litigation and an editor of Simpson Thacher’s monthly Securities Law Alert.
Jon joined Simpson Thacher in 1995 following a one-year clerkship with Hon. Dennis G. Jacobs of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and became a partner in 2003. He is currently one of two administrative partners overseeing the day to day operations of the Firm and a member of its Executive Committee.
Jon received his B.A. with honors from Brown University in 1990. He received his J.D. in 1994 with honors from the University of Chicago, where he served as Comments Editor of The University of Chicago Law Review. He also holds a Master of Public Policy from The University of Chicago (1992).
Clients worldwide rely on Simpson Thacher’s Litigation Practice for their most formidable disputes. With litigators in New York, Washington, D.C., Palo Alto, Los Angeles, London and Hong Kong, the Firm offers clients a substantial bench of talent to resolve a wide array of issues. The Firm’s litigators counsel clients on high-stakes litigation, cross-border disputes, as well as government and internal investigations.