Ian Shapiro

Ian is vice chair of Cooley’s global litigation department and serves as partner in charge of the firm’s New York office. He represents individuals and companies in complex, hard-fought commercial disputes in state and federal courts throughout the US, and in arbitrations, in nearly every type of case. He is ranked for commercial litigation by Chambers, which describes him as a “talented commercial litigator across a range of civil disputes” who “particularly excels in representation of technology sector clients.”  Chambers also describes him as “curious, nimble-minded, and [with] an exceptionally congenial manner, which masks a fierce, detail-oriented approach to his craft.”

Ian’s representations include:

Complex commercial litigation and consumer class actions

• Ian has represented many clients in complex commercial disputes arising out of contracts with their commercial counterparties, investors and former executives, including affirmative claims for fraud. He also has represented technology companies in defense of consumer class actions. 

Shareholder and M&A disputes

• Ian has represented clients in defense of securities class actions and shareholder derivative suits. He also has represented acquirers in cases alleging fraud and breach of purchase agreement representations and warranties.

Trade secret and employment litigation

• Ian has represented clients as plaintiff and defendant in cases alleging trade secret misappropriation, including twice at trial. He also has represented employers enforcing their restrictive covenants and in defense of claims by former employees alleging breach of their employment agreements.

Bankruptcy litigation

• Ian has represented multiple unsecured creditors’ committees in 2004 investigations and adversary proceedings arising from 2004 investigations. His investigations have uncovered fraud by insiders and resulted in the development of claims seeking hundreds of millions of dollars and substantial recoveries. He also led one of the trial teams that sought to dismiss the Johnson & Johnson bankruptcy as a Chapter 11 case filed in bad faith, a position ultimately adopted by the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In addition, he has defended multiple clients against fraudulent conveyance claims brought by debtors’ liquidating trustees. 

Trademark, copyright and advertising

• Ian has defended multiple clients against Lanham Act claims, including claims for unfair competition and false advertising. 

Government and internal investigations

• Ian has represented companies and individuals in investigations by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission and Office of the New York State Attorney General.

Ian also is a current member of the Commercial Division Advisory Council, which advises the chief judge of the New York State Supreme Court’s Commercial Division. He also serves on the board of directors for The Legal Aid Society, and he is a director for the Everytown Support Fund – the education, research and litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the US.  

Before law school, Ian spent several years in New York City government, in the mayor’s office and city council, and served as chief of staff for one of the city’s municipal agencies. He also was one of Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s appointees to the Panel for Educational Policy, the successor to the New York City Board of Education.