Lara A. Flath

Ms. Flath regularly assists clients in connection with complicated regulatory and internal investigations, including enforcement matters before the Department of Justice and other regulators. In recognition of her work, Ms. Flath has been honored as one of Crain’s New York Business’ Notable Women in Law, a Law360 Rising Star, one of Business Insider’s Rising Stars of the Courtroom, and repeatedly as a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation and one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America. 

Ms. Flath’s representative experience includes:

• winning a motion to dismiss federal and state securities claims brought against Coinbase Global, Coinbase, Inc. and Coinbase Global’s CEO, a victory recognized by The American Lawyer
• winning judgment on all claims brought against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill following an eight-day federal trial regarding the university’s use of race in undergraduate admissions, as well as representing the university through appeal to the Supreme Court
• winning dismissal with prejudice of claims brought against Barclays and over 40 current and former directors, officers and employees named as individual defendants in shareholder derivative litigation, a victory recognized by The American Lawyer
• securing the dismissal with prejudice of shareholder derivative litigation brought against over 25 current and former directors of Société Générale
• representing JPMorgan Chase in antitrust class actions and government investigations
• representing Barclays in antitrust class actions and state False Claims Act litigations alleging anticompetitive activity related to variable rate debt obligations
• defending Peco Foods in multiple antitrust class actions and opt-out litigation around the country in connection with alleged conspiracies, including among broiler chicken producers to reduce output, among poultry producers to fix and suppress wages of processing plant employees and among broiler chicken producers to fix and suppress compensation of contract broiler chicken growers
• defending UBS in a first-of-its-kind federal trial involving over $2 billion in claims relating to residential mortgage-backed securities
• assisting Fortune 500 companies and senior executives with sensitive internal and regulatory investigations
• representing the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools in criminal litigation brought by the Department of Justice

Ms. Flath is a member of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Advancing Diversity and contributed to its 2023 report that provided a blueprint for organizations to legally continue their DEI efforts following the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action in higher education. In addition to advising clients on DEI policies and programs following the Court’s decision, she regularly writes and speaks on these issues.

Ms. Flath maintains an active pro bono practice and has handled a variety of matters in this capacity, including a recent federal trial relating to constitutional issues and abortion access. She also serves on the national board of directors of Only Make Believe, a nonprofit organization that creates and performs interactive theater for children in hospitals, care facilities and special education programs.