Alisha Q. Nanda

Ms. Nanda is highly regarded for her experience in securities litigation, regulatory investigations, insurance and financial services disputes, and other complex commercial actions. Her work spans an array of industries — including aviation, insurance, health care, life sciences and financial services — reflecting the wide-ranging needs of her clients and her ability to prevail in their most challenging matters.

Ms. Nanda is frequently called upon to provide high-level counsel to company executives and boards, offering real-time analysis and guidance on litigation risk, disclosure matters and other issues that inform critical business decisions, allowing clients to proactively manage potential challenges. Whether advising during a crisis or other matter, Ms. Nanda aligns legal strategy with business objectives to help clients navigate the challenging legal and regulatory landscapes.

In recognition of her work, Ms. Nanda has been honored as a BTI Client Service All-Star and ranked in Chambers USA, in which clients have described her as “client-focused and extraordinarily knowledgeable, not just about the law but also in navigating difficult situations.” She has also been named one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Litigators in America and one of Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s Top Women in Law. She previously served on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission, where she advised the governor on candidates for judicial office.

Ms. Nanda’s experience includes representing:

Life Sciences, Health Care and Technology

• a pharmaceutical company in securing the dismissal of a putative securities class action following the FDA’s disclosure of safety events concerning an approved drug, which was subsequently affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• a health care technology company and certain of its officers and directors in a securities class action concerning disclosures in connection with its IPO; a related derivative suit was dismissed
• a pharmaceutical company in securing the dismissal of a putative securities class action concerning cash projections and the board’s evaluation of strategic alternatives
• a medical device company in securing the favorable resolution of a putative securities class action and related shareholder derivative lawsuits concerning a voluntary recall
• a robotics company in securing the dismissal of a putative securities class action concerning the impact of tariffs and competition
• underwriting syndicates in putative securities class actions concerning disclosures in connection with IPOs and secondary offerings of companies in the technology sector
• public companies in successfully resolving SEC and U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations in the pharmaceutical, medical device and technology sectors

Aviation

• an association of major airline carriers in prevailing on federal preemption claims after a two-week federal court trial, which resulted in Massachusetts being enjoined from enforcing certain laws and regulations against the airline industry
• an association of major airline carriers in leading federal court challenges to leave laws in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and the city of Chicago, arguing that those state and local mandates are preempted under federal law
• major U.S. airlines and three associations of airline carriers in successfully challenging, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, a Department of Transportation rule dictating how airlines communicated with customers about ancillary fees; the victory followed earlier success in obtaining a stay of the rule pending appeal
• major airlines, as well as other aviation-related companies, in evaluating a variety of potential claims and defenses, and in formulating strategies in advance of litigation or in efforts to resolve a dispute

Financial Services

• companies in various regulatory investigations concerning, for example, purported trading improprieties, financial metrics, accounting issues, suspicious activity reporting under the Bank Secrecy Act and other compliance matters
• an investment bank in a class action involving antitrust claims concerning leveraged buyout transactions, which resulted in the dismissal of all claims on summary judgment
• an investment adviser in a lawsuit involving allegations of improper “market timing” trading in mutual funds, which resulted in the dismissal of all claims on summary judgment and subsequently was affirmed by a Texas state court of appeals

Insurance

• a mutual life insurance company in a class action challenging the company’s calculation of the amount of surplus it may retain under state law
• an insurance company in a purported class action challenging a proxy regarding bylaw amendments, which resulted in the dismissal of all claims and subsequently was affirmed by the Appeals Court of Massachusetts
• an insurance company in dismissing a purported class action alleging that the company breached its contractual duties to variable annuity and variable life insurance policyholders by implementing a volatility management strategy in certain portfolios
• an insurance company in an appeal before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals involving a reinsurance policy and the legal doctrine of “follow-the-fortunes,” which resulted in a complete victory for the client