Stephen Neuwirth, who was one of the leading antitrust attorneys in the United States, was chair of Quinn Emanuel’s worldwide Antitrust and Competition Law practice. He was recognized by Law360 in 2017 as one of just five antitrust "MVPs" nationwide, by Corporate LiveWire in 2018 as U.S. Antitrust and Competition Lawyer of the Year, by the National Law Journal in 2015 as an Antitrust “Trailblazer,” and by Law360 in 2014 as a “Titan of the Plaintiffs’ Bar.” Mr. Neuwirth was one of just two attorneys in the United States ranked by Legal 500 in Tier 1 for both defense-side and plaintiffs-side antitrust litigation. Chambers USA described Mr. Neuwirth as “renowned for his deep understanding of corporate transactions and antitrust matters” and “recognized as a ’leading light’ for his plaintiffs’ work.” Mr. Neuwirth also was ranked a Non-IP Litigation Star by LMG Life Sciences 2017. He had been recognized for his work in Antitrust litigation by The Best Lawyers in America from 2013 to 2021 and included in the 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers Guide for his work in Antitrust litigation.
In 2014-2015 alone, Mr. Neuwirth achieved over $800 million in recoveries when representing plaintiffs. But Mr. Neuwirth was also one of the rare attorneys with a blue chip practice on both sides of the “v.”, also representing defendants in some of the most important litigation in the nation. In recent years, for example, Mr. Neuwirth had on three occasions achieved voluntary dismissal of class action antitrust claims against Quinn Emanuel clients – in each instance without the clients having to make any monetary payment. In addition, Mr. Neuwirth was active in sports law matters, including recent representations of the Washington Nationals Baseball Club in litigation against the Baltimore Orioles concerning fees for television broadcast of Nationals games, and of Madison Square Garden and the New York Rangers in defense of federal antitrust claims alleging that the National Hockey League and other parties colluded to fix prices for television and internet broadcast of NHL games. Mr. Neuwirth also handled major matters for Mexican companies with U.S. claims, including representation of Grupo Televisa, the world’s largest Spanish-language media company, in U.S. litigation successfully enjoining JP Morgan’s effort to transfer, to a bank controlled by Televisa competitor Carlos Slim, most of a $300 million dollar loan that JP Morgan had made to Televisa’s cable television business. Mr. Neuwirth represented FEMSA in obtaining a federal court injunction, upheld by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, blocking a $300 million plan by the Dutch beer manufacturer then known as Interbrew to integrate its Beck's beer brand into a U.S. beer distribution joint venture in which FEMSA held the minority ownership interest.
Mr. Neuwirth brought to bear almost three decades of experience in private practice and government, including serving as Associate White House Counsel to President Clinton from 1993-1996. In 1998, the U.S. Department of Justice retained Mr. Neuwirth to assist in the Antitrust Division’s litigation against Microsoft Corporation.
- Barnes & Noble, Inc.
- FEMSA
- Grupo Televisa
- Harley Davidson, Inc.
- The Home Depot
- Honeywell International, Inc.
- IBM Corporation
- JBS USA
- Madison Square Garden
- Olin Corporation
- Unisys Corporation
- Washington Nationals Baseball Club
- As lead counsel for Mexico's Grupo Televisa, the world's largest Spanish-language media company, won federal preliminary injunction blocking JPMorgan from transferring to a Televisa competitor a $200 million interest in a loan JPMorgan had made to Televisa's cable television business.
- Co-lead counsel for Barnes & Noble, Inc., in defense of state and federal derivative actions concerning the company’s stock option practices, and related matters.
- Lead counsel for Mexico’s Grupo Televisa in its successful Eleventh Circuit appeal of a district court ruling that had dismissed Televisa’s tortious interference with contract claims against rival Telemundo Communications, Inc.; a unanimous panel of the Eleventh Circuit ruled that Televisa could pursue both damages and punitive damages under Florida law.
- Lead counsel for IBM in its successful defense of class action antitrust claims.
- Lead trial and appellate counsel for FEMSA, which obtained a preliminary injunction, upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, blocking a proposed $300 million transaction by the U.S. joint venture partner of FEMSA’s U.S. subsidiary.
- As court-appoint co-lead counsel for plaintiffs, won certification of a nationwide class of direct purchasers of flexible polyurethane foam (used in furniture, bedding and carpet underlay, among other things), in federal multidistrict litigation alleged that the major polyurethane foam manufacturers conspired to fix prices.
- For Honeywell International, won dismissal of all claims by a disgruntled former distributor that sued in federal court.
- Secured voluntary dismissal of all claims against client Rabobank in the federal multidistrict litigation alleging a bid-rigging conspiracy in the market for municipal derivatives.
- Yale Law School
(J.D., 1987) - Yale College
(B.S., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1984)
- The State Bar of New York
- Supreme Court of the United States
- United States Court of Appeals:
- District of Columbia Circuit
- Second Circuit
- Third Circuit
- Fourth Circuit
- Sixth Circuit
- Ninth Circuit
- Tenth Circuit
- Eleventh Circuit
- United States District Court:
- Southern District of New York
- Eastern District of New York
- Boies, Schiller & Flexner:
- Partner, 1996-2005
- Partner, 1996-2005
- Associate White House Counsel to the President of the United States
- 1993-1996
- 1993-1996
- Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz:
- Associate, 1988-1993
- Associate, 1988-1993
- Law Clerk to the Hon. Peter K. Leisure:
- United States District Judge, Southern District of New York, 1987-1988
- Ranked by Chambers USA in Antitrust: Plaintiff 2016-2022
- Ranked by Chambers New York in Antitrust: Mainly Plaintiff 2021 and 2022
- Selected to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers guide, 2020, 2021, and 2022
- Ranked in Competition by Who’s Who Legal 2018-2021
- Selected to the New York Metro Super Lawyers list 2015-2021
- The Best Lawyers in America for Antitrust Law 2013-2023
- Selected as a Super Lawyer in Business Litigation and Antitrust Litigation 2020
- Ranked by Legal 500 USA in Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Defense and Civil Litigation/Class Actions: Plaintiff 2015-2021
- Listed as elite “Leading Lawyers”, 2018 and 2017
- Ranked by Legal 500 USA in Dispute resolution – Appellate, 2018
- Listed as Antitrust Lawyer of the Year by Corporate Live Wire, 2018
- Listed as a Law360’s MVP, 2017
- Ranked by LMG Life Sciences in non-IP Litigation, 2017
- Named Antitrust & Competition Lawyer of the Year – USA in the 2016 Legal Awards by Corporate Livewire
- Named in Trailblazers Mergers & Acquisitions and Antitrust by The National Law Journal, 2015
- Listed by U.S News’ Best Lawyers for Antitrust Law 2015
- Named one of Law 360’s Titan of the Plaintiffs Bar, 2014