Mintz has hired a team of five litigation partners in New York from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft, in a move the firm characterised as a major expansion of its complex litigation capabilities.
The group is led by Philip Iovieno and includes Nicholas Gravante, who co-led the litigation practice at Cadwalader until they resigned earlier this month to avoid conflicts of interest with clients of the firm’s planned merger partner, Hogan Lovells, according to Bloomberg Law. At Mintz, Iovieno will serve as co-chair of the antitrust practice.
Joining them for the move are Sean O’Shea, Michael Petrella and Matthew Karlan. The group brings extensive experience in complex disputes, M&A and governance litigation, securities and civil RICO matters and white‑collar issues, as well as investigations and financial‑sector litigation involving banks.
“This group is widely recognised as one of the most formidable litigation teams in New York,” said Seth Goldman, chair of Mintz’s antitrust, employment and litigation division. “Their addition enhances our ability to meet growing demand for sophisticated antitrust and financial litigation work, and they will strengthen our capabilities in New York and across the US.”
Iovieno and Gravante joined Cadwalader in 2020 from Boies Schiller Flexner, where Gravante had served as co-managing partner.
Iovieno, who was also co-head of Cadwalader’s antitrust litigation group, has acted for clients including Kraft Heinz, McDonald’s and DuPont. Meanwhile Gravante, who led Cadwalader’s commercial litigation practice, is known for work including representing former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg against tax fraud charges.
He also won the outright dismissal of a well-publicised civil action against Hunter and James Biden, then-vice president Joe Biden’s son and brother, brought by a former business partner alleging the two perpetrated complex financial fraud.
O’Shea and Petrella also joined Cadwalader from Boies Schiller, in 2019; the firm said at the time they would strengthen its trial representation of financial institutions as well as corporate and funds clients. O’Shea was chair of the firm’s trial practice group.
Finally Karlan had been with Cadwalader since 2018, having previously practised at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. He made partner in 2023.
Cadwalader and Hogan Lovells announced their plan to merge last December, in a tie-up that is set to create a 3,100-lawyer firm with revenue in the region of $3.6bn.
The news ended months of speculation about the future direction of Cadwalader, much the smaller of the two parties, following a string of high-profile departures in 2025 including the defection to Orrick in October of a 37-lawyer CLO and asset-backed lending team across the US and London.
Hogan Lovells’ CEO, Miguel Zaldivar, highlighted Cadwalader’s “top of the market” finance capabilities when announcing the combination, with the exit of Iovieno and his team underscoring Cadwalader’s shift from litigation toward finance work because of the merger.
Two more of Cadwalader’s top disputes lawyers also left the firm last month. Danielle Tully, who had co-chaired the firm’s global litigation and IP practice, joined Orrick, while Jonathan Watkins, former chair of its corporate and financial services litigation team, moved to Proskauer Rose.
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