Zujkowski and Schaeffer Named Among Law360’s 2019 “Rising Stars”

October 09, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New York—October 9, 2019—O’Melveny partner Joe Zujkowski and counsel Scott Schaeffer were named to Law360’s 2019 list of “Rising Stars,” which recognizes attorneys under 40 “whose legal accomplishments transcend their age.”

Law360 noted that Zujkowski’s work on major bankruptcy matters such as Remington’s Chapter 11 proceedings and Puerto Rico’s landmark restructuring effort earned him a spot on the list. He has worked on the latter case for the past two-and-a-half years, helping the US territory restructure over US$22.5 billion in debt. 

“The number of creditors and different stakeholders, the amount of debt involved, and the issues the island is facing in the wake of two category 5 hurricanes—all that combined makes it an unbelievably complicated and challenging opportunity,” Zujkowski told Law360.

In addition to his bankruptcy work, Zujkowski maintains an active pro bono practice. 

“I spend a significant amount of time trying to advance the firm’s efforts with wonderful organization called Kids in Need of Legal Defense, which provides legal aid to immigrant children,” he said. “I have three active matters right now in different stages of the process of trying to secure special immigrant juvenile status for pro bono clients.”

In its profile of Schaeffer, a member of the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice, Law360 cited his work guiding “clients to important wins in cases involving allegations of anti-competitive conduct, including … in a Federal Trade Commission enforcement action, while also working on a range of other issues in the US and abroad.”

“Every antitrust case has the ability to take you in a new direction,” requiring intimate knowledge of different industries, products, and competitive conditions, as well as dexterity with state, federal, and foreign law, Schaeffer said. “It was that combination of factors, in addition to the stellar, world-class colleagues, that really drew me in.”

Law360 noted in particular Schaeffer’s successful defense of Impax Laboratories against a Federal Trade Commission enforcement action, which was the first “reverse payment” case to be tried by the government after the Supreme Court’s landmark Actavis ruling established a framework for evaluating settlements between branded and generic drug companies.

“I love the ability to grapple with an old question by looking at unique and complex new facts for the current setting,” he said. “It was a great experience all around. It's really informed not only the way I approach litigation, but also just strategic counseling more generally.”

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Contact:

Christopher Rieck
O’Melveny & Myers LLP
+1 212 326 2218
crieck@omm.com