Lauren M. Wagner

Lauren Wagner is an experienced litigator with special focus on financial services-related litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and securities litigation. Lauren advises individuals, banks, and other financial services companies in litigation and compliance relating to bankruptcy, bank liability, and other regulatory compliance, and fraud. Lauren draws innovative and valuable litigation judgment and finance sophistication from her experiences working as a secondee in the US Litigation group at Morgan Stanley, and as a clerk in Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court. She’s also an active litigator on behalf of her pro bono clients, and member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Women’s Affinity Group.

• Representing private equity fund and former directors in fraudulent transfer and breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by litigation trustee for Tops Markets.
• Representing trust company in litigation over alleged breaches of financing documents and breach of trustee’s duties to pass through trust certificate holders.
• Representing syndicate of major banks defending against securities class action claims in state and federal court. 
• Representing pension plan trust in fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy court.
• Represented outside director in fraudulent transfer and fiduciary duty claims brought by Sears estate.  
• Defended financial-services entities in multiple actions alleging breaches of representations and warranties in the issuance and securitization of Residential Mortgage Backed Securities in New York state court.
• Represented funds in debtor-in-possession financing litigation in bankruptcy court.
• Represented major bank in fraud and conspiracy claims in Florida state court. 
• Represented major bank in ECOA regulatory compliance class action litigation in federal court.
• Represented major bank against fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy court. 

Pro Bono Experience

• First-chaired and won a two-day trial on behalf of pro bono client facing assault claims after she defended herself from an attack.
• Obtained US asylum for a woman refugee who escaped Afghanistan. 
• Represented clients seeking name-change petitions, including survivors of domestic abuse and transgender individuals. 
• Served as co-counsel with the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood in challenging the constitutionality of a Virginia statute that restricts women’s access to healthcare services.
• Assisted in representing abandoned child brought to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment in his application for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.