Nexus Sea is a versatile litigator and trial lawyer who advises and defends a wide spectrum of Fortune 500 companies, including clients in the financial services, pharmaceutical, energy, and tech industries. Companies call on Nexus for his responsive service and goal-focused guidance, trusting him to devise creative solutions, build the right teams, and craft winning strategies that advance their business goals.
Nexus represents some of the world’s best-known companies in a variety of areas, including multimillion-dollar commercial disputes and class actions, product-liability and mass-tort litigation, and internal investigations. He recently defended a leading medical device manufacturer in a high-profile state attorney general consumer protection action. He also played a prominent role on the court-appointed counsel team to the Securities Investor Protection Act Trustee for the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, and represented various foreign claimants in connection with allegations of corruption and money laundering in the largest civil forfeiture action brought under the Department of Justice’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative.
A veteran of product-liability and mass-tort litigation, Nexus served as a member of the lead national team that defended an international consumer products company against numerous state court consumer product cases involving talcum powder. He also played a key role in defending a Fortune 500 bank and premises owner in hundreds of toxic tort personal injury suits arising from the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Bringing his background in mathematical sciences to bear on the intersection of law and cutting-edge technology, Nexus is currently advising clients on Artificial Intelligence-based risk, including pre-litigation counseling related to the implementation of large language models. Nexus’s pioneering work in this space helps companies prepare for and navigate a looming challenge: the impact of AI on existing legal regimes, including product-liability law.
The Metropolitan Black Bar Association honored Nexus with its prestigious “Private Practitioner of the Year Award” in 2023. He is also a recipient of the National Bar Association’s 2017 “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates Award,” and has been routinely recognized by Super Lawyers as a “New York Metro Rising Star.” As a founding member of “1844,” an association of African American male attorneys that focuses on promoting collaboration, business development, and mentorship, Nexus mentors various law students and young lawyers on how to build community and find success in private practice.
- Successfully defended one of Africa’s most prominent business leaders in a trade-secret matter that could have resulted in damages of more than US$1 billion.
- Led the successful defense of a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical multinational against failure-to-warn and product-defect claims concerning its top-selling over-the-counter drug.
- Successfully defended a Fortune 500 bank and a premises owner in more than 340 toxic tort personal injury suits arising from the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
- Secured a summary judgment victory for a Fortune 500 pharmaceutical multinational in a wrongful death suit over its antiplatelet aggregation medication.
- Served as a member of the court-appointed counsel team to the Securities Investor Protection Act Trustee in connection with a significant Madoff feeder fund.
- Conducted an internal investigation for a fund-of-funds, relating to alleged “cross-trades,” helping to prepare a report on the legal implications of the trades and their impact on business.
- Achieved a favorable settlement for a Fortune 500 bank against corporate raiders, who had sought to unlawfully poach its wealth management department.
- Defended various claimants in connection with the largest kleptocracy forfeiture action brought by the US government over funds allegedly stolen by a West African dictator.
- Led a defense discovery team in national False Claims Act litigation over defective PVC pipe, including creating the e-discovery plan, interviewing potential fact witnesses, and responding to interrogatories and document requests.
- Defended several asbestos-related product liability cases in New Jersey.
- Defended a Fortune 500 food and beverage company in a breach-of-contract action involving a multimillion-dollar procurement agreement.
- Successfully handled complex commercial litigation over the wrongful termination of a television distribution agreement.
- Advised global social media company on Artificial Intelligence-based risk mitigation relating to the implementation of large language models.
- Advised global pharmaceutical on AI-based risk and best practices to avoid biased outcomes in the use of AI-based tools.
- Advised auto manufacturers on risk mitigation relating to autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles.
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- New York
- New Jersey
Court Admissions
- US District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
- US District Court, District of New Jersey
Education
- Rutgers University School of Law, J.D., 2007
- New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), B.S., 2004
Honors & Awards
- Recognized by Best Lawyers® for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants in New York (2024)
- Honored as the “Private Practitioner of the Year” by the Metropolitan Black Bar Association (2023)
- Named a “New York Metro Rising Star” by Super Lawyers (2015 to 2021)
- The National Bar Association’s “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates Award” (2017)
Professional Activities
Member
- AIPAC’s (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) Progressive Outreach Initiative
- Metropolitan Black Bar Association
- President, Nigerian Lawyers Association (2014 to 2016)
- Network of Bar Leaders Executive Council & Vice President (2015 to 2016)
- Board Member, Pipeline to Practice
- Board Member, The Lower Eastside Girls Club of New York
Editor
- Editor-in-Chief, Rutgers Race and The Law Review
Speaker
- “Get Smart About Artificial Intelligence: We Help You Understand AI, its Opportunities, and its Legal Challenges,” O’Melveny Webinar (January 2024)
- “New Frontiers of AI: Business Opportunities and Legal Risks,” Institute for Corporate Counsel (December 2023)
- “Mitigating the Risks and Leveraging the Benefits of AI,” NJSBA’s In-House Counsel Committee Meeting (September 2023)
Publications
- “President Biden Issues Sweeping Executive Order on Artificial Intelligence,” O’Melveny Client Alert (November 2023)
- “US AI Regulatory Policy Update: White House Secures More Voluntary Commitments; Congress Holds Hearings and Continues to Mull Legislative Framework; Agencies Provide Guidance on Competition, Financial Markets, and Intellectual Property Issues,” O’Melveny Client Alert (August 2023)
- “US Government’s AI Policy Coming into Focus in Series of Recent Announcements,” O’Melveny Client Alert (May 2023)