Steve Farina is a leading first-chair lawyer with diverse experience in complex trial and appellate litigation, securities class actions, investigations and enforcement matters, and professional liability defense. He is the Co-Chair of Williams & Connolly’s Accountant Liability, Securities Litigation, and Securities Enforcement practice groups.
Steve has represented national and international accounting firms, including three “Big Four” firms, in an array of civil litigation matters and SEC and PCAOB investigations and enforcement proceedings. He also has successfully defended issuers, underwriters, and individuals in securities litigation in courts throughout the United States.
Representative Experience
Though all cases vary and none is predictive, Steve’s experience includes:
- Represented a Big Four accounting firm in an arbitration arising out of one of the largest corporate frauds in history, winning a directed verdict following 100 days of testimony.
- Represented a Big Four accounting firm in an arbitration arising out of the failure of one of the largest title insurance companies in the U.S., prevailing on all claims following a three-week trial.
- Represented a national accounting firm in multiple lawsuits in state and federal courts arising out of the Thomas Petters multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme, prevailing on motions to dismiss or summary judgment in four separate suits.
- Represented national, Big Four, and international accounting firms in more than a half dozen PCAOB investigations and enforcement actions.
- Represented CVS Health in securities class actions in federal and state courts related to goodwill impairment, winning dismissal of the federal action on a motion to dismiss and the state action on an interlocutory appeal.
- Represented Intel in a securities class action related to security vulnerabilities in its microprossessors, prevailing on a motion to dismiss.
- Represented a multinational property and casualty insurance company in a securities class action related to its restated financial statements, prevailing on a motion to dismiss.
- Represented underwriters in a securities class action arising out of stock offerings by a residential mortgage lender, prevailing on a motion to dismiss.
- Represented Pfizer in a securities class action related to its resolution of government investigations into the promotion of certain prescription drugs.
- Represented Medtronic in a securities class action related to the reporting of clinical trial data.
- Represented one of the largest global banking and financial service companies in a securities class action related to its consumer finance business.