Hannah Ross, a BLB&G partner and member of the firm’s Executive Committee, has more than 25 years of experience as a civil and criminal litigator. In addition to prosecuting securities fraud, corporate governance, and other forms of shareholder litigation on behalf of BLB&G’s institutional investor clients, Ross dedicates a significant part of her practice to counseling the firm’s clients on potential claims in both U.S. and non-U.S. jurisdictions. She practices out of the firm’s New York office.
A former prosecutor in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Assistant District Attorney in the Middlesex County (Massachusetts) District Attorney’s Office, Ross is a fierce litigator who fights to maximize recoveries for investors injured by corporate fraud and malfeasance. She has been a leader and key member of trial teams that have recovered billions of dollars for BLB&G’s clients and other investors through shareholder litigation. Most recently, Ross was a leader of the BLB&G team that recovered more than $2 billion for 35 institutions that invested in the Allianz Structured Alpha Funds.
Lawdragon Honors
Among the many highlights of Ross’s career are several cases against some of the largest U.S. banking institutions, including several that collapsed in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis:
- In re Bank of America Securities Litigation: Prosecuting the securities fraud class action against Bank of America, which resulted in a landmark settlement shortly before trial of $2.425 billion—one of the largest securities recoveries ever obtained and by far the largest recovery achieved in a litigation arising from the 2008 financial crisis.
- In re Wells Fargo & Company Securities Litigation: Co-leading the team that prosecuted the securities class action against Wells Fargo, which resulted in a historic $1 billion recovery for investors—the top U.S. securities class action recovery in 2023.
- In re MF Global Holdings Limited Securities Litigation: Serving as a senior member of the trial team that prosecuted the litigation arising from the collapse of former leading brokerage MF Global, recovering $234.3 million for injured investors.
- In re Washington Mutual, Inc., Securities Litigation: Leading the prosecution against Washington Mutual and certain of its former officers and directors for alleged fraudulent conduct in the company’s home lending operations, an action which settled for $216.75 million—one of the largest recoveries in a case related to the subprime crisis and the largest recovery ever achieved in a securities class action in the Western District of Washington.
- In re Wilmington Trust Securities Litigation: Serving as lead partner in the securities class action arising from the failure of major mid-Atlantic bank Wilmington Trust, achieving a $210 million recovery.
Ross’s litigation experience also includes prosecuting the seminal securities fraud class action against Nortel Networks, in which the firm obtained a $1.07 billion recovery for investors—among the top 12 U.S. securities class action recoveries of all time. She also prosecuted the securities fraud class action against Freddie Mac, securing a $410 million recovery for investors—one of the top 50 U.S. securities class action recoveries ever.
Beyond her litigation responsibilities, Ross is a leader at BLB&G and in the public pension fund community at large. She serves as co-chair of the firm’s Forum for Institutional Investors and Women’s Forum. She also serves on the Corporate Leadership Committee of the New York Women’s Foundation and recently concluded a three-year term on the Council of Institutional Investors’ Markets Advisory Council. She is an active member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys and has also served as an adjunct faculty member in the trial advocacy program at the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University.
Ross is widely recognized by industry observers for her professional achievements, including on Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Lawyers in America,” “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers,” and “Legends” lists.
Ross received her J.D. from Penn State Dickinson School of Law, where she was a member of the Woolsack Honor Society, received the D. Arthur Magaziner Human Services Award, and served as Comments Editor for the Dickinson Law Review. She received her B.A., cum laude, from Cornell University.
