Nick Gravante is co-chair of Cadwalader’s Global Litigation Group and head of the firm’s Commercial Litigation practice. He has been honored for decades as one of the country’s top litigators, with extensive trial and appellate experience in criminal, complex commercial, securities and antitrust cases. Prior to joining Cadwalader, Gravante served as Co-Managing Partner of Boies Schiller Flexner.
Gravante is renowned for his work on high-profile cases and for his behind-the-scenes advocacy to successfully resolve sensitive, confidential matters that are of utmost importance to his clients. He has negotiated dozens of non-prosecution agreements for individuals, corporate officers, private companies and publicly traded companies. Gravante’s work on behalf of clients with governmental agencies at the federal and state level has resulted in the exoneration of high profile individuals, non-profit entities, Fortune 500 companies and a major national university.
Throughout his 40 year career, Gravante has represented numerous clients in high-stakes litigation, including: Texaco in its historic litigation against Pennzoil; Tyco during its management crisis; groups of bondholders during Argentina’s debt crisis; a dozen Lloyd’s syndicates in Hurricane Katrina related litigation; and Maurice “Hank” Greenberg, former AIG chair, in various matters for over a decade. Gravante’s forte is helping clients on their most sensitive matters including companies like Authentic Brands Group, Carnival Corporation, The Related Companies, Calvin Klein, Sigma Lithium, Rumble, SBC Corp.,and Bolt. Gravante also represented the FDIC and RTC during the savings and loan crisis.
Gravante is a leader in the bar and in New York’s philanthropic community. He was appointed to the Continuing Legal Education Board by former New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, to the Second Department Judicial Screening Committee by former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and to the Departmental Disciplinary Committee for the First Department by former Presiding Justice Luis Gonzalez. Gravante has served as board chair for four non-profits: Poly Prep Country Day School, Brooklyn Public Library, Community Service Society of New York, and Lords Valley Country Club. He is also Central Park Conservancy trustee and the Secretary of the Bay Colony Community Association in Naples, Florida.
Gravante received his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and his B.S., magna cum laude, from Duke University. At Duke, Gravante served as president of his fraternity and as legendary coach Mike Kryseweski’s first student manager.
Lawdragon Honors
Gravante’s notable trial victories include:
- Winning a $663 million jury verdict against a manufacturer of highway guardrails—the largest verdict ever returned in a whistleblower action without intervention and assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice;
- Winning an acquittal for three leading New York City real estate companies indicted for securities fraud under New York’s Martin Act;
- Winning a jury verdict vindicating foreign exchange traders at Banque Indosuez, who were accused of executing hundreds of millions of dollars of unauthorized trades;
- Winning a lengthy trial for the co-founder of AriZona Iced Tea, related to the valuation of the Company;
- Winning a jury verdict in Los Angeles federal court for a nationally-known mystery writer in a Lanham Act action against a major publishing house;
- Winning the acquittal of a defendant charged with arson in New York Supreme Court in a groundbreaking “false confession” case;
- Achieving a hung jury while defending an anesthesiologist in a high profile insurance fraud case in New York federal court; and
- Successfully defending Starr International Company in its victory at trial over American International Group (AIG) in a dispute over the ownership of billions of dollars of AIG stock.
Gravante’s notable victories achieved in pre-trial litigation include:
- Winning the outright dismissal of a well-publicized civil action against Hunter and James Biden, then-Vice President Joseph Biden’s son and brother; and
- Negotiating favorable plea agreements for, among others, former Trump CFO Allen Weisselberg against tax charges; the former owner of a National Hockey League team charged with mail and wire fraud; and a New York Stock Exchange floor trader charged with multiple securities violations.
