A partner in the Litigation Department, Nina Kovalenko focuses her practice on complex civil litigation and trial practice across a range of substantive areas, including matters involving antitrust allegations, M&A and deal-related disputes, commercial disputes, bankruptcy litigation and ERISA and fiduciary duty litigation. Kovalenko has represented multinational corporations, major financial institutions, private equity funds and individual executives in federal and state courts across the country, as well as in appeals and arbitration matters.
Kovalenko maintains a multifaceted practice with a particular emphasis on handling procedurally complex litigations, including multidistrict litigations and other matters spanning multiple federal and state courts. She also has experience representing clients in high-stakes commercial disputes, antitrust and securities class actions and state attorneys general actions. Kovalenko’s clients have spanned the technology, private equity, financial services, telecommunications, real estate and pharmaceuticals industries.
Lawdragon Honors
| Honor | Year | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| The 2026 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation | 2026 | Commercial Litigation |
| The 2025 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation | 2025 | Commercial Litigation |
| The 2024 Lawdragon 500 X – The Next Generation | 2024 | Commercial Litigation |
Kovalenko’s significant representations include:
- DST Systems, a subsidiary of leading financial services software provider SS&C Technologies, in the global settlement of highly complex ERISA matters nationally, involving a mandatory class action, a government enforcement action by the Department of Labor and hundreds of individual actions, both in federal court and in over 500 arbitrations, brought by current and former DST employees alleging breaches of fiduciary duty and other ERISA violations related to the management of DST’s 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan.
- Mastercard Incorporated in complex multidistrict litigation involving millions of U.S. merchants and multiple actions challenging the “interchange” fees associated with payment card transactions, as well as certain network rules governing merchants’ acceptance of payment cards.
- Oak Hill Capital Partners and individual directors of Oversee.net at trial in the Delaware Court of Chancery over Oak Hill’s redemption of preferred equity, resulting in dismissal of all claims. The court found that defendants proved at trial that their conduct was entirely fair under Delaware’s most exacting standard of review—an exceedingly rare outcome.
- Sharp Corporation, Sharp Electronics Corporation and its affiliates as opt-out plaintiffs in securing favorable resolutions with various defendants related to antitrust litigation alleging a wide ranging price-fixing scheme among manufacturers of cathode ray tubes.
Kovalenko maintains an active pro bono practice, focusing on immigration and civil rights matters. She has represented individuals seeking asylum, citizenship, permanent resident status, temporary protected status and protections due to unaccompanied immigrant children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kovalenko represented several medically vulnerable petitioners seeking immediate release from immigration detention facilities. Kovalenko has also represented defendants in criminal actions and plaintiffs in Section 1983 excessive force cases through trial and appeal.