HEIDI GOLDSMITH
Senior Associate
Direct Tel: +1 332 296 8307
Email: hgoldsmith@brithem.com
Heidi Goldsmith brings an engineer’s precision and a litigator’s tenacity to complex disputes across industries.
She maintains a broad commercial litigation practice, with particular depth in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, M&A litigation, and internal and regulatory investigations.
Heidi’s impact is felt both in courtrooms and in the community. Her pro bono practice includes a trial victory in a contested asylum case for an LGBTIQ+ asylee from Honduras, and she has long served as co-chair of the New York City Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition Committee, where she oversees one of the nation’s oldest and prestigious appellate advocacy competitions.
Before joining Brithem, Heidi practiced at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, where she worked on high-stakes litigation shaping the future of major corporations. She earned her J.D., summa cum laude, from New York Law School, graduating first in her class, serving as executive notes and comments editor for the Law Review, and interning for the Honorable Jesse M. Furman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Heidi’s legal career follows a remarkable 31-year tenure as an aerospace structural design engineer for the Department of the Navy, where she designed helicopters and tiltrotors for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force. She served as the Navy’s authority for structural design, testing, and airworthiness certification across seven manned and unmanned aircraft platforms, acted as an FAA Designated Engineering Representative, and served as a team lead for an FAA advisory and rule-making committee to develop modernized crash safety-related structural design criteria. She has substantial experience performing aircraft crash accident investigations and crash recreation analysis for government authorities and has served as an expert witness in that capacity. For her groundbreaking work in crashworthy seat design and certification, Heidi received the Secretary of the Navy’s Dr. Delores M. Etter Top Scientists and Engineers of the Year Award.
Credentials
New York Law School, J.D., summa cum laude
– New York Law School Trustee’s Prize
– Order of the Barristers
– Dean’s Leadership Council
– Chair, Moot Court Association
– Dr. Max Reich Award for Excellence in Civil Trial Advocacy
– Louis Susman Award for Excellence in the Study of the Law of Evidence
– Otto Walter Distinguished Writing Award
– Outstanding Editorial Contribution to the New York Law School Law Review
George Washington University, M.S.
Jewish Theological Seminary, M.A.
Rutgers College of Engineering, B.S.
New York Bar, Admitted
Impact Matters
Litigated the future of a social media giant
Represented Morgan Stanley in Delaware Chancery in connection with Twitter’s expedited lawsuit to compel Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter (now X).
Advanced transparency on gun control-related issues
For The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Heidi led the team that secured a summary judgment victory in a FOIA action that will advance transparency of the firearm purchase background check process through disclosure of federal firearm purchase background check procedures.
Managed the fallout from an $11 billion merger
Defended Churchill Capital Corp III and its directors in fiduciary duty litigation tied to Churchill’s $11 billion merger with MultiPlan.
Defended a $20 billion deal through litigation
Represented Gores Guggenheim, its directors, and affiliates in fiduciary litigation in the Delaware Court of Chancery relating to its $20 billion merger with Polestar.
Protected a global brand in merger-related litigation
Represented Walgreens and senior executives in securities fraud and opt-out litigation tied to statements about a proposed multibillion-dollar merger.
Defended against industry-wide scrutiny
Represented Pilgrim’s Pride in securities class and derivative actions tied to allegations of price-fixing across the poultry industry.
Representative Matters
Heidi has also represented:
- Telos Corp. in a securities fraud class action relating to statements the company made concerning the award of certain government contracts in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
- Getty Images Holdings, Inc. in connection with breach of contract and securities law claims by warrant holders arising out of a de-SPAC transaction in the Southern District of New York.
- Brookfield Asset Management and certain of its affiliates in a consolidated stockholder derivative and class action in the Delaware Court of Chancery arising out of a private placement by TerraForm Power, Inc. and a merger with TerraForm Power, Inc.
- AMC Entertainment in a high-stakes complex corporate dispute in New York Supreme Court.