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Lauren Tabaksblat

Founding Partner

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Direct Tel: +1 646 653 9371
Mobile: +1 201 755 7888

Email: ltabaksblat@brithem.com

“Tabaksblat is an exceptional lawyer and a brilliant strategist and advocate, she commands the courtroom when she argues.”

Client, Chambers USA

A founder of Brithem and nationally recognized litigator, Lauren Tabaksblat guides clients through all stages of litigation from pre-litigation investigations through trial and appeal, often in bet-the-company cases.

She regularly represents publicly traded companies, private corporations, and high-net-worth individuals in state and federal courts and arbitrations throughout the country on both the plaintiff and defense side. Clients describe her as a “real trial lawyer” and “brilliant strategist and advocate” who “commands the courtroom.” She is known for devising creative and aggressive solutions to the most complex problems. She has successfully deployed these strategies in virtually every type of commercial dispute, including extensive experience litigating partnership, contract, real estate, RICO, securities, trafficking, professional malpractice, tax, and insurance disputes.

Many of her matters have garnered widespread media attention, including the Fleites v. MindGeek case in which she represents more than 200 victims of sexual abuse in a groundbreaking action against the world’s dominant provider of online pornography and Visa. Outlets including The New York Times, CBS, CNN, and Bloomberg News covered the case. Lauren was quoted in The New Yorker and appeared on Fox Business News to discuss a landmark decision she helped to secure.

She has been recognized by Chambers USA in the Commercial Litigation category and included in Legal 500’s New York Elite category. She was named a “General Litigation Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal, a “Leading Litigator in America” by Lawdragon, a “Leading Lady in Real Estate” by Real Estate Weekly, a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation, and a “Woman Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Credentials

New York University School of Law, J.D.
Barnard College, Columbia University, B.A., cum laude
Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, Litigation Partner
Brown Rudnick, Partner & Co-Chair of Litigation & Dispute Resolution Practice and Member of the Management Committee
New York and New Jersey Bars, Admitted

Select Recognition

Chambers USA, General Commercial Litigation (2023-25)
Lawdragon, 500 Leading Litigators In America (2025)
Legal 500 US, New York City Elite (2025)
The National Law Journal, Litigation Trailblazer (2023)
Law360 Trials Group of the Year, Member (2018, 2023)
Benchmark Litigation, Litigation Star, 40 & Under Hot List (2020-24)
Euromoney LMG, Women in Business Law, Litigation Rising Star, Attorney of the Year (2020)
Financier Worldwide, Power Players: Future Stars (2020)
Law360, Rising Star – Trials (2019)
Real Estate Weekly, Leading Lady in Real Estate (2019)
Profiles in Diversity Journal, Woman Worth Watching (2019)

Impact Matters

Exposed fraudulent financing of military housing developers

For the developers of 18 United States military housing projects, Lauren has litigated a $900 million RICO case against financial service companies Jefferies and Ambac arising from an extensive scheme of fraudulent financing.

Defunded sexual exploitation

For over 200 victims of child pornography, rape, and trafficking, Lauren led landmark lawsuits against Pornhub owner MindGeek, the world’s most dominant online pornography company in the world, financial services giant Visa, and the hedge funds who financed the business. The suit, along with the associated public advocacy and leadership, has exposed ugly truths about this industry and those supporting it and forced dramatic changes in practices.

Secured a trial verdict for Bill Ackman’s charitable foundation

For Pershing Square Foundation, Lauren was retained to try a multimillion-dollar case involving withheld insurance coverage due to one of its biggest assets. Following a three-week trial, with Ackman as the star witness, Lauren secured a favorable jury verdict awarding the charity millions of dollars it was due. The verdict ultimately led to a highly favorable settlement, including the recovery of attorneys’ fees.

Stopped a notorious “bear raid”

For Fairfax Financial Holdings, Lauren responded to a short-selling attack with a highly publicized civil RICO lawsuit credited with saving the company and restoring $2 billion in investor value. Following a nine-week trial, the jury found that three of the most powerful hedge funds on Wall Street conspired to commercially disparage Fairfax and awarded Fairfax compensatory and punitive damages.

Fought against systemic racism

For the largest Black-owned asset manager in the State of New Jersey, Lauren filed a historic civil rights and RICO action against New Jersey’s Division of Investment, BlackRock, Owl Rock, and other major financial firms challenging the systemic racism in New Jersey’s selection and allocation of capital to outside asset managers and corrupt “pay-to-play” scheme that excluded minority- and female-owned firms in favor of the “old white boy” Wall Street firms.

Defunded against false activist disparagement

For numerous public companies and individuals facing disinformation and smear campaigns, Lauren has successfully defended them, often stopping the campaign without litigation and, where necessary, defending and rehabilitating the client’s brand and reputation, including for Canadian forest company Resolute Forest Products against Greenpeace, challenging Greenpeace’s long-running campaign of misleading claims. The suit ended the campaign, forced Greenpeace to publicly admit its claims were not factual or scientific, and ended in a resolution that protected Resolute from similar future attacks.

Recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate assets

For luxury, residential, and commercial buildings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Florida, Lauren has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in various matters.

Overall Experience

  • Real Estate Disputes

    Lauren has represented:

    • Coles Jersey Development Co., a real estate company owned by investor Bill Ackman; secured a jury verdict in favor of Coles in a dispute with its title insurer.
    • iStar, a leading publicly traded REIT, in a financing default foreclosure and guarantee enforcement action against a leading developer over a large South Florida beachfront property.
    • Real estate investor Erwin Gonzalez in a partnership dispute involving over $250 million in real estate assets.
    • Allied Partners and its principal Eric Hadar in numerous actions over the fraudulent and defective remediation of the historic Miami Savoy hotel.
    • Beverly Hills Unified School District in a NEPA action against the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) challenging the proposed route for the Los Angeles subway extension, which was set to run under Beverly Hills High School.
    • Residential waterfront condominiums in Brooklyn in a suit against the developer alleging defects in the design and construction.
    • One River Run Acquisition, an Aspen, Colorado-based development group in a breach of contract dispute against New York-based real estate investment firm Greenwich Group International relating to the development of Kindred Resort, a $300 million ski-in, ski-out resort in Keystone, Colorado.
    • Luxury, residential, and commercial buildings in Manhattan and elsewhere, including the luxury Manhattan residences 515 Park Ave. and 325 Fifth Ave. in over $100 million recovered in damages, repairs, and other relief.

  • Securities and Civil RICO

    Lauren has represented:

    • Fairfax Financial Holdings in a groundbreaking defense against a short-selling attack in an unprecedented, highly publicized RICO lawsuit credited with saving the company and restoring $2 billion in investor value.
    • Resolute Forest Products in a historic RICO action against Greenpeace for its long-running campaign of misleading information against Canadian forest company Resolute Forest Products and its customers and suppliers. The suit ended the campaign, forced Greenpeace to publicly admit its claims were not factual or scientific, and ended in a resolution that protected Resolute from similar future attacks.
    • Numerous public companies subject to disinformation attacks, including AmTrust Financial Services, Harvey Norman Ltd., Amira Foods, and Energy Transfer Partners.
    • Defrauded investors, including a state pension fund and several mutual funds, in pursuing direct securities fraud claims and New Jersey RICO claims in an opt-out suit against Valeant Pharmaceuticals arising from Valeant’s improper accounting and business practices.
    • Eighteen United States military housing projects in a $900 million RICO case against financial services companies Jefferies and Ambac alleging the defendants engaged in an extensive scheme of fraudulent financings.
    • People’s United Bank in defense of a putative class action alleging that defendants engaged in a $400 million Ponzi scheme arising from an EB-5 visa program. Lauren secured dismissal on personal jurisdiction grounds. Other defendants, including Citibank, paid millions of dollars to settle their claims.

  • Complex Business and Tax Disputes

    Lauren has represented:

    • Approximately 200 victims of child pornography, rape, and trafficking in landmark lawsuits against Aylo (formerly known as MindGeek), the parent company of tubesite Pornhub, and financial services giant Visa. Aylo is the most dominant online pornographer in the world.
    • Blueprint Capital Partners in claims alleging systemic racism in New Jersey’s selection and allocation of capital to outside asset managers in New Jersey’s pension system, discriminatory retaliation, and a corrupt “pay-to-play” scheme that excluded minority- and female-owned firms in favor of old-line Wall Street firms.
    • One of the principals in a billion-dollar, closely held, family-owned commercial construction company in a shareholder dispute with his cousin following his cousin’s proper termination for cause by unanimous board vote.
    • A former partner at an investment bank and advisory firm in a partnership dispute with the $1 billion investment firm.
    • Insurers including AIG, AmTrust, and Fairfax Financial Holdings in coverage defense and other business disputes.
    • Universities in consumer class actions involving COVID-19 adjustments to on-campus instruction.
    • New York investment banker Denis Bovin in a dispute with his former partner concerning the breakup of their investment firm.
    • A former managing director of family office Archegos Capital Management in its suit against its founder and several senior executives for allegedly defrauding its employees in losing almost $500 million of their compensation.

  • Software Implementation Actions

    Lauren has represented:

    • Companies seeking to obtain recovery from consulting firms and software providers in connection with mission-critical software projects plagued by delayed or disastrous go-lives, deficient project management, and missing functionality.
    • A leading health care company in a dispute with a software developer over a failed implementation of insurance claims processing software.
    • Avantor Performance Materials in an action against IBM stemming from the failed implementation of SAP software and an IBM software product.

  • Fiduciary Duty Litigation

    Lauren has represented:

    • Certain officers and directors of the historic Lemington Home in Pittsburgh in a successful Third Circuit appeal dismissing breach of fiduciary duty verdicts against them.
    • Directors improperly ousted from the board of 1035 Fifth Ave. in a successful effort to reinstate them.

  • Professional Malpractice

    Lauren has secured multimillion-dollar malpractice recoveries against lawyers, accountants, and other professionals and has also successfully defended malpractice claims, including claims asserted against a New York City accounting firm.

Press and Media

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