Bernstein Litowitz Spin-off Stockpiles Investor Suit Litigators

A four-partner team from Robbins Geller, including former New York securities fraud prosecutor Chad Johnson, is joining a new boutique launched by an ex-Bernstein Litowitz partner.

Johnson, who led Robbins Geller’s New York office, is joining JVK Law as a co-founding partner, the firm said Monday. Securities litigators Noam Mandel, Desiree Cummings, and Jonathan Zweig also are jumping to the new firm.

“Johnson Van Kwawegen represents exactly what institutional investors need right now—a modern, trial-ready firm of creative teams with the skill, independence, and clarity to take on the most consequential corporate misconduct cases of our time,” Johnson said in a statement.

The new firm is quickly building out a roster of shareholder suit litigators after Jeroen van Kwawegen’s messy departure from Bernstein Litowitz. JVK Law this month has poached partners from two elite firms known for leading cases involving massive corporations.

Van Kwawegen, who led Bernstein Litowitz’s corporate governance group, unveiled the new firm earlier this month with a slate of ex-Bernstein recruits. The new firm is focused on advising institutional investors as regulatory changes weaken guardrails.

Johnson and Mandel both previously practiced at Bernstein Litowitz and Quinn Emanuel before joining Robbins Geller. Johnson helped secure more than $6 billion in recovery in the WorldCom securities litigation and $627 million recovered in the Wachovia securities litigation. He led the securities fraud unit during a stint as deputy attorney general in New York.

“Chad and these three additional partners leave Robbins Geller on the friendliest terms,” Robbins Geller said in a statement.

Van Kwawegen was part of the Bernstein team that challenged Elon Musk’s executive pay package at Tesla. He also was part of the trial team that secured a $1 billion settlement from Wells Fargo to resolve a federal securities class action lawsuit.

Ex-Bernstein partner Andrew Blumberg will run JVK’s Delaware outpost. Other Bernstein recruits, including CJ Orrico, Tom James, Eric Reidel, Edward Timlin, Dan Meyer, Ben Potts, and Lauren Cruz, are joining JVK as partners, with some being elevated to partner after serving as senior counsel at their former firm.

Bernstein Litowitz says it fired Van Kwawegen for “misconduct.” The firm on Dec. 8 said it was bringing back retired partner Mark Lebovitch to help run the corporate governance group.