WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 15, 2011 – Arent Fox LLP announced today that Martin Cunniff will join the firm as a partner in the Litigation Practice in the firm’s Washington, DC, office.

Mr. Cunniff’s practice focuses on high-stakes litigation for major corporations representing a wide array of industries. His practice encompasses all types of business litigation, including breach of contract, securities, antitrust, business torts, fraud, intellectual property, trade secrets, patent licensing, and other commercial issues. Additionally, he has been involved in numerous securities fraud class actions.

Before joining Arent Fox, Mr. Cunniff served as Co-Chair of Howrey’s Commercial Litigation and Trial group. At its height, the group was composed of over 120 litigators and represented more than $100 million in revenue. “I am very excited to join Arent Fox and its impressive collection of legal talent,” said Mr. Cunniff.

“Martin Cunniff is one of the top litigators in the United States and we couldn’t be more pleased that he has chosen to join our firm,” said Arent Fox chairman Mark M. Katz. “He brings remarkable talent and experience to our Litigation Practice Group. Our firm and, more importantly, our clients will benefit enormously from having access to Martin’s outstanding legal skill and abilities.”

Mr. Cunniff has extensive trial experience and has been in dozens of trials and commercial arbitrations. He was involved in many of Howrey’s most interesting and celebrated cases, including an antitrust conspiracy in which the Vatican was an alleged co-conspirator (involving the Intelsat satellite system), the largest gold mining fraud ever (Bre-X), the case setting the test for including executive compensation in federal government procurement contracts (estimated to have had a $100 billion impact on federal contracting), the largest credit ratings cliff case ($8 billion exposure), and one of the largest commodities derivatives mark-to-market loss cases (more than $5 billion). He has also appeared on the appellate level, including argument on a landmark case establishing that the use of stock transfer agents in a jurisdiction could not be used to establish personal jurisdiction over a party.

Mr. Cunniff is also an authority on the calculation and proof of damages in commercial litigation. He is a co-editor of the treatise Calculating and Proving Damages which is scheduled for publication by Law Journal Press later this month. This innovative treatise couples experienced litigators with expert witnesses who testify about damages. Mr. Cunniff has prepared the damages case in several large recoveries, including $175 million for a stent manufacturer and more than $250 million for an Internet backbone operator. Moreover, he has prepared the rebuttal damages case in numerous cases with more than $100 million in exposure.

Mr. Cunniff has been recognized as an innovator in attorney training and development. He was the chair of Howrey’s training and development programs for more than eight years. During that time, the firm won many awards including the NALP award and the American Society of Training and Development’s “BEST” award. He was the principal architect of the firm’s competency model, which was the subject of an ABA-published book.

Mr. Cunniff has also been active in providing pro bono services. He was involved in a number of civil rights trials establishing Fourth Amendment rights for persons in homeless shelters and reducing administrative hurdles for homeless mothers and children. Last year, he accepted the Legal Services of Northern Virginia’s Pro Bono Firm of the Year Award for the work he led representing 137 Hispanic families that were victims of a mortgage modification scam. “In addition to the respect I have for the top-notch lawyers at Arent Fox, I have always been impressed with Arent Fox’s commitment to pro bono service. It was a major factor in my decision to join the firm,” Mr. Cunniff said.

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About Arent Fox:
Arent Fox LLP (www.arentfox.com), with offices in Washington, DC, New York and Los Angeles is a recognized leader in areas including complex litigation, intellectual property, real estate, telecommunications, health care, automotive, sports, white collar, international trade, and bankruptcy. With more than 350 lawyers nationwide, Arent Fox has extensive experience in corporate securities, financial restructuring, government relations, labor and employment, finance, tax, corporate compliance, and the global business market. The firm represents Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, trade associations, foreign governments and other entities.