Friedman Kaplan Names Four New Litigation Partners

Friedman Kaplan is proud to announce that litigators Timothy Haggerty, Alexander Levi, Michael Palmieri, and Priyanka Wityk have been named to the partnership of the firm. “We are thrilled to welcome Tim, Alex, Mike, and Priyanka to the partnership. They have each shown extraordinary dedication and skill in serving our clients as well as thoughtful and enthusiastic commitment to their colleagues and the firm’s future. These talented lawyers, colleagues, and friends embody the values and creativity that make Friedman Kaplan a special place to practice law, and we are excited to recognize and celebrate their invaluable contributions,” said Management Committee member Jeffrey Wang.

Timothy Haggerty is an experienced litigator with a significant white collar criminal defense and civil litigation practice. He has defended senior executives, public and private companies, and institutions of higher education in investigations and enforcement matters brought by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and state and local prosecutors. Mr. Haggerty has helped clients navigate and respond to allegations of securities fraud, insider trading, racketeering, violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, bribery, and tax law violations, among others, and his representations often involve cross-border considerations and collaboration with foreign co-counsel. He has conducted confidential internal investigations, and he has represented clients in some of the most high-profile matters in the nation. Mr. Haggerty also has a broad civil litigation practice, including handling actions arising under the securities laws, business disputes, fraud, and general litigation matters, as well as counseling individuals and companies seeking to resolve disputes before litigation. He is also active in Friedman Kaplan’s pro bono practice. Prior to joining Friedman Kaplan, Mr. Haggerty practiced at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. He received his J.D. with high honors from Rutgers University School of Law-Newark and his B.A. from Georgetown University.

Alex Levi is a complex commercial litigator with a focus on contract, employment, and securities law matters as well as complicated partnership disputes and business divorces. He represents clients in the financial services, real estate, education, and other industries in high-stakes actions before federal and state courts and arbitral tribunals. His experience includes arguing summary judgment motions, motions to dismiss, and other motions in various forums. Mr. Levi recently co-first chaired an arbitration hearing in a multi-million dollar dispute at which he delivered the opening statement and examined key witnesses. He is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude in Applied Mathematics-Economics from Brown University.

Michael Palmieri represents major public and private companies as well as individuals in the financial services, healthcare, and other industries in connection with complex commercial litigation and internal and government investigations. He has a broad-based practice in federal and state courts, as well as before various arbitral tribunals. His practice has particular emphases on litigation and arbitration concerning closely-held companies, business torts, complex contractual disputes, bankruptcy litigation, business divorces, and securities claims. Prior to joining Friedman Kaplan, Mr. Palmieri practiced at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Brian M. Cogan in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Palmieri graduated from New York University School of Law, earned a Master of Philosophy in Criminology from the University of Cambridge, and received his undergraduate degree cum laude from Yale University.

Priyanka Wityk is a seasoned litigator representing public and private companies across a variety of industries, including financial, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and real estate. She has expertise in litigating complex commercial disputes in federal and state court that involve antitrust, contract, securities, bankruptcy, trade secret misappropriation, business torts, and other issues. In addition to her active litigation practice, Ms. Wityk is a member of the National Association of Women Lawyers and serves on its Leadership Program Committee. She also is a member of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s 2021 class of Fellows. Prior to joining Friedman Kaplan, Ms. Wityk was a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and a law clerk for the Honorable William H. Pauley III of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. She graduated from The George Washington University Law School with highest honors and was a member of Order of the Coif, and she received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Boston University.