Jeff Simes, a litigation partner and former Chair of Goodwin’s Litigation Department, has a diverse practice that includes complex commercial disputes and intellectual property litigation. He has extensive experience in international and domestic arbitrations, intellectual property disputes, securities and corporate governance disputes, government and internal investigations, and partnership and commercial claims and disputes. Jeff has worked on a wide variety of significant civil cases in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate level throughout the country, as well as in various arbitral forums in the United States and abroad.
Jeff has served on Goodwin’s Management, Executive, and Partnership Committees. He maintains an active pro bono practice, with a particular focus on education, homelessness and poverty issues, and has been recognized by the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar, and the Legal Aid Society for his efforts.
Experience
Jeff's civil litigation experience includes both international and domestic arbitration as well as litigation in state and federal courts. Although he practices most frequently in tribunals that address complex business issues (such as New York and Delaware), his practice is international and his clients range from Global 500 companies to emerging technology and life sciences companies. Jeff regularly handles the gamut of business and corporate litigations and arbitrations including commercial, intellectual property, post-closing and "busted deal" disputes, shareholder derivative actions, partnership disputes and other matters involving allegations of business torts, fraud and breaches of contract or fiduciary duties. He also conducts internal investigations for various clients into diverse issues including alleged accounting improprieties, share and option granting issues and compliance. In addition, Jeff counsels companies, both domestic and foreign, as to investigations and government inquiries.
Jeff has prior experience as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the Middlesex County (MA) District Attorney's Office where he tried numerous criminal cases. In addition to being an experienced trial lawyer, Jeff also has a successful appellate practice.
Representative Matters
- A global electronics firm and its subsidiaries in the US and Europe in an international arbitration with a major customer
- A biotechnology company in a licensing arbitration with a major pharmaceutical company
- A global pharmaceutical company in an international arbitration with a key distributor
- A major consulting firm against retired partners on three continents
- A private equity firm in connection with its acquisition of a defense contractor
- A major electronics manufacturer as to alleged accounting improprieties
- A European pharmaceutical company in connection with allegations of drug testing irregularities
- A web-based technology company as to disclosures and stock option granting practices
- A real estate/hospitality company as to awarding of third party contracts
- A leading international security and armored car company in connection with its acquisition of an American subsidiary
- A technology company in a post-closing dispute against its acquirer, a major private equity firm
- A pharmaceutical company in a derivative lawsuit brought by a major investor
- A leading health food brand against a major supplier
Areas of Practice
Professional Activities
With prior experience as a public school teacher in Brooklyn, NY, Jeff has performed significant pro bono work in the area of education. Jeff was lead counsel on behalf of a class of homeless families in Suffolk County seeking to improve homeless children's access to public schooling. Jeff was also involved in litigation to improve public school funding for New York City schools, raised challenges to teacher qualification regulations of the U.S. Department of Education and has successfully represented students with disabilities.
Jeff is also a member of the board of directors of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty as well as the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, for which he has served as chair of the Education Committee.
Professional Experience
Prior to joining Goodwin, Jeff was an attorney at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett in New York City.
In 2001-02, Jeff was on leave from Goodwin to serve as Special Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County (MA). In this capacity, he prosecuted numerous crimes in the Cambridge District Court.
Credentials
Education
JD1996
Harvard Law School
(cum laude)
MPP1996
Harvard Kennedy School
(Kennedy Fellow)
BA1990
Yale University
(summa cum laude)
Admissions
Bars
- New York
- Massachusetts
Courts
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Recognition & Awards
Jeff has been awarded the New York State Bar Association Pro Bono Award and the Pro Bono Publico Award of the American Bar Association in recognition of his numerous pro bono efforts. He has also been named a New York Super Lawyer in Business Litigation.
Publications
Jeff speaks regularly on issues pertaining to business litigation and arbitration including:
- “The Absolute Mediators,” Legal Week Global Corporate Counsel Forum
- “Foundational Principles,” PLI
- “Writing for Transactional Lawyers,” PLI
- “10 Tips for Crafting a Forum Selection Clause,” Law360
- “Preserving Privileged Materials in the Wake of Great Hill,” Commercial Litigation Insider