Boutique Created for a New Era of Litigation
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Prominent trial lawyers Michael Bowe and Lauren Tabaksblat today launched Brithem LLP, a boutique firm singularly focused on elite courtroom advocacy in matters of outsized commercial and societal consequence. This ethos is reflected in the founders’ two National Law Journal “Trailblazer of the Year” awards and many other recognitions and in the firm’s name. In Old Irish, Brithems were preeminent legal practitioners on whom both the powerful and the weak relied. The firm, based in New York, launches with 13 legal professionals: nine lawyers, two investigators, and two paraprofessionals. They include a former Supreme Court clerk joining as of counsel and two Quinn Emanuel alumni joining as partners. The firm expects more partners and associates to join in the next month and to be at least 20 lawyers in Q1 of 2026 based on its strong pipeline of current and new cases. The firm will be located at 565 Fifth Avenue.
Tabaksblat—whom Chambers’ sources reported “commands the courtroom”—explained, “Brithem is devoted to the art of trial lawyering and using that art to make a difference. Our name is not on the door because the firm is about our clients, not us. Our first love is being courtroom advocates who deliver results for clients and make a difference.”
The founders’ track record of deploying groundbreaking strategies to solve existential client problems includes their landmark short-selling cases that Vanity Fair called a “Wall Street Battle Royale,” Forbes credited with “restoring billions in market cap to their clients,” and others reported as the genesis of the largest insider trading investigation and conviction in history. It also includes an unprecedented federal court challenge that overturned a military tribunal and ordered a retrial, which they won on behalf of a decorated Marine officer wrongfully punished for warning about child sex abuse by Afghan allies. More recently, their cases to stop the monetization of child pornography and rape videos on adult websites have secured results that Bill Ackman described as “remarkable” and Andrew Ross Sorkin described as “seismic.” Currently, they also are prosecuting a civil rights and RICO case against New Jersey officials, BlackRock, and other Wall Street firms on behalf of the state’s largest Black-owned asset manager. And, at launch, they have been retained by Mobility for Africa, which is improving the working conditions for women in Zimbabwe but had critical IP and support misappropriated by a multinational’s consultants.
Joining Brithem at launch are Quinn alumni Valerie Ramos and Andrew Sutton, who will be partners; former Supreme Court clerk Joseph Masterman, who will be of counsel; Cravath alum Tyler Purinton, who will be counsel; Steptoe alum Kate Fisch and Weil alum Heidi Goldsmith, who will be senior associates; and Kasowitz alum Donald Pollio, who will be an associate. Retired NYPD Captain James Holohan, who has worked with Bowe for 25 years and been instrumental in all his major matters, will continue to head the team’s investigative group along with director of investigations, Stephen Silver.
Bowe—described by Chambers as “clearly a master of litigation”—further explained that “Big Law is drunk on leverage and billables that deliver little bang for the buck. Smart consumers of legal services know better, want an alternative, and love supporting a firm that is also heavily committed to combating child abuse, human trafficking, discrimination, and other injustices.” He added, “The AI revolution will only augment our proven ability to take on big fights leanly. Today, big is not better. It’s just unnecessarily more expensive.”
Finally, for young lawyers, Tabaksblat said, “Brithem offers a fast track to becoming an autonomous first-chair trial lawyer, and we are thrilled with the significant interest we have received already from those with the ambition to do so.”
About Brithem LLP
Based in New York, Brithem LLP is a trial law firm that uses bold and creative advocacy to reform industries, save businesses, restore reputations, and deliver billions of dollars in value. We are impact litigators.
Contacts
Media Contact
Kelsey Dellovo
On behalf of Brithem LLP
[email protected]
