Jeffrey Barist

Jeffrey Barist is the former chair of the National Litigation Department. He concentrates primarily on the litigation and arbitration of cases involving issues of financial services, securities, insolvency and international law.

Mr. Barist has specialized in the trial and adjudication of complex disputes in trial and appellate courts throughout the United States and in arbitral forums in the United States and abroad for forty years, appearing as lead counsel for many major US and foreign financial institutions and corporations. He has extensive experience in the trial of jury and non-jury matters, representing both plaintiffs and defendants. Mr. Barist has regularly been active in the litigation of issues of international law, and has argued some of the leading appellate cases involving sovereign immunity, act of state, sovereign debt and the recognition of foreign judicial and non-judicial proceedings by US courts. He has litigated on the trial and appellate level some of the most notable recent cases raising issues as to civil liability for violations of international human rights under such theories as customary international law and the Alien Tort Statute.

Mr. Barist frequently counsels clients as to the avoidance and management of litigation risks. He has broad experience with ADR and is a member of the CPR: International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution New York Panel of Distinguished Neutrals and its International Panel. Mr. Barist is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a member of the American Law Institute and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

He is listed in the Legal Media Group’s The Best of The Best for 2008, as one of the 25 leading commercial litigators in the United States, the Euromoney Guide, Experts in Commercial Arbitration, the Euromoney Guide to Litigation Lawyers, The PLC Global Counsel Handbook, Dispute Resolution, and the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, among others. He has written numerous articles on litigation, financial practices and international law, has been invited to speak before leading professional associations in the United States and abroad, and has published a book, Commercial Arbitration Law and Clauses.

He received his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and his law degree from Harvard Law School, cum laude.