Susman Godfrey LLP

Above the Law covers Susman Godfrey’s latest move to raise associate bonuses—underscoring the firm’s continued investment in “superstar associates.”   As Hunter Vance puts it, the goal is simple: attract lawyers who can perform at the highest level from day one.

National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) recognizes Kalpana Srinivasan on its 2026 Impact List. Congratulations to all of those included on the list and to NAWL for its leadership.

BigLaw’s recruiting model is moving faster—but not better.   In a new interview with Above the Law, Susman Godfrey explains why it’s opting out of the early-hiring race and putting law students first. As Partner Nick Spear puts it: “Susman Godfrey is a trial firm… that model doesn’t work here.”   For Partner Hunter Vance the answer is simple: give candidates the space to make informed, career-defining choices.   The firm will accept applications for its 2027 four-week 2L summer program through June 30, 2026, and will not review any applications until after that date. All applications must include a complete set of first-year grades. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gTWw_jxh

BigLaw’s accelerated recruiting cycle isn’t working for law students. Susman Godfrey is taking a different approach.

Watch 3rd-year associate Allen Hernandez argue an appeal in the Houston (1st) Court of Appeals on behalf of home goods retailer World Market, in a real-estate dispute with its commercial landlord. Allen defended Susman Godfrey’s lower-court victory on behalf of World Market, including its right to continue occupying the disputed premises, and sought reversal of the trial court’s ruling that World Market owed certain “additional rent” going forward.     At Susman Godfrey, associates are entrusted with meaningful courtroom responsibility from the very beginning of their careers—including arguing appeals like this one. See more of our Associates in Action here: https://lnkd.in/eg9n77ma

Ten years of litigation. A month-long trial. Less than three hours of jury deliberation. In The Recorder, Kalpana Srinivasan and Max Tribble reflect on Susman Godfrey’s $175 million jury verdict for HouseCanary against Amrock (now Rocket Close) and the strategy behind the win.

Two Susman Godfrey matters—BML Properties v. China Construction America and City of Baltimore v. McKesson and AmerisourceBergen—have been named Impact Cases of the Year by Benchmark Litigation. The recognition highlights two major trial results: a $1.6 billion judgment for BML Properties arising from the failed Baha Mar resort development and a $266 million verdict for the City of Baltimore in ongoing litigation addressing the opioid crisis. The BML Properties trial team included Jacob Buchdahl, Elisha Barron, Tamar Lusztig and Stephanie Spies. The City of Baltimore trial team included Bill Carmody, Sy Polky, Seth Ard, Michael Kelso, Cory Buland, Adam Carlis, Geng Chen, Rocco Magni, Krisina Zuñiga, Max Straus, Jeff Melsheimer, Katherine Drews, and Thomas Boardman. Read more about our trial wins here: https://lnkd.in/e4MKArfW

New York partner Jacob Buchdahl has been named Commercial Litigator of the Year at the 2026 U.S. Benchmark Litigation Awards, recognizing his leadership in some of the most consequential commercial litigation matters in the country. Buchdahl’s recognition follows his role securing a landmark $1.6 billion judgment for BML Properties in a long-running fraud case against China Construction America arising from the failed development of the Baha Mar luxury resort in the Bahamas. Read more about his work here: https://lnkd.in/eWktesAJ

Three juries. Three verdicts. More than $400 million awarded to Oregon wildfire survivors.   A Susman Godfrey trial team led by Shawn Rabin and Bill Carmody has now secured three jury verdicts against PacifiCorp for victims of the devastating 2020 Labor Day wildfires, including a recent $305 million verdict—the largest damages award to date in the litigation.   Partner Michael Kelso, associates Dustin Fire and Henry Walter, and legal teams from Edelson PC, Keller Rohrback, and Stoll Berne also played important roles in securing these landmark results.

The San Antonio Express-News highlights Susman Godfrey’s $175 million jury verdict for HouseCanary in its trade secret theft and fraud case against Amrock (now Rocket Close). The verdict marks the second time a jury has found that Amrock misappropriated HouseCanary’s intellectual property.