Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, announced that John R. Higgitt, a former associate justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Judicial Department, has joined the firm as a partner in its New York office. Higgitt brings to Quinn Emanuel more than two decades of experience in the New York State court system, including more than eight years as a judge.
Appointed to the Appellate Division in 2021, he sat on five-justice panels hearing appeals from courts in New York and Bronx Counties and authored more than 25 signed opinions, many involving appeals from significant disputes in the Commercial Division for New York County. He previously served on the Appellate Term, First Judicial Department, and the New York State Supreme Court, Bronx County.
His opinions include decisions in a roughly $700 million dispute over the construction of a Massachusetts power plant, a case addressing alter ego liability in the effort to enforce a $1 billion judgment, an international dispute relating to a work of art looted by the Nazis, and a case on whether taxi drivers and worker associations had standing to challenge New York City regulations. His experience is well suited to the constant stream of commercial disputes flowing through the New York State Supreme Court Commercial and Appellate Divisions, and the growing number of disputes over government action and conflicting regulatory requirements, as federal, state, and local governments pursue divergent approaches.
Before taking the bench, Higgitt held senior roles in the court system, including Chief Court Attorney of the Appellate Term, First Department, and Chief Court Attorney of Supreme Court, Bronx County. He clerked for justices of the Appellate Division, First Department, and the Supreme Court, New York and Bronx Counties. He co-chaired the Advisory Committee on Civil Practice to the Chief Administrative Judge of the Courts of the State of New York, which makes recommendations on changes to New York civil procedure. And he served on the New York State Committee on Pattern Jury Instructions (Civil) and the New York State Bench Book Committee.
“Bringing a former justice of New York State’s Appellate Division into the firm is a strategic investment in our commercial litigation and appellate practices,” said Michael Carlinsky, Quinn Emanuel’s Global Co-Managing Partner and Global Head of Complex Litigation. “Fortune 500 companies and leading investment firms turn to us for their most complex and consequential disputes. Many of those matters are heard in the New York State Supreme Court Commercial Division and subsequently in the Appellate Division. John understands how these courts think and decide at the highest level. His perspective will make us even more effective for clients when the stakes are high.”
“When a client’s case is on appeal or a critical motion is on the line, knowing how the court will actually view the issues matters,” said Ellyde R. Thompson, Co-Chair of Quinn Emanuel’s Appellate Practice Group. “John spent years on one of the most respected state appellate courts in the country. He knows what persuades judges and what gets overlooked. He will sharpen how we frame issues, preserve the record, and capture and hold a court’s attention.”
“Quinn Emanuel has an extraordinary reputation and track record, sophisticated clients and high-stakes cases, and vibrant commercial litigation and appellate practices,” said Higgitt. “Its lawyers appear before New York courts with remarkable frequency and skill. I am excited to join the firm in the role of advocate, where I can be a creative driving force behind a case, working alongside colleagues I admire.”
Higgitt has written extensively on New York civil practice, including the Practice Commentaries to McKinney’s Consolidated Laws of New York, Civil Practice Law and Rules articles 32–44 and 50. He has written articles for the Albany Law Review and the New York State Bar Association Journal. He previously taught as an adjunct professor at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He received his J.D., cum laude, from Albany Law School and his B.A. from the State University of New York at Cortland.
Source: www.quinnemanuel.com
