Maria T Vullo

Maria T. Vullo is an experienced senior litigator, with over 25 years of trial and appellate experience in a broad range of complex business litigations and investigations in state and federal courts. Maria’s private practice has included matters involving fraud, real estate, health care, insurance, tax, consumer protection, bankruptcy, antitrust, constitutional and environmental law. Maria also has devoted herself to significant pro bono and non-profit causes throughout her career. Maria is both a trial lawyer and an appellate advocate, with deep experience in the courtroom, as well as in a counselling role for individual, business and non-profit clients. Experience Maria's professional experience includes the following: Numerous trials, arbitrations, mediations and evidentiary hearings in a wide range of industries and subject matters, before state and federal courts across the country. Appellate arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Ninth (including en banc) and Tenth Circuits, and the New York State Appellate Division, First, Second and Third Departments. Served as Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice under then New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, responsible for the Economic Justice Division, comprising the Bureaus of Investor Protection, Antitrust, Real Estate Finance, Consumer Frauds and Internet. While in the Attorney General's office, Maria was responsible for numerous investor protection, antitrust and consumer fraud matters, including Martin Act investigations and settlements, investigations and litigations regarding insurance company practices, allegations of price fixing, bid rigging and other antitrust violations, deceptive consumer marketing practices, and violations relating to cooperative and condominium offerings. Client representations have included companies in proceedings before federal and state governmental agencies; parties in False Claim Act actions; a biotechnology company in a jury trial relating to a groundbreaking treatment; a healthcare institution in Article 78 proceedings involving expansion projects; real estate developers in litigations involving purchase agreements and approvals by governmental agencies; businesses in investigations and civil lawsuits stemming from the financial crisis; financial advisors in civil lawsuits regarding mergers and acquisitions; private equity firms involved in disputes arising out of investments; domestic and international public corporations sued by shareholders for allegedly false and misleading disclosures; debtors, equity and debt holders in bankruptcy litigations and trials involving debtor-in-possession financing, plan confirmation and claims of fraudulent conveyance, breach of fiduciary duty, and alter ego liability; a large communications company in litigation with a radio personality over a contractual noncompete clause; private and public corporations in tax disputes with federal and state agencies and private parties; manufacturing companies in litigations and arbitrations concerning business transactions; brokerage and trading firms in disputes with business partners; other corporate and individual clients in complex litigation and investigatory proceedings; and numerous nonprofit institutions and pro bono clients in constitutional law matters. Reported decisions include Residents for Reasonable Development v. The City of New York, 2015 N.Y. Slip Op. 04560 (1st Dep't, May 28, 2015); United States v. Wells Fargo Bank N.A., 2013 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 175322 (D. Nevada, Dec. 11, 2013); Princeton Bedford LLC v. Backer, 2013 NY Slip Op 31053(U) (N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. Cty. May 10, 2013); Matter of Allison v. New York City Landmarks Preserv. Comm., 944 N.Y.S. 2d 408 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., N.Y. Cty. Aug. 18, 2011); In re Celestica Inc. Secur. Litig., No. 07 CV 312 (GBD) (S.D.N.Y. Oct. 14, 2010), reversed as to other defendants, No. 10-4702 (2d. Cir. Dec. 29, 2011);Rockwell Int'l Corp. v. United States, 549 U.S. 457 (2007); In re Rhodia S.A. Sec. Litig., 531 F. Supp. 2d 527 (S.D.N.Y. 2007); Finance & Trading Ltd. v. Rhodia S.A., 28 A.D. 3d 706 (N.Y. App. Div., 1st Dep't 2006); Dastgheib v. Genentech, Inc., 457 F. Supp. 2d 536 (E.D. Pa. 2006); In re Navigator Gas Transport PLC, 358 B.R. 80 (B. Ct., S.D.N.Y. 2006); RZS Holdings AVV v. PDVSA Petroleos S.A., 293 F. Supp. 2d 645 (E.D. Va. 2003); In re NAHC, Inc. Sec. Litig., 306 F. 3d 1314 (3d Cir. 2002); Garden Way Inc. v. Home Depot Inc., 94 F. Supp. 2d 276 (N.D.N.Y. 2000); United States v. Ackert, 169 F.3d 136 (2d Cir. 1999); In re Special Grand Jury 89-2, 143 F.3d 565 (10th Cir. 1998); BAII Banking Corp. v. Northville Industries Corp., 232 A.D. 2d 349 (N.Y. App. Div., 2d Dep't 1996); Cullman Ventures, Inc. v. Columbian Art Works, Inc., 717 F. Supp. 96 (S.D.N.Y. 1989). Pro bono matters have included Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 290 F.3d 1058 (9th Cir. 2002) (en banc), cert. denied, 123 S. Ct. 2637 (2003); Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 422 F.3d 949 (9th Cir. 2005), cert. denied, 547 U.S. 1111 (2006); Doe v. Karadzic, 192 F.R.D. 133 (S.D.N.Y. 2000), and numerous amicus curiae briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court, including Young v. United Parcel Service, 575 U.S. __ (2015) and McCullen v. Coakley, 573 U.S. __ (2014). Firm administrative responsibilities have included appointments as Chair, Public Matters Committee, 2002-2004; Chair, Summer Associates Committee, 1999-2001; Member of Partnership Committee, 2013-2015 and 2003-2005; Member of Professional Development & Training Committee, 2013-2015; Member of Finance Committee, Public Matters Committee and Counsel Committee, 2006-2009; Member of Marketing & Communications Committee, 2011-2013; active participant in women's mentoring, diversity mentoring program, recruitment and retention of associates, and training programs for associates and staff attorneys. CLE Lecturer on a variety of subjects, including Trial Skills, Using Demonstrative Trial Exhibits, Strategy and Tactics of Depositions, Deposition Skills, Privileges, Overview of Litigation Documents, Client Relations and Expectations, Interviewing Witnesses, Federal Discovery Rules, and New York State Practice. PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS AND PUBLIC SERVICE Executive Deputy Attorney General for Economic Justice, Office of the New York Attorney General, 2010. Member, First Department Judicial Screening Committee, March 2007-Present. Member, State Judicial Screening Committee, September 2013-Present. Member, Board of Directors, Chairperson and Secretary, ERA Coalition, Inc., June 2014-Present. Member, Board of Directors, National Organization of Italian-American Women, 2010-Present; Vice Chair, 2012-2014; Treasurer, 2015-Present. Member, Board of Directors, and General Counsel, Women's Equality Coalition, Inc., March 2013-Present. Member, Lawyers Council, Crime Commission of New York City, June 2013-Present. Member, Board of Advisors, Common Cause/New York, 2012-Present. Member, Board of Directors, Fund for Modern Courts, March 2011-Present; Executive Committee, 2015-Present. Member, Board of Directors, NARAL Pro-Choice America, 2005-2012; Chair, 2007-2009; Vice Chair, 2006-2007. Member, New York State Bar Association, Committee on Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction, June 2006-Present. Member, New York State Bar Association, CPLR Committee, 2011-2013. Fellow, New York Bar Foundation; Sustaining Member, New York State Bar Association; Member, American Bar Association, New York Women's Bar Association, Women Trial Lawyers Caucus, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Columbian Lawyers Association and Federal Bar Council; Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America. Participant, Aspen Institute, Justice & Society Seminar, August 1999. Member, Board of Directors, Sanctuary for Families, 1996-1998. PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION Named "New York Super Lawyer," Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006-Present. AV (highest) peer review ratings in Martindale-Hubbell. Humanitarian of the Year Award, Interfaith Nutrition Network, 2015. Distinguished Corporate Citizen Award, A Better Balance, May 2015. Nominated by the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination for Associate Judge, New York Court of Appeals, 2013 and 2014. Honoree, Empire State Counsel, New York State Bar Association. Named one of "Three Wise Women" by the National Organization of Italian-American Women, January 2010. Honoree, Council of the City of New York, for outstanding contributions to the community, October 28, 2009. Named in The National Law Journal's "Defense Hot List," July 16, 2007. Recommended by PLC Which Lawyer?, Dispute Resolution Guide, for "litigating some of the most challenging and complex cases in front of courts and arbitration panels." Recommended by Global Counsel's Handbook on Dispute Resolution, for both trial and appellate matters. Named "40 Under 40 Most Successful Litigators: Promising Young Advocates," The National Law Journal, July 2002. Recommended by Practical Law Company's Global Counsel 3000, for litigation and arbitration, January 28, 2002. Named one of America's Top 10 Women Litigators, The National Law Journal, December 17, 2001. 2001 Finalist for "Trial Lawyer of the Year Award," Public Justice Foundation. Nominated for the 2000 "Trial Lawyer of the Year Award," Public Justice Foundation. Named "Litigator of the Month," The National Law Journal, September 27, 2000. "Lawyer Hero," Stanford Law School, September 27, 2000. Named one of the "Women on the Verge of 2000," Ms. Magazine, December 1999/January 2000. Named one of "The 25 Smartest Women in America," Mirabella, September, 1999. Named one of New York's "40 Under 40 Rising Stars" by Crain's New York Business, January 1999. SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS (PARTIAL LIST) Chair, CLE, New York City Bar Association, "Document Retention," October 21, 2014. Panelist, NYCLA CLE Institute, "Women in Law: Policy Perspectives and Personal Progression," May 30, 2014. Co-Chair, CLE, New York State-Federal Judiciary Council Advisory Committee "Which Court? State Federal and Why?", U.S. Courthouse, May 7, 2014. Speaker, National Organization of Italian American Women, Annual Gala, May 12, 2014, April 29, 2013, May 5, 2012. Co-Chair, "Nonprofit Boards," co-hosted by Paul, Weiss and Morgan Stanley Diversity Committees, March 5, 2014. Panelist, NYU School of Law, "Law is a Two Way Street: Mapping a Career in the Public and Private Sectors," November 18, 2013. CLE Panelist, New York City Bar Association, "Document Retention," October 23, 2013. Justice in mock U.S. Supreme Court, Office of the Appellate Defender 25th Anniversary, October 7, 2013. Panelist, NYU School of Law, "Creating a Life in the Law: Personality, Practice, Priorities and Path," April 3, 2012. Panelist, "What's at Stake - the Supreme Court," National Women's Leadership Issues Conference, Women's Leadership Forum, Women for Obama, Chicago, Illinois, October 10-11, 2008. Panelist, Women's Campaign Fund, "The Changing Frontlines of the Courts," November 14, 2005. Justice in mock U.S. Supreme Court, "Justine West v. New York," Office of the Appellate Defender, October 4, 2004. Panelist, NYU School of Law, "Public Interest While in Private Practice," February 2, 2004. Panelist, Pro Bono in Private Practice, Association of the Bar for the City of New York, September 15, 2003. Guest Speaker, Yale University "Master's Tea," October 1, 2002. Guest Speaker, Boalt School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, September 17, 2002. Panelist, 2000 Legal Conference of the Anti-Defamation League, New York Regional Board, and New York Lawyers' Division, "Hate Speech on the Internet: What Can and Should Be Done?" March 9, 2000. Moot Court Participant, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, February 23, 1998. Publications "Women at Big Law: No Regrets," Litigation, American Bar Association, Vol. 41 No 2, Winter 2015 (Interview). "People v. Sanger and the Birth of Family Planning Clinics in America," Judicial Notice, The Historical Society of the New York Courts, Issue 9, Summer 2013. "Prosecuting Genocide," The Chicago Journal of International Law, The University of Chicago Law School, December 3, 2001.