Greg Varallo heads BLB&G's Delaware office. Greg focuses his practice on protecting investor rights, trying cases in Delaware and around the U.S. Greg's cases, while primarily derivative and class actions, also include plaintiffs’ side business-to-business disputes, fiduciary litigation in Bankruptcy Court, and, where appropriate, ADR.
Prior to joining the firm, Greg spent a distinguished 36-year career with elite corporate defense firm Richards, Layton & Finger, capped by a three-year term as its President, where he represented top U.S. and global corporations on various Delaware business matters. He has litigated hundreds of complex business disputes in state and federal courts throughout the United States, including Delaware, and has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading corporate governance experts and trial lawyers.
Greg brings a unique and varied background to his practice. As an active director of both for-profit and not-for-profit companies, and the past CEO of a large defense firm who has also prosecuted cases from the plaintiffs’ side, his experience crosses traditional boundaries. That unusually wide perspective helps shape BLB&G's creative approach to problem solving for its clients.
Greg is widely recognized by the industry for his many accomplishments. He is hailed as one of the nation’s leading business litigators by Chambers USA, Legal 500 USA, Best Lawyers®, Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers and Lawdragon. Greg was named to the inaugural Forbes list of “America’s Top 200 Lawyers,” which praised his stellar work in litigating BLB&G’s landmark case against Tesla. Greg has also been named a “Top Lawyer” by Delaware Today, and a "Litigation Star" by Benchmark Litigation.
Significant representative matters in which Greg has served as lead counsel or co-lead counsel include:
- Co-lead counsel in Tornetta v. Musk et. al and Tesla, Inc., which resulted in a landmark decision nullifying Elon Musk’s $55 billion compensation package;
- Co-lead counsel and appellate counsel in The Williams Companies Stockholder Litigation, a case which struck down a 5% “Poison Pill”;
- Trial counsel in In re Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. Merger Litigation, which held energy giant TC Energy Corp. “TransCanada” liable for aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty by former Columbia top executives in connection with the company's acquisition ($400 million verdict);
- Trial counsel in In re Mindbody, Inc. Stockholders Litigation, where the post-trial decision found liability against both the CEO and acquirer ($55 million verdict);
- Lead counsel for 21st Century Fox and its directors in settlement of derivative litigation arising from sexual abuse scandal;
- Lead counsel for News Corp. and its board in settlement of derivative litigation arising from hacking scandal;
- Lead trial and appellate counsel for Goldman Sachs Group in connection with challenge to worldwide compensation in In Re Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. Litig., Del, Ch., C.A. No. 5215-VCG (Oct. 12, 2011), aff’d., No. 608, 2011 (Del. May 3, 2012); and
- Lead counsel in first confidential Chancery arbitrations.
A frequent speaker and author on a wide range of corporate governance and securities related issues, Greg was involved in the drafting and passage of the 2018 Delaware Certification of Adoption of Transparency and Sustainability Standards Act and the 2015 Delaware Rapid Arbitration Act. He has been published in The Business Lawyer, The Securities Regulation Law Journal, M&A Lawyer, Corporate Governance Advisor, Insights, and Business Law Today. He is co-author of several publications, including The Practitioner's Guide to the Delaware Rapid Arbitration Act, Special Committees: Law and Practice, and Fundamentals of Corporate Governance.
Greg is an active member in various respected legal organizations. He is a Founding Trustee and former Vice President and Secretary of the American College of Governance Counsel. Greg is also a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Salzburg Global Seminar, Corporate Governance, and a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Greg served as a past Chair and Co-Chair on several committees and forums with the American Bar Association and previously served on the Delaware Supreme Court Rules Committee.
Among his charitable and volunteer works, Greg is the immediate past chair (President) of the Board of Directors for the Ministry of Caring, Inc. Greg also serves as a Trustee for the American University of Rome, based in Rome, Italy.