Salvatore Graziano is widely recognized as one of the top securities litigators in the country. He has served as lead trial counsel in a wide variety of major securities fraud class actions, recovering billions of dollars on behalf of institutional investors and hedge fund clients.
Over the course of his distinguished career since the passage of the PSLRA in 1995, Sal has successfully litigated many high-profile cases, including: Merck & Co., Inc. (Vioxx) Sec. Litig.(D.N.J.); In re Schering-Plough Corp./ENHANCE Sec. Litig. (D.N.J.); Gary Hefler et al. v. Wells Fargo & Company et al. (N.D. Cal.); In re Kraft Heinz Securities Litigation (N.D. Ill.); New York State Teachers' Retirement System v. General Motors Co. (E.D. Mich.); In re MF Global Holdings Limited Sec. Litig. (S.D.N.Y); In re Raytheon Sec. Litig. (D. Mass.); In re Refco Sec. Litig. (S.D.N.Y.); In re MicroStrategy, Inc. Sec. Litig. (E.D. Va.); In re Bristol Myers Squibb Co. Sec. Litig. (S.D.N.Y.); and In re New Century Sec. Litig. (C.D. Cal.).
Industry observers, peers and adversaries routinely honor Sal for his accomplishments. He is one of the “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” in the nation and a “Litigation Star” according to Benchmark Litigation, which credits him for performing “top quality work.” Chambers USA continuously ranks Sal as a top litigator, quoting market sources who describe him as “wonderfully talented…a smart, aggressive lawyer who works hard for his clients,” and “the go-to for the biggest cases.” Sal is also ranked as a top litigator by Legal 500, which quotes market sources who praise him as a “highly effective litigator.” Heralded multiple times as one of a handful of Securities Litigation and Class Action “MVPs” in the nation by Law360, he has also been named a “Litigation Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal. Sal is also one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Lawyers in America” and “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers” in America, named as a leading mass tort and plaintiff class action litigator by Best Lawyers®, and is one of Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers.
In recognition of Sal’s high level of efficacy and countless accomplishments in litigation and trial work, as well as his ethical reputation, Sal was named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. This close-knit, peer-selected group embodies the best of the best in trial law, with most members bringing 12 or more years of experience to the table. LCA membership is limited to 3,500 Fellows, representing less than one-half of one percent of American lawyers.
A highly esteemed voice on investor rights, regulatory and market issues, in 2008 he was called upon by the Securities and Exchange Commission's Advisory Committee on Improvements to Financial Reporting to give testimony as to the state of the industry and potential impacts of proposed regulatory changes being considered. He is the author and co-author of numerous articles on developments in the securities laws, and was chosen, along with several of his BLB&G partners, to author the first chapter - “Plaintiffs’ Perspective” - of Lexis/Nexis’s seminal industry guide Litigating Securities Class Actions.
A member of the firm's Executive Committee, Sal has previously served as the President of the National Association of Shareholder & Consumer Attorneys, and has served as a member of the Financial Reporting Committee and the Securities Regulation Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He regularly speaks on securities fraud litigation and shareholder rights, and has repeatedly guest lectured at Columbia Law School on the topic.
Prior to entering private practice, Sal served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.