Jeffrey Simes is a partner in the firm’s Litigation Department, where he has significant experience with complex business litigation, including securities and corporate governance, government and internal investigations, commercial disputes, intellectual property, insurance and products liability. Mr. Simes has worked on a wide variety of significant civil cases in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate level throughout the country.

Work for Clients

Mr. Simes’ civil litigation work has involved complex business litigation and consulting work for both Fortune 500 companies and emerging technology companies in a wide range of disputes. He has successfully represented significant financial institutions as well as issuers in securities lawsuits and class actions. Mr. Simes has successfully litigated and arbitrated commercial, post-closing and “busted deal” disputes in numerous jurisdictions, as well as shareholder derivative actions, partnership disputes and other matters involving allegations of breaches of fiduciary duties. He has also conducted internal investigations for various clients into diverse issues including alleged accounting improprieties, options back dating and fiscal compliance issues. In addition, Mr. Simes has counseled companies, both domestic and foreign, with respect to government investigations and inquiries.

Mr. Simes’ criminal law experience includes both appellate defense work in state and federal courts, as well as prosecution as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office.

Professional Activities

With prior experience as a public school teacher in Brooklyn, New York, Mr. Simes has performed significant pro bono work in the area of education. Mr. Simes was lead counsel on behalf of a class of homeless families in Suffolk County seeking to improve homeless children’s access to public schooling. Mr. Simes was also involved in litigation to improve public school funding for New York City schools and has successfully represented students with disabilities.

Mr. Simes is a member of the American Bar Association and the Business Law and Litigation Sections of the American Bar Association. He is a member of the New York City Bar Association and serves on its Committee on Pro Bono and Legal Services. In addition, Mr. Simes is the pro bono coordinator for Goodwin Procter’s New York office.

Mr. Simes is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty as well as the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, for which he serves as Chair of the Education Committee.

Professional Experience

Prior to joining Goodwin Procter, Mr. Simes was an attorney at Simpson Thacher and Bartlett in New York City, where he gained extensive litigation experience with complex litigation including antitrust, patent, insurance and business contracts.

In 2001-02, Mr. Simes was on leave from Goodwin Procter to serve as Special Assistant District Attorney in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. In this capacity, he prosecuted numerous crimes in the Cambridge District Court.

Bar and Court Admissions

Mr. Simes is admitted to practice in New York and Massachusetts. He is also admitted to the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern District of New York and the District of Massachusetts and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the First, Second and Fifth Circuits. Mr. Simes has also appeared pro hac vice in numerous jurisdictions.

Honors and Awards

In 2005, Mr. Simes was awarded the New York State Bar Association Pro Bono Award and the Pro Bono Publico Award of the American Bar Association in recognition of his numerous pro bono efforts.

Education

J.D., Harvard Law School, 1996 (cum laude)
M.P.P., Kennedy School of Government, 1996 (Kennedy Fellow)
B.A., Yale University, 1990 (summa cum laude)