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Harry S. Davis

Overview


As one of the firm’s deputy general counsels, Harry Davis focuses on providing advice and support to McDermott Will & Schulte’s attorneys and business staff, including with regard to risk-related issues, litigation matters, conflicts of interest, ethics and other topics. Prior to his current role in the Office of General Counsel at McDermott, Harry was the General Counsel at Schulte Roth & Zabel and a long-time litigation partner.

Harry has substantial experience in both civil litigation and securities regulatory matters and has litigated numerous cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States, including substantial trial experience in bench and jury trials, arbitrations, evidentiary hearings, mediations and administrative adjudications.

Over the course of a career spanning more than 35 years, Harry has represented clients in investigations and litigations involving allegations of insider trading, market manipulation, market timing and late trading, misconduct involving PIPEs, short-swing profits, securities, commodities and common law fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, employee raiding and other employment issues, misappropriation of trade secrets and other business torts, as well as breach of contract and other theories of liability.

In addition to being an experienced litigator, Harry is also a prolific author and speaker.

Results


  • Lead partner representing private equity funds and their advisers as well as securities intermediaries in litigations challenging the validity of life insurance policies for purported lack of insurable interest in cases adverse to life insurance companies as well as families of the deceased insureds who had knowingly sold those policies into the life settlement market (often at a substantial profit) but who nonetheless sought many years later to claw back the death benefits properly paid to the private equity funds who had purchased those policies in the market. In doing so, Harry has established important precedent relating to liability and damages, including defeating claims in numerous trial and appellate courts around the country (including establishing important precedent in the Delaware Supreme Court).
  • One of the lead trial counsels to interdealer broker Tullett Prebon plc (now TP ICAP plc) in a four-month jury trial in New Jersey State Court (Hudson County) against rival BGC Partners Inc. for illegally hiring away 80 brokers and managers as part of a global raid on Tullett’s business in the Americas. Claims tried to the jury included violations of New Jersey’s racketeering statutes, unfair competition, misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information, and tortious inference. Also represented Tullett Prebon’s U.S. subsidiaries in related FINRA arbitration (which included a 50+ day arbitration hearing). Jury trial settled in favor of Tullett Prebon for $100 million during jury deliberations, resulting in over $130 million in recovery by Tullett Prebon and its subsidiaries in these related cases.
  • Lead trial counsel to interdealer broker Tullett Prebon in an AAA Arbitration alleging misappropriation of trade secrets. Successfully invalidated the contractual damages provision relied upon by rival BGC Partners in seeking approximately $2 billion in damages. Following trial, the arbitrator awarded BGC less than $1 million in damages in this “bet the company” case and found that BGC was not the prevailing party and, therefore, was not entitled to attorney’s fees despite the fact that Tullett had conceded liability. Successfully defended the arbitration award in response to a motion to vacate it in New York Supreme Court as well as on appeal to the Appellate Division, which found that the Arbitrator’s conclusion that the provision was unenforceable to be “inescapable” based upon the evidence Tullett had introduced in the arbitration hearing. BGC v. Tullett (AAA Arbitration, NY Supreme Court and Appellate Division, 1st Department).

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Recognitions


  • Benchmark Litigation
  • The Legal 500 US
  • New York State Bar Association Empire State Counsel Honoree
  • New York Super Lawyers
  • Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, 2026

Community


  • American Bar Association
  • New York State Bar Association
  • New York County Lawyer’s Association
  • Chairman, 2003-04; Co-Chairman, 2002-03; Vice Chairman, 2001-02 – Trade Regulation Committee
  • New York City Bar Association
  • Compliance and Legal Division, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association
  • Federal Bar Council
  • Federalist Society

Credentials


Education
Cornell Law School, JD, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, Editor, Cornell Law Review, Member, Moot Court Board, 1988
Johns Hopkins University, BA, Departmental Honors, 1983

Admissions
New York
New Jersey

Courts/Agencies
US Court of Appeals, First, Second, Third, Ninth and Tenth Circuits
US District Court for the Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern Districts of New York, the District of New Jersey and the District of Colorado