About Us
Our Mission
When we decided to establish a new law firm, we set out with three goals in mind:
- To assemble an exceptional group of lawyers with the talent, experience, and creativity to help our clients face legal and business challenges both today and into the future;
- To fuse together a cutting-edge litigation practice with a pioneering public interest practice for the mutual benefit of both; and
- To build a law firm for the future rooted in principles of equity, integrity, and justice.
In this sense our law firm is both “new-fashioned” and “old-fashioned.” Our mission at Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP is to provide the highest level of client service, advocacy, and advice from a modern and progressive firm with timeless values.
Top-Tier Credentials
Our team is comprised of highly experienced litigators, trial lawyers, and staff, including five former federal prosecutors, three former public defenders, six former U.S. Supreme Court clerks, and dozens of attorneys with experience clerking at all levels of state and federal courts. This uniquely talented pool of attorneys enables the Firm to consistently produce exceptional outcomes and value to our clients, and also earned KHF the recognition of being named “Boutique Firm of the Year” by Benchmark Litigation for four of the past five years.
KHF is recognized by Chambers and The Legal 500 as having one of the country's top white collar defense practices, and our commercial litigation, FCPA, and nationwide corporate crime and investigations practices are similarly ranked by Chambers. In its profile of the Firm, Chambers noted that KHF is “recognized for its excellence across an array of litigation-related matters” and is “respected by the market for its 'deep bench of heavy hitters with different backgrounds who are leaders in this area, and are smart, collaborative people.” Our lawyers have tried and won dozens of cases in state and federal courts across the country.
KHF lawyers are also recognized among the leading litigators in the country, consistently earning awards from legal media and professional organizations. Consistent with our firm’s values, our lawyers hold leadership roles in public service organizations and are widely published on a variety of topics.
An anonymous peer noted to Chambers that KHF lawyers “are unwaveringly committed to staring down injustice without blinking, and their work proves that. They are ambitious, feisty and fearless, especially tailor-made for these tumultuous times.” Another noted that “they are all pretty young, and are already superstars, so really, if they keep that model and all wind up staying together, the sky is the limit.”
“Kaplan Hecker & Fink is the go-to for anything complex and high-stakes, and when you combine the firm's top talent with the culture they have built that defies all of the age-old downsides of big law, there is no alternative out there.”
“The firm provides excellent advocacy for its clients. The lawyers are strategic and relentless.”
Efficiency
We are committed to delivering results at the highest possible level of quality, skill, and efficiency. Our teams are collaborative and nimble and comprise highly experienced litigators with impeccable academic and clerkship credentials. Clients receive the personalized attention of our partners while benefiting from the efficiency of our exceptionally talented team of lawyers. As a result, we consistently deliver superior outcomes and value to our clients.
Trial Ready
KHF lawyers have extensive trial experience, with five former federal prosecutors and three former public defenders among our ranks. Our litigators have tried numerous civil and criminal cases to verdict in both federal and state courts, and our clients benefit from deep trial experience and a wide range of subject matter knowledge. We offer diverse perspectives and insights from opposite sides of the courtroom, enabling the kind of strategic flexibility that delivers results.
In what was recognized by Benchmark Litigation as “Impact Case of the Year” and Global Investigations Review as “Most Important Court Case of the Year,” KHF secured a “rare”acquittal at trial in a market manipulation case against a former Barclays trader in early 2019. In 2022, KHF was honored by Benchmark Litigation with a second “Impact Case of the Year” award for our representation of the plaintiffs in Sines v. Kessler, in which the KHF team won a historic $26 million damages award in the groundbreaking lawsuit against twenty-four white supremacists and neo-Nazis for their roles in organizing the racial and religious-based violence in Charlottesville during the summer of 2017.
“A top-tier boutique. The team is really entrepreneurial, agile, flexible and strategic.”
“Kaplan Hecker & Fink is pound-for-pound the best law firm in the country.”
Public Interest Litigation
At KHF, we are committed to litigating cases that advance the public interest. We put public service at the center of our practice—and treat each public interest case exactly the same as every other case.
The Firm has taken on some of the most pressing and groundbreaking issues of today— suing the white supremacists who organized the violence in Charlottesville, challenging the Metropolitan Detention Center’s denial of access to counsel on behalf of the Federal Defenders of New York, Inc., protecting LGBTQ+ rights in Mississippi, suing Donald Trump and others for conspiring to defraud investors and successfully represented writer E. Jean Carroll in her sexual assault and defamation suits, securing two substantial jury verdicts of $5 million and $83.3 million, respectively—both in less than three hours. In 2024, KHF secured a settlement in a challenge to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law that restored the ability of students, teachers, and others in Florida schools to speak and write freely about sexual orientation and gender identity in class participation and schoolwork.
Equity and Inclusion
We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where lawyers and staff from diverse backgrounds feel valued, supported, and empowered to contribute, lead, and achieve their fullest potential. Our clients can rely on receiving top-tier representation because we recruit and retain the most exceptional talent, irrespective of how they look, love, or pray. In today’s interconnected global economy, embracing diversity is not only a core value at KHF, but also a sound business practice. By cultivating diverse teams, we not only mirror the rich tapestry of our clients, but also ensure that our lawyers possess the multifaceted perspectives and experiences needed to adeptly address our clients’ challenges.
KHF holds membership in both Bloomberg Law’s DEI Framework group and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), highlighting our active engagement and commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within the legal industry. In 2022, the Firm received the LCLD Compass Award, and each year, we nominate diverse attorneys to participate in the council’s Fellow and Pathfinders programs.
In 2023, KHF was named “North American Firm of the Year” by Legal Media Group as part of its Women in Business Law North America Awards and shortlisted for both Crain’s New York’s "Diversity Champion" and Chambers' "Diversity and Inclusion Outstanding Firm" awards. An anonymous peer noted to Benchmark Litigation that “[Kaplan Hecker’s] commitment to diversity and fair play is beyond question. Other firms talk the talk about diversity and equality, but this firm walks it, talks it, and lives it.”