Page 63 - NYLJ Professional Excellence 2021

DISTINGUISHED LEADERS

ROBERT

GIUFFRA JR.

Vice chair of
Sullivan & Cromwell

What are some of your proudest recent achievements?
R ight before the COVID-19 shutdown, I led
an S&C team in a bellwether trial that
secured a favorable outcome for Volkswa-
gen, which was battling claims brought by
10 consumers who had opted out of class
settlements we had negotiated in 2016
regarding VW’s emissions issues. In the
end, the jury rejected the claims of half the plaintiffs and award-
ed the remaining five a total of just $5,747 in compensatory
damages.
In the punitive damages stage of the trial, the consumers
were after hundreds of millions of dollars, and our team con- we live in a time of rapid change, good lawyering skills will
vinced the San Francisco jury to award them just $100,000, always be valued. There are no shortcuts to providing top
which was eventually lowered to $23,000. legal services. In every assignment, master the facts and the
We were up against high-profile plaintiff’s lawyers, but the law, and apply good common.
opt-out consumers received substantially less than they would Think outside the box, and always solicit the views of your
have in the class action settlement. It was a great result for colleagues. The most junior lawyer may have the winning
the client. idea.

Name a lawyer or mentor whose leadership inspired you. What is the best advice for someone considering a career
I've had fantastic mentors. What makes the law a profession, in law, or someone already in the profession who is seek-
as opposed to a business, is that one generation teaches the ing to make a greater impact? Don’t specialize too early.
next. There's a lot of pressure in our profession to specialize, but
When I started out at Sullivan & Cromwell, I worked closely if you do, you end up being the kind of lawyer who misses
with John Warden, who was the head of the firm's litigation the forest for the trees. The more interesting cases are the
group. I watched John in court, and he put me in situations complicated cases, and the interesting cases are the cases
where I had the chance to examine lots of witnesses. where generalists succeed.
I also learned from Dave Tulchin, one of the best trial law- What I've learned, by working on a lot of different cases, is
yers in the history of our firm. Dave is very hands-on and the importance of being a generalist, not a specialist.
hates losing.
Another great mentor was my close friend and partner, the
late Vince DiBlasi. Vince was the best securities litigator of
his generation—he had great common sense and strategic
judgment.

How are the business and profession of law changing,
and how should lawyers adapt for the future? Although

Photo: Sullivan & Cromwell | October 2021 61