International law firm Withers has welcomed new litigation partners Amman Khan in Los Angeles and Christopher LaVigne in New York, furthering its strategy to build a market-leading litigation and arbitration team in the US.
Amman joins in California. He represents clients in high-stakes civil, commercial and trust disputes. Previously, Amman practiced at his own firm, Khan Law Office, PC, having developed his career at Ruby & Edwardh, Barristers & Solicitors, as a Professor at the Faculty of Law for the University of Ottawa, Roxborough Pomerance & Nye LP, Glaser, Weil LLP and Pierce Bainbridge Beck Price & Hecht LLP. Also joining Withers is associate John Dillon, who previously worked with Amman at his firm. Amman is admitted both in California, where he has practiced for 22 years, and as a barrister and solicitor in Ontario, Canada. He has litigated before state and federal courts and arbitral bodies in Los Angeles, New York, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal. Amman represents successful people, multinational family offices, business founders, financial institutions and well-known national brands.
Christopher joins Withers with more than a decade of experience representing clients in complex civil, criminal, and regulatory matters. Christopher began his career at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP, clerked for Honorable Vincent L. Briccetti in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and worked at firms Lankler Siffert & Wohl LLP and Pierce Bainbridge LLP. He represents individuals and corporate clients in commercial and civil disputes, and pursuant to investigations before the SEC, CFTC, Department of Justice, United States Congress, and other regulatory and prosecutorial bodies. His practice encompasses a wide range of industries, from the financial services sector to the worlds of sports and entertainment, and he has broad experience finding solutions for clients facing pressing commercial and regulatory issues.
Peter Wood, CEO of Withers' Dispute Resolution division, comments on the new US partners: "Chris and Amman are keystone hires for taking our US litigation strengths to the next level. Both of them have a track record of successfully managing big cases and winning the long term trust and loyalty of their clients, which is a real marker of a first-class litigator. We offer our US clients, both high profile individuals and companies, the full suite of dispute resolution tools and attorneys with proven experience."
Dean Nicyper, head of Withers' US Dispute Resolution, adds: "Our focus for US clients is to resolve their issues so that we effectively help them achieve their goals, but also to do so as quickly and efficiently as possible, and in confidence where circumstances require it. Bringing Chris and Amman on board furthers our team’s capabilities significantly to provide these solutions, especially in California, where our practice is growing as more clients are coming to us to handle their disputes."
Withers has grown its litigation team in the US with the arrival in January 2020 of Martin Auerbach as head of the white collar defense and investigation practice in New York, following on the arrival of white collar criminal defense attorney and civil litigator Georges Lederman in October 2019. The firm has also expanded its litigation practice in Asia with the hire of international arbitration partner Sherlin Tung in Hong Kong.
