Hackensack, New Jersey, November 9, 2009 – Cole Schotz is pleased to announce that Morrill J. Cole and Michael S. Meisel have been named “Litigation Stars” and James T. Kim and Susan M. Usatine have been named “Future Stars” by the 2010 edition of Benchmark Litigation: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys.   The firm was also honored as a “Recommended” law firm in the state of New Jersey.

Morrill Cole, a Certified Civil Trial Attorney, is the senior litigator in the firm. His trial work has focused primarily in the commercial and business area involving antitrust claims, trademark and unfair competition claims, disputed control of closely held corporations, securities fraud and a broad range of business litigation.  

Michael Meisel is Chairman of the firm's Litigation Department.  He tries business cases of every variety—shareholder disputes, directors & officers liability and corporate/insurance reorganization, and also has successfully tried many arbitration cases, mediated disputes, serves as special master, mediator and arbitrator. In all these fields, Meisel has earned professional distinction among his colleagues and with the courts.  Meisel was lead litigation lawyer in the $12 billion Mutual Benefit Life Insurance case and acted as special counsel to the NJ Commission of Insurance and State Attorney General.

James Kim’s practice emphasizes complex commercial and corporate litigation in the federal and state courts.  Mr. Kim focuses his practice in the areas of chancery litigation, shareholder disputes, corporate dissolutions, foreclosure, unfair competition and intellectual property litigation.  He also litigates complex adversary proceedings in the bankruptcy courts.

Susan Usatine’s practice in civil litigation emphasizes complex commercial and corporate litigation in the trial and appellate courts. She has significant experience litigating and advising clients in a broad range of areas, including corporate and partnership disputes, probate disputes, contract interpretation and unfair competition. She has represented domestic and international clients in the technology, apparel, media, public services, automotive, medical, real estate and entertainment industries.

About Benchmark

Benchmark is published by Legal Media Group, part of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC and is the only publication on the market to focus exclusively on litigation in the U.S.  In compiling its guide, Benchmark’s researchers conducted extensive interviews with leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel to determine the top firms and attorneys for litigation in the United States. The firms selected for the list are renowned within the business and legal communities for the quality of their trial work and their litigation professionals. The full list of firms included in the 2010 guide can be found at www.benchmarklitigation.com.

About Cole Schotz                         

Cole Schotz serves clients throughout the mid-Atlantic region of the United States with offices in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.  The firm represents hundreds of closely-held businesses and individuals – many for decades – as well as Fortune 500 companies. 

Founded in 1928, the firm has grown to 120 attorneys who work in eight primary areas of practice:  Litigation; Real Estate; Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring; Tax, Trusts & Estates; Corporate, Finance & Business Transactions; Employment; Environmental; and Construction Services.