Francesco Valentini is a senior associate in the Litigation/Controversy Department, and a member of the Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Group. He joined the firm in 2008.
Practice
Mr. Valentini focuses his litigation practice on government, regulatory and appellate litigation. His practice encompasses all phases of litigation before US district courts, the federal courts of appeals and the Supreme Court. Mr. Valentini has significant experience representing and advising clients on matters involving questions of administrative and constitutional law and in civil litigation involving the government and quasi-governmental entities. Mr. Valentini also has experience in complex commercial litigation and internal investigations.
Recent Highlights
- Representing international maritime shipping company in the Supreme Court in litigation regarding the availability of class arbitration when the parties’ arbitration agreement is silent as to such question
- Representing a member of Congress in federal district court and before the Supreme Court defending the constitutionality of the McCain-Feingold Act
- Participating in defending the constitutionality of the immunity provision of the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 in federal district court on behalf of a major telecommunications carrier in consolidated class actions alleging that carriers cooperated with alleged NSA counter-terrorism surveillance following the attacks of September 11
- Advising a major insurance company on the constitutionality of a state regulator's initiative seeking to impose sanctions on US insurers holding assets in non-US companies that maintain business interests in Iran
- Prosecuting a dispute in New York Supreme Court on behalf of the largest credit union in the United States against a lending service provider and insurer arising out of defaulted mortgages
- Representing a pharmaceutical company seeking review under the Administrative Procedure Act of Patent and Trademark Office determinations relating to patent term adjustments
- Representing a professional organization in putative class actions filed in federal district court
- Representing a non-profit organization as amicus curiae in defense of the constitutionality of gun control measures against Second Amendment challenges in the federal courts of appeals
Past Experience
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Valentini served as a law clerk for the Honorable William C. Canby, Jr. of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He was also summer associate at a firm in San Francisco. From 2001 to 2004, Mr. Valentini was an analyst at an economic research and consulting firm.
