Represent a national commercial real estate brokerage in a portfolio of NY commercial lease commission recovery disputes, using targeted pre-litigation strategies—including broker’s lien filings to encumber real property interests, cloud title, and create immediate settlement leverage and strategic, augmented litigation positioning—resulting in next-day settlement following lien filing in one matter.

Represented a consumer products company in a breach of contract nonpayment dispute, strategically focused on preserving a commercial relationship. Filed a NY Supreme Court action as a final step to address a stalled settlement agreement against a counterparty represented by a large international law firm; after defense counsel defaulted, guided the direct business-to-business negotiations and helped finalize the settlement.

Defended a global commercial airframe and aerospace manufacturer in the NY County Commercial Division against $130 million business fraud, technical specifications, and contractual indemnity claims from an assignment of services and asset divestiture to a German buyer. 

Successfully resolved M&A pre- and post-closing shareholder class actions and other transactional litigation involving corporate disclosures, reps and warranties, fiduciary duties, earnout consideration, and interest valuation disputes. 

Led extensive Foreign Corrupt Practices Act anti-bribery compliance investigations and presented to C-level executives of a European international trade security company following U.S. DOJ raids on the company’s facilities in southeast Asia. 

Prudently advised a major LATAM airline carrier to forego lodging $50 million anticipatory contract breach and injunctive claims against its airline counterparty prospectively venued in the NY County Commercial Division. 

Following the close of a NY-venued, NY-law-governed AAA arbitration hearing, completely defeated $20 million contract claims and injunctive relief sought against a leading regional petroleum storage and terminal operating company over lost contango investment opportunities and storage, output location, and transport preference rights. 

Negotiated a favorable settlement on the facts for a private equity interest holder, ending fraudulent inducement claims between French and British counterparties in a NY County Commercial Division action to avoid substantial summary judgment and trial costs. 

Successfully negotiated sweeping non-party document requests down to a 12-page production and averted non-party deposition testimony for the capital markets arm of a NY–based global investment bank, substantially limiting third-party discovery burden in a California class action under Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Cost-effectively limited non-party corporate executive depositions and streamlined non-party document discovery for the investment banking arm of a NY-based global financial firm, reducing burden and exposure in a NY County Commercial Division action arising from a $200 million loan placement and related assumption and guarantor substitution issues in Colorado commercial real estate transactions.

Navigated avoidance of non-party depositions and cost-effectively managed complex, large-scale non-party discovery for the investment banking arm of a NY-based global financial firm, reducing burden and risk in a non-NY bankruptcy proceeding arising from a major media company dissolution and the bank’s M&A advisory role in pre-bankruptcy network asset sales following antitrust rulings.

Senior legal team leader on a national portfolio of 100+ civil suits and FINRA arbitrations, SEC and FINRA regulatory investigations, and expansive internal investigations for Fortune 50 broker-dealers and insurers concerning Ponzi, securities fraud, and insurance schemes perpetrated by financial advisors. First-chaired cases and mitigated $700 million in exposure through early dismissals, strategic eDiscovery rulings, and fractional settlements. 

Developed and won an unprecedented cost-slashing summary judgment strategy to avert a FINRA arbitration hearing concerning novel market-making theories and dividend claims while leading a 5-firm joint defense team on behalf of a NY-based international investment bank. 

• ‍Client testimonial to senior Morgan Lewis management: ‍ ‍“Last night our Summary Judgment motion in the arbitration was granted by the panel.  I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how pleased we are with this result, and in particular the work of John Vassallo on the case.  He did a stellar job, taking the lead in drafting much of the papers, at oral argument, and general cat-herding.  We could not be happier with this result and the job he did.  He is a credit to your firm.”  - International Investment Bank Client; Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, U.S. General Counsel 

Led attorney teams that successfully resolved years-long internal compliance and securities enforcement investigations for financial firms through reputationally favorable public settlements with FINRA. The investigations concerned securities possession or control, cash reserve accounts, and prospectus deliveries.  

Persuaded FINRA to reverse career-ending decisions and take no further action against a major NY broker-dealer’s three in-house legal counsel concerning their business compliance reporting obligations to FINRA. 

Defended a global commercial bank against dozens of mass-action consumer protection and unfair and deceptive trade practices suits concerning mortgage loan and modification practices in NY and NJ state and federal trial and appellate courts. 

Oversaw parallel SDNY federal district court and NY-venued JAMS arbitration proceedings against an investment management firm to secure an optimal infrastructure investment valuation interest for the firm’s departing senior managing director. 

Pursued low-profile strategies to protect a foreign state-owned bank and other enterprises from $1.3 billion in fraud and RICO claims dismissed from the SDNY federal district court, through appeal to the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and to final US Supreme Court certiorari denial. 

Defended a global commercial bank through successful federal court appeal of a False Claims Act qui tam whistleblower action by a relator concerning national mortgage banking industry practices and uniform mortgage recording practices. 

Secured dismissal of an Italian correspondent bank in an SDNY federal district court action asserting money laundering, terrorist support, and fraud tied to the international sale of foreign sovereign bonds. 

Defeated class action ERISA and RICO claims against a top pharmacy benefits manager and health insurer concerning benefits plan payment provisions and other contract disputes. 

In a trade secrets, employment mobility, and antitrust case governed by NY law, led a successful federal court TRO opposition team for a major reinsurance brokerage and its 30-person division, catalyzing a quick 8% settlement win that allowed business activities to proceed unrestrained. 

Led a Swiss pharma client’s NY-law-governed international dispute concerning $1 billion IP licensing, supply, and manufacturing deals with a Korean pharma company; led successful litigation-ending settlement negotiations and deal reconfiguration in Geneva, Switzerland. 

Partnered with client teams at a top contract drug research organization (CRO) to navigate NY-law-governed Phase 1-3 clinical drug study disputes and commercial transactions with drug sponsors concerning product supply chain hurdles, GxP, study integrity, data deliverables and reporting obligations, site and patient recruitment challenges, investigator issues, and other R&D considerations. 

Led case teams guiding biopharma clients through highly regulated frameworks while first-chairing complex NY- and Delaware-law-governed civil suits and cross-border ICDR AAA arbitration matters involving global clinical drug studies, high-value commercial contracts, counterparty performance standards, and fraud. 

Managed a COVID testing and analysis laboratory’s NY State Supreme Court, Kings County, portfolio of disputed contract matters, default proceedings, and related contractual settlement negotiations with defunct COVID testing companies.  Matters included fraud investigations by the US DOJ. 

Guided a US innovative drug client through profitable reconfiguration of international co-promotion, IP licensing, and NY-law-governed commercial collaboration contracts with Japanese and French companies during an international arbitration of tri-party contract disputes. 

Represented an injury detection dye manufacturer on NY contract and tort claims brought by an Australian licensee. Developed and led the counterparty royalties audit that resolved the dispute without litigation, through favorable contract termination, and with no client liability. 

Advised a Swiss biopharma client in successful litigation-avoidance efforts to reconfigure a multi-billion-dollar immuno-oncology drug collaboration agreement with a NY-based global biopharma counterparty.  Developed persuasive contract interpretations involving complicated scientific concepts and terminology that created leverage for new agreements with additional business partners without litigation.  

Represented three C-level executives of a laboratory services research organization, and the company itself, in parallel post-acquisition earnout and employment contract disputes with their private equity purchaser. 

Obtained early case dismissal of CERCLA claims in the EDNY federal district court against a large potentially responsible party defense group concerning Brooklyn / East River, NY industrial properties with contamination history dating to the 1800s. 

Secured a NY County Commercial Division summary judgment win awarding contractually indemnified remediation costs arising from a California chemical facility divestiture subject to ongoing EPA Superfund site cleanup actions. 

Successfully represented a broad client base in environmental matters including regulatory and permitting work and cost recovery and contribution litigation in nationwide federal courts under CERCLA, RCRA, and state-law statutes. 

Obtained favorable CERCLA liability and allocation rulings for a regional property development company in the DNJ federal district court following a 17-day bench trial in a multi-party dispute including the NJDEP and United States as potentially responsible parties. 

Represented a global semiconductor manufacturer on contract indemnification claims against the United States and in parallel CERCLA negotiations, facilitating settlement of the case at 17% of the government’s offer. 

Led environmental diligence and deal strategy for a bi-state authority negotiating the lease-to-purchase of a NJ international airport located in a 5,000-acre Superfund site by collaborating with seven federal and state agencies, securing indemnities, and procuring $100 million of insurance coverage for the deal. 

Collaborated with NJ state agencies on behalf of national disaster recovery firm, and was thanked for “persistence,” in obtaining one of only seven emergency permits granted for the staging and transportation of solid and hazardous wastes in NJ following the Hurricane Sandy disaster.