Experience 

Richard Spehr is the Managing Partner of Mayer Brown's New York office. He is an experienced trial lawyer whose practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, including federal and state securities laws, internal investigations, SEC investigations, derivatives, banking, and financial services.

Rich’s clients include American International Group, Bank of America, BMW, Schering-Plough, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Currently, Rich is lead counsel to the former Chief Financial Officer of AIG in AIG's multi-jurisdiction subprime litigation.  Rich is also lead counsel to Schering-Plough in its Vytorin class action and derivative litigation.

Recent notable representations include: international arbitration (Schering-Plough); lender liability (HSBC); commodities trading (Lehman Brothers); foreign exchange trading (Bank of America, CMC Group); securities litigation (AIG, TV Azteca, Procom, Inc., Collins & Aikman, ING Securities, Inc., Twinlab Corporation, and numerous issuers in the IPO laddering/allocation cases); federal and state consumer protection (BMW); derivatives (BMO); CBO-securitization (Bank of America); litigation diligence (CS First Boston); unfair trade practices (Hampshire Equity Partners); mergers and acquisitions (CIBC); securities arbitration (CIBC); and numerous SEC and New York AG investigations on behalf of issuers, directors, and officers.

Rich joined Mayer Brown in 1994.  Previously, he was associated with another prominent law firm in New York.

Notable Engagements 

• Tew v. The Chase Manhattan Bank, N.A. (In re ESM Government Securities, Inc.): securities fraud (jury).
• In re Allegheny Bankruptcy.
• In re Black Estate: will contest.
• In re Olympic Parade cases: mass tort (jury).
• IPC Corporation v. Metalsa S.A. de C.V.: contract/fraud.
• Zaplet v. CIBC: securities fraud.
• Uni-Rty v. HSBC: lender liability (jury).
• Proliance v. Bank of Montreal: commodity swaps.

Education 

St. John's University School of Law, JD, 1986; Dean's List; St. Thomas More Scholar; Editor, St. John's Law Review • State University of New York at Binghamton, BA, 1983

Admitted

• US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1988
• US District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1987
• US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 1987
• New York, 1987