Profile: Robert B Fiske Jr

Business Crime

Biography: Business Crime

Mr Fiske is a senior member of Davis Polk & Wardwell's litigation department. Among his practice specialties are professional liability, securities, products liability and white-collar crime. He has tried many cases concerning a wide variety of industries and areas of the law in courts across the country.

He represented Clark Clifford and Robert Altman in investigations of their roles in the BCCI matter, represented Exxon in New York and New Jersey investigations of the Arthur Kill oil spill, and represented Prudential Securities in the complex of proceedings arising out of its limited partnership sales practices. His financial and securities experience has included representation of General Electric, Exxon, Bankers Trust and other clients in securities actions. He obtained a reversal and judgment of acquittal in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals of the mail fraud conviction of David Brown, former chairman of the board of General Development Corporation.

Mr Fiske also has significant products liability experience. He obtained reversals in the Missouri Supreme Court of two multi-million dollar compensatory and punitive damage verdicts against Suzuki after trials involving a rollover of the Suzuki Samurai sport-utility vehicle. He successfully defended one of the highest-stakes cases ever brought, a $4 billion suit arising out of the Three Mile Island accident, brought by General Public Utilities against Babcock & Wilcox, which had designed and manufactured the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island.

He was co-counsel in the successful defense of the National Football League in the antitrust suit brought by the US Football League and has frequently represented prominent law firms in professional liability matters. He recently represented the New York Mets in the successful defense of an effort by Cablevision to block the formation of the Mets cable TV network with Time Warner and Comcast.

Mr Fiske's experience as a government prosecutor and lawyer is extensive. He was an Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1957 to 1961, and the US Attorney for the same district from 1976 to 1980. During his four-year term as US Attorney, Mr Fiske handled a number of important cases personally, including the conviction of narcotics kingpin Leroy "Nicky" Barnes; the labour racketeering conviction of Anthony Scotto and Anthony Anastasio; and the representation of Attorney General Griffin B Bell in connection with contempt proceedings in the Socialist Workers Party litigation. While US Attorney, he served as chairman of the Attorney General's Advisory Committee of US Attorneys. He served as Independent Counsel in the Whitewater Investigation from January to October 1994.

He represented the Judicial Council of the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in disciplinary proceedings against a US District Judge and has also served as chairman of a Judicial Commission on Drugs and the Courts appointed by New York State Chief Judge Judith S Kaye. He was a member of the Commission for the Review of FBI Security Programs (Webster Commission).

He joined Davis Polk in 1955 and became a partner in 1964.

Mr Fiske graduated from Yale University in 1952 and in 1955 received his JD, Order of the Coif, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was associate editor of the law review. He has received honorary degrees from the University of Michigan (1997) and the Vermont Law School (2005).

Mr Fiske is a past president of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the Federal Bar Council. He has served as chairman of the Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary of the American Bar Association and as chairman of the Planning and Program Committee of the Judicial Conference of the Second Circuit. He is currently serving on the Advisory Committee on Criminal Rules of the Judicial Conference of the United States. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a former Trustee of the Vermont Law School. Mr Fiske was named "International Lawyer of the Year 2005 for Business Crime" by The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2005.

Commercial Litigation

Biography: Commercial Litigation

Robert B Fiske Jr is a senior member of Davis Polk & Wardwell's litigation department. Among his practice specialties are professional liability, securities, products liability and white-collar crime. He has tried many cases concerning a wide variety of industries and areas of the law in courts across the country.

He represented Clark Clifford and Robert Altman in investigations of their roles in the BCCI matter, represented Exxon in New York and New Jersey investigations of the Arthur Kill oil spill, and represented Prudential Securities in the complex of proceedings arising out of its limited partnership sales practices. His financial and securities experience has included representation of General Electric, Exxon, Bankers Trust and other clients in securities actions. He obtained a reversal and judgment of acquittal in the eleventh circuit Court of Appeals of the mail fraud conviction of David Brown, former chairman of the board of General Development Corporation.

Mr Fiske also has significant products liability experience. He obtained reversals in the Missouri Supreme Court of two multimillion-dollar compensatory and punitive damage verdicts against Suzuki after trials involving a rollover of the Suzuki Samurai sport-utility vehicle. He successfully defended one of the highest-stakes cases ever brought, a $4 billion suit arising out of the Three Mile Island accident, brought by General Public Utilities against Babcock & Wilcox, which had designed and manufactured the nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island.

He was co-counsel in the successful defence of the National Football League in the antitrust suit brought by the US Football League and has frequently represented prominent law firms in professional liability matters. He recently represented the New York Mets in the successful defence of an effort by Cablevision to block the formation of the Mets cable TV network with Time Warner and Comcast.

Mr Fiske's experience as a government prosecutor and lawyer is extensive. He was an assistant US attorney for the southern district of New York from 1957 to 1961, and the US attorney for the same district from 1976 to 1980. During his four-year term as US attorney, Mr Fiske handled a number of important cases personally, including the conviction of narcotics kingpin Leroy 'Nicky' Barnes; the labour racketeering convictions of Anthony Scotto and Anthony Anastasio; and the representation of Attorney General Griffin B Bell in connection with contempt proceedings in the Socialist Workers' Party litigation. While US attorney, he served as chairman of the attorney general's advisory committee of US attorneys. He served as independent counsel in the Whitewater Investigation from January to October 1994.

He represented the judicial council of the US Court of Appeals for the fifth circuit in disciplinary proceedings against a US district judge and has also served as chairman of a judicial commission on drugs and the courts appointed by New York State Chief Judge Judith S Kaye. He was a member of the commission for the review of FBI security programmes (Webster Commission).

He joined Davis Polk in 1955 and became a partner in 1964.

Mr Fiske graduated from Yale University in 1952 and in 1955 received his JD, Order of the Coif, from the University of Michigan law school, where he was associate editor of the law review. He has received honorary degrees from the University of Michigan (1997) and the Vermont Law School (2005).

Mr Fiske is a past president of the American College of Trial Lawyers and of the Federal Bar Council. He has served as chairman of the standing committee on federal judiciary of the American Bar Association and as chairman of the planning and programme committee of the judicial conference of the second circuit. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a former trustee of the Vermont Law School. Mr Fiske was named 'International Lawyer of the Year 2005 for Business Crime' by the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers 2005. In 2007, he was a recipient of the New York City Bar Association medal.