Lauren Wagner is an experienced litigator with special focus on financial services-related litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and securities litigation. Lauren advises and represents individuals, banks, private equity funds, and other financial services firms in litigation and compliance relating to bankruptcy, lender disputes, bank liability, fraud, and regulatory compliance. Lauren draws innovative litigation judgment and finance sophistication from her experiences working as a secondee in the US Litigation group at Morgan Stanley, and as a clerk in Southern District of New York Bankruptcy Court. She’s also an active litigator on behalf of her pro bono clients with a focus on domestic violence victims, and member of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Women’s Affinity Group.
- Representing financial institution in breach of fiduciary duty and contract claims challenging sweep feature of brokerage and advisory financial products
- Representing private equity fund and former directors in fraudulent transfer and breach of fiduciary duty claims brought by litigation trustee for Tops Markets
- Representing financial institutions in breach of contract claim challenging features of self-directed IRA products
- Representing syndicates of major banks defending against securities class action claims in federal court arising out of public share offerings
- Represented pension plan trust in fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy court
- Represented outside director in fraudulent transfer and fiduciary duty claims brought by Sears estate
- Represented trust company in litigation over alleged breaches of financing documents and breach of trustee’s duties to pass through trust certificate holders
- Defended financial-services entities in multiple actions alleging breaches of representations and warranties in the issuance and securitization of Residential Mortgage Backed Securities in New York state court
- Represented funds in debtor-in-possession financing litigation in bankruptcy court
- Represented major bank in fraud and conspiracy claims in Florida state court
- Represented major bank in ECOA regulatory compliance class action litigation in federal court
- Represented major bank against fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy court
Pro Bono Experience
- First-chaired and won a two-day trial on behalf of pro bono client facing assault claims after she defended herself from an attack
- Obtained US asylum for a woman refugee who escaped Afghanistan
- Achieved dismissal of an immigration removal case for a survivor of domestic abuse
- Represented clients seeking name-change petitions, including survivors of domestic abuse and transgender individuals
- Served as co-counsel with the Center for Reproductive Rights and Planned Parenthood in challenging the constitutionality of a Virginia statute that restricts women’s access to healthcare services
- Assisted in representing abandoned child brought to the United States for lifesaving medical treatment in his application for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
Languages
- Hebrew
Admissions
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, First Judicial Department
- US District Court, Southern District of New York
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 2015: cum laude; Archibald Murray Public Service Award 2015 Recipient
- Barnard College - Columbia University, B.A., History, 2012: cum laude
Professional Activities
Clerkships
- US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, Hon. Martin Glenn (2017-2018)
Externships
- US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Criminal Division (Spring 2014)
Author
- “A Simple Decision in a Complex Case: Appointment of an Examiner Is Not Discretionary,” American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (July 2024)