Sandra C. Goldstein

Sandra Goldstein is a litigation partner in Kirkland’s New York office and a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. She has a broad litigation practice, with a particular focus on securities, M&A, and commercial disputes. Her clients have included 3G Capital, Barnes & Noble, Grubhub, Honeywell, IBM, J. Crew, Novartis, Pitney Bowes, Qualcomm, Six Flags, Starwood Hotels, United Airlines and Xerox.

In recent years, Sandra has represented clients in litigation relating to more than 30 contemplated or hostile transactions with a cumulative value of over $500 billion. During this time, she secured more than 20 pretrial wins, including a major summary judgment victory in a multibillion-dollar securities fraud class action lawsuit. Sandra frequently argues as lead courtroom counsel, winning over a dozen favorable decisions after oral argument at both the trial and appellate court levels concerning dispositive motions, motions for preliminary injunctions and expedited discovery. She also routinely advises boards, in-house counsel and company executives on litigation and corporate governance considerations at various stages of a deal, in collaboration with the Firm’s transactional attorneys.

Sandra has repeatedly been recognized as a leading lawyer by numerous professional publications. In 2020 alone, for example, she was awarded recognition as a “Distinguished Leader” (New York Law Journal), “Notable Woman in Law” (Crain’s), “Litigation Trailblazer” (New York Law Journal), “Securities MVP” (Law360) and one of the “Top 10 Woman in Litigation” (Benchmark Litigation). She has previously been named “Litigator of the Year” (Chambers USA), “Litigation Trailblazer” (National Law Journal) and one of the “25 Most Influential Women in Securities Law” (Law360).

Sandra is ranked in Band 1 by Chambers USA for Securities Litigation. She is also recognized in Legal 500’s “Hall of Fame” category for Securities Litigation and M&A Litigation (one of only eight lawyers and the only woman) and as one of Legal 500’s Leading Trial Lawyers. According to Legal 500, Sandra is “at the very top of the list of M&A litigators - few, if any, can match her tenacity and skillful advocacy.” Law360 called Sandra a “tough litigator and incisive strategist.”