Sylvia E. Simson

Sylvia Simson, a shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s New York office, is a litigator with a diverse practice focused on a broad range of complex commercial litigation. Ms. Simson has deep experience with contract and deal-related litigation (specifically on those governed by New York or Delaware law), class action defense, financial services litigation, energy litigation, multi-district litigation, litigation and investigations involving sensitivity and/or crisis management components, and mass tort/products liability litigation, including in the pharmaceutical/medical device, chemicals, energy, consumer products, and cosmetics contexts. Experienced in both trials and appeals, Ms. Simson is well-known for her collaboration with her clients and for her brief-writing skills. She works with clients to develop tailored strategies with the goal of winning cases at the early dispositive motion stage (when possible, without the need for any discovery) and, where a case proceeds to discovery, limiting the scope of large-scale litigation, avoiding class certification, and winning on summary judgment. Ms. Simson has also represented clients in both jury and bench trials and on appeal in both federal and state courts.

Ms. Simson has counseled and litigated on behalf of global and national corporations, financial institutions, hedge funds, private equity firms and their portfolio companies, broker-dealers, privately-held companies, LLCs, SPACs, partnerships, executives and board members, start-up entities, and high-net-worth individuals in federal, state, and bankruptcy adversary proceeding cases across the country. Ms. Simson has litigated, among other things, contractual disputes relating to M&A transactions, stock purchase agreements, collaboration and licensing agreements, business combination agreements, membership interest purchase agreements, partnership agreements, and loan agreements. She also has deep experience defending alleged fraud and/or breach of fiduciary duty claims, purported false advertising and deceptive trade practices claims, alleged privacy violations (including under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act), purported toxic exposure claims (including chemicals, dust, and asbestos), claims relating to trading activities, claims arising out of various environmental statutes and regulations, and alleged False Claims Act violations. Her experience spans a wide range of industries and Ms. Simson works to become deeply familiar with the subject matter relevant to the dispute at hand, and where necessary, works alongside expert witnesses in various scientific and professional fields.

In addition, Ms. Simson has experience defending large-scale arbitrations and complex investigations, as well as engaging in complex and multi-stage mediation, negotiating and drafting complex settlement agreements, providing counsel in transactional and regulatory contexts, advising on risk mitigation and preparedness, and developing coordinated defense strategies integrating business, media, regulatory, and litigation dimensions.

Concentrations

•Commercial litigation, including both trials and appeals
•Products liability litigation, including MDLs and the coordination of related cases in federal and state courts
•Class actions in federal and state courts
•M&A disputes and deal-related litigation
•Energy litigation
•Financial litigation
•Life sciences and healthcare litigation
•Environmental litigation, including alleged exposure litigation
•Investigations

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Honoree, New York Law Journal, “Rising Stars,” 2025
•Team Member, BTI’s Most Recommended Law Firms, Big Pharma, 2025
•Listed, Benchmark Litigation
•“Litigation Star,” 2026
•“40 & Under - U.S. Edition,” 2024 and 2025
•Shortlisted, Euromoney, 'Women in Business Awards - Litigation Rising Star,' 2024
•Listed, Thomson Reuters, 'Stand-Out Lawyers,' 2024, 2025, and 2026
•Team Member, a Law360 “Product Liability Practice Group of the Year,” 2022
•Team Member, a Law360 “Environmental Practice Group of the Year,' 2022
•Team Member, a Law360 “Product Liability Practice Group of the Year,' 2021