Veterans Of Madoff, 'Varsity Blues' Cases Launch New Firm
By Chris Villani
Law360 (July 17, 2023, 12:02 AM EDT) -- A pair of former Freedman
Normand Friedland LLP attorneys with experience in headline-grabbing cases including the Bernie Madoff scandal, Theranos and "Varsity Blues" are striking out on their own to start a boutique firm they say will continue to tackle high-profile matters.
Eric Rosen and Constantine Economides are teaming up to start Dynamis LLP, with hopes to quickly grow the five-person firm and serve clients in Boston, New York City and Miami. The new firm officially launched Monday.
Rosen said the plan to start a firm has been in the works for several months. The former lead prosecutor in the college admissions case said he and his new partner will not shy away from the kinds of big cases they've handled throughout their careers.
"It's not only high-profile matters involving the [U.S. Department of Justice], but complex civil cases, and I think we are also on the cutting edge in a lot of subject matters," Rosen said in an interview Tuesday. "We both do a lot of crypto cases, and I consider us breaking new law in a lot of those matters and applying old-school techniques to new subjects as they come in and being aggressive about getting our clients results."
Economides said the firm wants to emphasize taking on tough cases, including "adversaries who are large, sophisticated, and well-known with deep pockets."
Economides tackled such cases before joining Freedman Normand. He represented the Securities Investor Protection Corp. on a team that recovered over $11 billion for victims of the Madoff Ponzi scheme and recouped funds for investors duped by Theranos and its imprisoned founder, Elizabeth Holmes.
Rosen led one of the most well-known prosecutions in the Massachusetts U.S. attorney's office. Numerous corporate bigwigs and Hollywood celebrities were among those ensnared in the sweeping "Varsity Blues" scheme accusing them of bribing their children's way into college through fraudulent athletic and academic credentials.
Rosen's work has drawn high praise from his colleagues. Covington & Burling LLP partner and former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer called Rosen "a fabulous lawyer, a wonderful person and a fierce advocate for his clients."
"Eric combines tremendous strategic thinking, an enormous work ethic, and an ability to relate to
Eric Rosen
and win over almost anyone," Breuer told Law360. "I would never hesitate to refer a matter to Eric and I would recommend him to my dearest friends."
Justin Shur of MoloLamken LLP said he has worked with Rosen on several white collar investigations and called him "a terrific strategist and talented trial lawyer."
"Eric is a tremendous talent who was a trailblazer as a federal and state prosecutor," added Reed Smith LLP partner Mark Bini. "He's already enjoyed tremendous success as a defense attorney and has established himself as a go-to resource for the most difficult white-collar and complex civil cases."
While Dynamis will start with five legal professionals, both Rosen and Economides said they are actively looking for talented associates who want to get hands-on experience more quickly than they might be able to at a BigLaw firm. Economides said the plan is for the firm's associates to get right into the mix taking depositions, doing trial work and being involved in oral arguments.
"These are things they wouldn't be able to do for many years," he said. "We want the type of people that are excited and ready to do those things and just haven't been given the opportunity. I think that will be one of the hallmarks of Dynamis in terms of hiring."
The word "dynamis" in Greek has several meanings, including "strength", "authority," and "power" and has also come to represent "potential." Rosen said the name stemmed from him and Economides wanting to capture a larger scope than if they had simply used their last names.
"We want to build a brand that says to people 'the name Dynamis is not just about the people who founded it, but about every lawyer at the firm and every client that we help,'" he said. "We wanted it to have a mark and say something."
--Editing by Janice Carter Brown.
All Content © 2003-2024, Portfolio Media, Inc.