WILMINGTON, DELAWARE AND BOSTON — Block & Leviton LLP, a national law firm with offices in Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and California, today announces the opening of a new office in the State of Delaware. Nathan A. Cook, formerly associated with the Delaware law firms Grant & Eisenhofer P.A. and Abrams & Laster LLP (n/k/a Abrams & Bayliss LLP), has joined Block & Leviton LLP as the Managing Partner of the firm’s Delaware office. In 2019, Cook was recognized by Lawdragon in its guide to the country’s 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers, featuring attorneys who specialize in representing investor-plaintiffs.
In announcing his decision to become the firm’s Delaware Managing Partner, Cook stated “I have been fortunate to work on a wide range of business matters, as a clerk with the Court of Chancery and at premier law firms on both the defense/corporate-advisory side and on the plaintiffs’ side. I am now very excited to enter a new phase in my career as Managing Partner of Block & Leviton’s Wilmington office. Block & Leviton is a leader in the field of investor rights, and I look forward to working closely with the entire Block & Leviton team to establish the Wilmington office and continue the firm’s tradition of success in safeguarding investors.”
Block & Leviton co-founding partner Jason M. Leviton noted “we couldn’t be more pleased in welcoming Nathan to the firm. Nathan has been an unrelenting advocate for stockholder rights throughout his legal career. His extensive experience—starting with his service to the Hon. John W. Noble of the Delaware Chancery Court followed by his work as trusted counsel to sophisticated clients on both sides of the ‘v’ in private practice—will provide additional expertise and resources to the firm’s substantial Chancery practice.”
Block & Leviton partner Joel Fleming continued “adding Nathan to our team enhances our ability to go toe-to-toe with the cream of the defense bar and continue to win significant victories for our clients in the Delaware Court of Chancery—one of the most important forums in the country for the protection of investors’ rights.”
Before opening Block & Leviton’s Delaware office, Cook served as a Director at Grant & Eisenhofer, where he litigated multiple complex matters before the Delaware Court of Chancery and the Delaware Supreme Court, including In re Dole Food Co. Stockholder Litigation and In re Dole Food Co. Appraisal Litigation (stockholder class and appraisal litigation resulting in a damages award of $148 million, plus interest, following a nine-day trial); In re News Corporation Shareholder Derivative Litigation (settlement of $139 million settlement); In re Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings, Inc. Derivative Litigation (settlement required the return of $200 million to Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings’ stockholders); In re Delphi Financial Group Shareholder Litigation (class action settlement of $49 million); and Indiana Electrical Workers Pension Trust Fund IBEW v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.(a stockholder books and records lawsuit that resulted in a landmark Delaware Supreme Court ruling recognizing the “Garner doctrine” as Delaware law).
Before joining Grant & Eisenhofer, Cook served as lead trial counsel for a stockholder in a hostile takeover matter that resulted in the successful replacement of the incumbent board of directors. There, Cook represented the stockholder at a highly-contested stockholders meeting after successfully compelling the meeting and defeating the incumbent directors’ petition for a temporary restraining order relating to advance notice bylaws.
Cook also has significant experience providing corporate advisory services on a variety of matters relating to Delaware law and has spoken and written on numerous topics involving Delaware corporate law. Earlier this year, Cook served on the Corporation Law Council’s sub-committee on common law trusts.
Cook received his B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia, where he majored in economics and history and was a Jefferson Scholar and an Echols Scholar. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 2005, where he served on the Editorial Board for the Virginia Environmental Law Journal.
Cook volunteers with the Delaware Office of the Child Advocate and the Delaware Volunteer Legal Services protection from abuse program.