Who We Are.

Stris & Maher is run by lawyers who spent years honing our craft in private practice, government, academia, and corporate America before joining forces to establish a law firm based on three core principles:

We hire only the brightest legal minds.

Our team consists of exceptional professionals. And while we are growing to meet the needs of our clients, our low ratio of junior to senior lawyers ensures that every matter receives the full benefit of our partners' experience and expertise.

We only take cases where we can add value.

Our firm adds the most value in complex and high-stakes engagements. Not only are we adept at understanding complicated facts and law, but we are uniquely skilled at figuring out what matters to win. It is no coincidence that our cases are regularly in the news.

We pursue compensation arrangements that reward success.

Our experience, skills, and results are comparable to those of elite practice groups at large firms. Our compensation arrangements are not. Instead of leveraging the work of many junior attorneys, we seek to profit from partial contingencies, success bonuses, and other creative solutions that reward efficiency and success. We like win-wins.

What We Do.

Before litigation, at trial, and on appeal, we offer expertise and judgment that our clients can rely on in virtually any area of law. Our method is simple:

We figure things out.

We are fast learners. We can quickly master any fact pattern in virtually any substantive area or industry. And because we get to the bottom of every case, we provide extraordinary visibility into the future along with a unique ability to shape it.

We craft a plan.

We think deeply to develop innovative and effective strategies for our clients. For us, every case is unique because every client is unique. We work with our clients to analyze the risks that are relevant to them, and we tailor solutions to meet their specific business objectives.

We tell the story.

We can both inform and persuade. We know how to present the right narrative for our audience. From the boardroom to the courtroom, we speak in a way that will resonate with our listeners. And we think that our record speaks for itself.

Who We Serve.

Our clients are remarkably diverse. We represent corporate, government, law firm, and individual clients in a wide range of business disputes. Some are plaintiffs, some are defendants, and some retain us to resolve potential conflicts before they result in litigation. The firm's clients share a common trait: they want innovative and effective solutions tailored to their specific objectives.

Corporate clients.

We represent and advise Fortune 500 corporations, mid-market companies, and successful start-ups throughout the country on a wide range of issues. Read more.

Government & nonprofit clients.

We represent States and other government entities as well as nonprofit organizations throughout the country on a wide range of issues. Read more.

Law firm clients.

We are often retained by prominent law firms as co-counsel in high-stakes litigation or as lead counsel in high-profile appeals. Read more.

Individual clients.

Unlike many of our peer firms, we frequently represent individual clients including executives, investors, employees, and retirees. Read more.

Corporate Clients

We represent and advise Fortune 500 corporations, mid-market companies, and successful start-ups throughout the country on a wide range of issues.

  • Wall-Street.com - Supreme Court victory

    We successfully advanced a plain language interpretation of the Copyright Act's "registration" requirement, overcoming strong policy arguments advanced by the petitioner to achieve a 9-0 win at the Supreme Court.
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  • Barnes & Noble — Victory in New York

    Barnes & Noble, Inc. retained us to defend a hold-up suit brought by a self-published author.  We filed dispositive motions until the case was completely dismissed.
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  • Smashwords — Victories in Ohio and the Sixth Circuit

    We successfully defended Smashwords, Inc. in litigation brought by a couple whose image was used on the cover of an erotic, self-published ebook about NFL player Rob Gronkowski that was featured on NPR and Jimmy Kimmel Live.
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  • design LAB — a Decade of Success

    For over ten years, we have represented design LAB, Inc., one of the nation’s preeminent private-label designers and manufacturers of pet and theme-park merchandise.
    Read More
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Government & Nonprofit Clients

We represent States and other government entities as well as nonprofit organizations throughout the country on a wide range of issues.

  • Johnson — Fighting Illegal Debt-Collection Practices

    After winning in the Eleventh Circuit, the firm went on to litigate before the U.S. Supreme Court a set of difficult issues arising from debt-collector abuse, in schemes with potentially billions at stake for debtors and innocent creditors.
    Read More

  • Representing Vermont — Healthcare Preemption

    We were retained by Vermont to assist in seeking U.S. Supreme Court review in this landmark healthcare preemption case. We then served as co-counsel on the merits.
    Read More

  • Advising California — ERISA and the ACA

    The California Department of Managed Health Care retained Brendan Maher to analyze the applicability of ERISA and the Affordable Care Act to potential healthcare and insurance regulation.
    Read More

  • Representing Mississippi — Tribal Jurisdiction

    We were retained by Mississippi to prepare an amicus brief in support of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians in a U.S. Supreme Court case regarding tribal jurisdiction.  Five additional states joined our brief.
    Read More
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Law Firm Clients

We are often retained by prominent law firms as co-counsel in high-stakes litigation or as lead counsel in high-profile appeals

  • Arena Pharmaceuticals — Ninth Circuit

    We were retained by plaintiffs’ securities powerhouse Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP to appeal this major securities case involving nine-figure stock losses.
    Read More

  • Honeywell — $23.8 Million Settlement

    Within a year of being retained by lead class counsel, we helped obtain a $23.8-million settlement in a longstanding pension action involving complex actuarial calculations.
    Read More

  • Montanile — Supreme Court Victory

    We prevailed 8-1 before the Supreme Court in a landmark insurance case that affects millions of Americans who receive health insurance, disability benefits, or pensions through their employers.
    Read More
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Individual Clients

Unlike many of our peer firms, we frequently represent individual clients including executives, investors, employees, and retirees.

  • Karen McDougal — Impact Litigation

    We successfully represented Karen McDougal in this high-profile litigation over her contract with a major media organization that kept her from telling the story of her 2006-07 relationship with President Donald Trump.
    Read More

  • Xerox — $22+ Million Recovered

    For nearly a decade, we represented dozens of Xerox pensioners in this high-profile litigation. Defendants were ordered to pay—and paid—more than $22 million to plaintiffs.
    Read More

  • Merrill Lynch — Securities Victory

    Before the U.S. Supreme Court, we were retained to represent six investors who sued leading financial institutions seeking to recover over $50 million of stock losses. In a unanimous decision, we prevailed.
    Read More

  • Bumble and bumble CEO — Executive Compensation

    We represented the CEO of Bumble and bumble in contentious executive compensation litigation against the company’s founder.  Within days of deposing the founder, we settled the case.
    Read More
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