Tansy Woan

Ms. Woan represents a broad spectrum of clients in a wide variety of complex corporate, commercial, securities, antitrust and fraudulent transfer disputes in federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as in arbitration proceedings. She also advises clients in a broad range of regulatory investigations conducted by the DOJ, the SEC and FINRA. Additionally, Ms. Woan frequently advises clients on a variety of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, including on diversity and inclusion initiatives and ESG-related public disclosures.

Select representations include:

• Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. in a federal securities putative class action;
• AXA Equitable in a series of putative class action lawsuits alleging that the company breached its contractual duties to variable annuity and variable life insurance policyholders by implementing a volatility management strategy in certain portfolios;
• Bank of America Corporation in a shareholder derivative action related to its acquisition of Countrywide Financial Group;
• FMR, LLC and Fidelity Brokerage Services, LLC in a putative class action asserting securities claims related to high-frequency trading;
• JPMorgan Chase in various federal antitrust class actions alleging that foreign currency dealers conspired to manipulate benchmark currency exchange rates;
• The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in a putative class action alleging fraud, negligence, unjust enrichment and breach of contract claims related to the withholding of FICA taxes;
• PG&E Corporation and certain of its directors in multiple shareholder derivative actions arising out of the September 2010 rupture of a natural gas transmission pipeline;
• PPL Corporation and certain of its current and former directors in an alleged fraudulent transfer dispute arising out of a spin-off of its coal-fired business; and
• UBS Securities LLC in a securities dispute arising out of its purchase of 22 residential mortgage-backed securities by two of NCUA’s member credit unions.

Ms. Woan maintains an active pro bono practice and has handled a variety of matters in this capacity, including a recent federal jury trial where she served as lead trial counsel in a civil rights matter. She also represents survivors of domestic violence in obtaining orders of protection and assisting with related custody disputes. In 2016, she was honored by Sanctuary for Families for her successful representation of a domestic violence survivor in a trial that resulted in an order granting all of the relief requested.

She also maintains an active amicus practice, including:

• on behalf of criminal law scholars in New York Rifle & Pistol Ass’n v. Cortlett (U.S. Supreme Court 2021)
• on behalf of law professors in Nasrallah v. Barr (U.S. Supreme Court 2020) (removal proceedings);
• on behalf of members of Congress in three district courts (2018- 19) and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (2020) (administration of the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program);
• on behalf of the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program in Darweesh v. Trump (E.D.N.Y. 2017) (executive action on immigration restrictions); and
• on behalf of a coalition of businesses in Texas v. United States (Fifth Circuit 2015) (executive action on undocumented immigrants).

Ms. Woan is actively involved in the firm’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. She serves on the steering committees for the Asian Pacific Islander Affinity Network and the Women’s Affinity Network. She also is a frequent speaker and author on diversity and inclusion issues.