Jim Capra
is a partner in the New York office and a member of the Business Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Capra has more than 30 years of experience in litigation, complex investigations, counseling and alternative dispute resolution in the areas of accountant liability, antitrust, environmental defense and other general commercial matters. He has handled cases in courts across the country and represented clients in investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and other enforcement agencies, including the Department of Justice and the New York Attorney General’s office.
His recent experience in accountant liability and securities matters includes:
Representation of an auditor in the first contested PCAOB disciplinary proceeding.
Lead counsel for a Big Four firm and one of its partners in defense of claims in MDL proceedings arising out of the failure of one of the largest providers of brokerage and clearing services in the international derivatives, currency and futures markets.
Lead counsel in the successful defense of a Big Four accounting firm that audited the financial statements of a large agricultural cooperative that subsequently filed for bankruptcy. Plaintiffs’ securities and consumer fraud claims were dismissed with prejudice, and that result was affirmed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
Lead counsel in the successful defense of a Big Four accounting firm that audited the financial statements of a major provider of outsourcing services to financial institutions. Investors filed securities fraud claims in the aftermath of a substantial restatement. The claim against the auditor was dismissed and, after settling with the company, plaintiffs failed in their effort to revive the case against the auditor on the basis of allegedly new evidence from discovery.
In his career, Mr. Capra has also defended clients in significant antitrust, environmental and commercial cases, including:
Lead counsel in the successful defense of a supermarket retailer on monopolization claims with respect to the Jamestown, New York market. After a three-week trial, the jury returned a complete defense verdict.
Counsel in the successful defense of the successor to a major railroad on antitrust claims relating to the transportation system for iron ore.
Lead counsel in the defense of environmental cost recovery claims against the successor to a major railroad.
Before joining King & Spalding, Mr. Capra was a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, which he joined after a twenty-year career at Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine LLP.
