Patrick J. Coughlin

Patrick J. Coughlin has been lead counsel for several major securities matters, including one of the largest class action securities cases to go to trial, In re Apple Computer Sec. Litig., No. C-84-20148 (N.D. Cal.).

Additional prominent securities class actions prosecuted by Mr. Coughlin include the Enron litigation, in which $7.2 billion was recovered; the Qwest litigation, in which a $445 million recovery was obtained; and the HealthSouth litigation, in which a $671 million recovery was obtained.

Formerly, Mr. Coughlin was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia and the Southern District of California, handling complex white-collar fraud matters. During this time, Mr. Coughlin helped try one of the largest criminal RICO cases ever prosecuted by the United States, United States v. Brown, No. 86-3056-SWR (D.D.C.), as well as an infamous oil fraud scheme resulting in a complex murder-for-hire trial, United States v. Boeckman, No. 87-cr-00676 (S.D. Cal.).

Mr. Coughlin’s additional trials involving securities violations include cases against Wells Fargo and California Amplifier. Both cases settled in trial. Cases that settled on the eve of trial include cases against Alcatel and America West. Mr. Coughlin has tried more than 50 jury and non-jury trials, including a large private RICO trial against the major tobacco companies on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Ohio Taft-Hartley health and welfare fund participants. Mr. Coughlin also helped end the Joe Camel ad campaign, a cartoon ad campaign that targeted children and secured a $12.5 billion recovery for the cities and counties of California in the landmark 1998 state settlement with the tobacco companies.

Honors & Awards

• Southern California Super Lawyer, 2009, 2007, 2006
• Top 100 Lawyers, Daily Journal, 2008