Mark Solomon

Mark Solomon is a founding and managing partner of Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP and leads its international litigation practice. Over the last 32 years, he has regularly represented United States and United Kingdom-based pension funds and asset managers in class and non-class securities litigation in federal and state courts throughout the United States. He was first admitted to the Bar of England and Wales as a Barrister (he is non-active) and is an active member of the Bars of Ohio, California, and various United States federal district and appellate courts.

Since joining the practice in 1993, Mark has spearheaded the prosecution of many significant securities fraud cases, recovering billions of dollars for defrauded investors. The recoveries are the product of multi-million and multi-hundred million dollar pre-trial settlements his teams and his clients have been able to achieve, enhanced by a track record of taking such cases successfully through jury trial where necessary. An additional feature of his practice is the significant corporate governance reforms designed to limit recidivism and promote appropriate standards that he has introduced in the resolution of major cases.

Mark currently is counsel to a number of U.K. pension funds that are serving or have served as lead plaintiffs in cases throughout the United States in the last ten years. He represented Norfolk Pension Fund in the securities fraud class action against Apple Inc. and Apple executives in In re Apple Inc. Sec. Litig. in the federal district court for the Northern District of California, which resulted in a settlement shortly before trial of $490 million payable by the defendants to the investor class – the third-largest ever securities fraud recovery in the Northern District and the fifth-largest in the Ninth Circuit. He represented North East Scotland Pension Fund in the securities fraud class action against Under Armour and Under Armour executives In re Under Armour Sec. Litig. in the federal district court for the District of Maryland, which resulted in a settlement shortly before trial of $434 million payable by the defendants to the investor class – the second-largest ever securities fraud recovery in the Fourth Circuit. In addition, the monetary recovery was accompanied by important governance reforms, including the separation of the CEO and BOD Chair and restraints on restricted stock awards to senior executives. He represented the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme and the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme in Smilovits v. First Solar, Inc. in the federal district court for the District of Arizona in which the class recovered $350 million on the eve of trial. That settlement resulted in the largest-ever securities fraud recovery in the District of Arizona and the seventh-largest in the Ninth Circuit. He represented the U.K.’s Norfolk Pension Fund in Hsu v. Puma Biotechnology, Inc. where, in the federal district court for the Central District of California, after three weeks of trial, the Fund obtained a jury verdict valued at over $54 million in favor of the class against the company and its CEO. He represented Strathclyde Pension Fund in Strathclyde Pension Fund v. Bank OZK, a class action against Bank OZK and its CEO, in the federal district court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in which the class recovered $45 million. He represented Strathclyde Pension Fund in In re Ply Gem Holdings, Inc. Sec. Litig. where the class recovered $26 million. Before all of those cases, in a case in 2000 against Helionetics, Inc. and its senior executives, Mark had presented to a jury, and won, one of the very few securities fraud class actions ever taken to trial.

In ongoing litigation, Mark represents Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association and the class in a securities fraud class action pending against FirstEnergy Corp. and FirstEnergy executives in the federal district court for the Southern District of Ohio and he represents Norfolk Pension Fund and the putative class in the securities fraud class action In re Anadarko Petroleum Corp. Sec. Litig. against Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and former Anadarko executives, pending in the federal district court for the Southern District of Texas.

Mark’s work at the plaintiffs’ bar beginning in 1993 was preceded by practice at the international firm Jones Day in Cleveland, Ohio, between 1987 and 1990, followed by practice at the Los Angeles office of New York’s Stroock & Stroock & Lavan. At these firms, his representations included the defense of securities fraud and other white-collar crimes, antitrust, copyright, commercial and real estate litigation, and reinsurance arbitration. While practicing in Los Angeles, acting for plaintiffs as sole counsel, Mark took to trial and won complex commercial contract and real estate actions in the Orange County and Los Angeles Superior Courts, respectively.

Mark also prosecuted some of the first opt-out securities fraud cases to successful conclusion. Representing individual U.K. opt-out plaintiffs in litigation against PetSmart, Inc., he and his team recovered over $18 million, amounting to over 50% of their damages, where the class case failed entirely and other investors received nothing. Representing an individual U.K./U.S. investor in recent opt-out securities fraud litigation against a multi-state furniture and household goods retailer, he and his team recovered over 50 times the amount the investor would have recovered in the class case.

Following the one trial Mark has lost, a non-class proceeding which involved individual clients who were in dispute with their former business partners, Robbins Geller absorbed all of the related fees, costs, and expenses.

Mark is a past chair of the American Bar Association Directors, Officers Liability Sub Committee and the Accountants Liability Sub-Committee, and is the author of the U.K.’s National Association of Pension Funds 2012 “Securities Class Actions made simple” guide; the 2015 “Securities Fraud and Investors Remedies made simple” guide; and the 2018 “Global Securities Fraud Litigation made simple” guide.

Mark is recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® publication, and The Legal 500 identified him as a Recommended Lawyer in its nationwide category of “Securities Litigation – Plaintiff,” citing his dual qualifications in English and U.S. law and his leadership of the Firm’s international litigation practice. He has also been named a Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer and included in the 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers guide by Lawdragon as well as having been named a Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers Magazine. Mark was also recognized as a Litigator of the Week by The AmLaw Litigation Daily for his work in In re Apple Inc. Sec. Litig. He earned his law degrees at Trinity College, Cambridge University, England, Harvard Law School, and the Inns of Court School of Law in London.

• Best Lawyer in America, Best Lawyers®, 2025-2026
• Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyer, Lawdragon, 2019-2025
• Global Plaintiff Lawyer, Lawdragon, 2024-2025
• Litigator of the Week, The AmLaw Litigation Daily, 2024
• Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers Magazine, 2017-2018
• Recommended Lawyer, The Legal 500, 2016-2017

• Inns of Court School of Law, England, 1987
• Harvard Law School, 1986
• Trinity College, Cambridge University, England, 1985

• England and Wales (Barrister) (non-practicing)
• California
• Ohio
• United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth, Ninth, and D.C. Circuits
• United States District Courts for the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of California

Notable Cases