Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Year Joined Organization: 1988

Languages

• Italian

Lawyer Overview

A partner in the Litigation Department, Maria T. Vullo has over 20 years of trial and appellate experience that includes a broad range of complex litigation matters across the country. Her professional experience includes the following:

• Over 25 trials, arbitrations, mediations and evidentiary hearings.
• Appellate arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second, Ninth (including en banc) and Tenth Circuits, and the New York State Appellate Division, First and Second Departments.
• Significant experience in civil, criminal and regulatory matters, and in subject areas that include constitutional law, intellectual property, health care, securities, bankruptcy, tax, and environmental matters.
• Client representations include and have included Genentech, Inc., Emmis Communications, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, Onex Corporation, Rhodia S.A., Cooper Union, Garden Way, Inc., Ampco-Pittsburgh Corporation, Cantor Fitzgerald, Carnival Corporation, Famous Music Corporation, Weis Markets Inc., Lazare Kaplan International, RAG American Coal Company, Northville Industries Corp., and Harlan Weinberg, M.D. (Christopher Reeve's physician).
• Reported decisions include Rockwell Int'l Corp. v. United States, 549 U.S. 457 (2007); In re Rhodia S.A. Sec. Litig., 531 F. Supp. 2d 527 (S.D.N.Y. 2007); Finance & Trading Ltd. v. Rhodia S.A., 28 A.D. 3d 706 (N.Y. App. Div., 1st Dep't 2006); Dastgheib v. Genentech, Inc., 457 F. Supp. 2d 536 (E.D. Pa. 2006); In re Navigator Gas Transport PLC, 358 B.R. 80 (B. Ct., S.D.N.Y. 2006); RZS Holdings AVV v. PDVSA Petroleos S.A., 293 F. Supp. 2d 645 (E.D. Va. 2003); In re NAHC, Inc. Sec. Litig., 306 F. 3d 1314 (3d Cir. 2002); Garden Way Inc. v. Home Depot Inc., 94 F. Supp. 2d 276 (N.D.N.Y. 2000); United States v. Ackert, 169 F.3d 136 (2d Cir. 1999); In re Special Grand Jury 89-2, 143 F.3d 565 (10th Cir. 1998); BAII Banking Corp. v. Northville Industries Corp., 232 A.D. 2d 349 (N.Y. App. Div., 2d Dep't 1996); Cullman Ventures, Inc. v. Columbian Art Works, Inc., 717 F. Supp. 96 (S.D.N.Y. 1989).
• Significant pro bono matters include being lead counsel to the plaintiffs in the "Nuremberg Files" website case, and co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in an Alien Tort Claims Act suit against Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, in which a New York federal jury awarded plaintiffs 745 million in damages for human rights abuses. Reported decisions in pro bono matters include Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 290 F.3d 1058 (9th Cir. 2002) (en banc), cert. denied, 123 S. Ct. 2637 (2003); Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 422 F.3d 949 (9th Cir. 2005), cert. denied, 547 U.S. 1111 (2006); Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists, 2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11468 (S.D. Ohio Feb. 28, 2006); Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. Bray (In re Bray), 256 B.R. 708 (B.Ct., D. Md. 2000); Doe v. Karadzic, 192 F.R.D. 133 (S.D.N.Y. 2000); Doe v. Karadzic, 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1073 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 4, 1997).
• Author of Amicus Curiae Briefs in Gonzales v. Carhart, 550 U.S. 124 (2007); Scheidler v. National Organization for Women,; 126 S. Ct. 1264 (2006); Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, 546 U.S. 320 (2006); Scheidler v. National Organization for Women, 537 U.S. 393 (2003); United States v. Bird, 401 F.3d 633 (5th Cir. 2005).
• Firm administrative responsibilities have included appointments as Chair, Public Matters Committee, 2002-2004; Chair, Summer Associates Committee, 1999-2001; Member of Partnership Committee, 2003-2005; Presently Member of Finance Committee, Public Matters Committee and Counsel Committee; active participant in women's mentoring, diversity initiatives, recruitment and retention of associates, and training programs for associates and staff attorneys.
• CLE Lecturer on a variety of subjects, including Trial Skills, Using Demonstrative Trial Exhibits, Strategy and Tactics of Depositions, Deposition Skills, Privilege, Overview of Litigation Documents, Client Relations and Expectations, Interviewing Witnesses, Federal Discovery Rules, and New York State Practice.

PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS AND PUBLIC SERVICE

Member, First Department Judicial Screening Committee, March 2007-Present.

• Recommended by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, appointed by Governor Eliot Spitzer, and re-appointed by Governor David Paterson.
• The Committee interviews, evaluates and recommends candidates for judicial appointment to New York's Appellate Division, First Department.

Member, New York State Bar Association, Committee on Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction, June 2006 - Present.

Chair, NARAL Pro-Choice America Board of Directors, September 2007-present; Vice Chair, September 2006-2007; Board Member, September 2005-Present.

Member, Vetting Committee, Cy Vance for Manhattan District Attorney, October 2008-Present.

Founding Member, Lawyers Committee for Andrew Cuomo, 2005-2006.

Member, Lawyers for Kerry/Edwards 2004, responsible for drafting litigation documents for potential voter challenges in Florida, and in boiler room in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Member, Public Service Committee, Federal Bar Council, 2003-2004.

Participant, Aspen Institute, Justice & Society Seminar (moderators Dean Kathleen Sullivan and the Hon. William Fletcher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit), August 1999.

Member, Board of Directors, Sanctuary for Families, 1996-1998.

PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION

Named "New York Super Lawyer," Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006-2008.

Named in The National Law Journal's "Defense Hot List" for successful trial representation of Genentech, Inc., July 16, 2007.

Recommended by PLC Which Lawyer? for "litigating some of the most challenging and complex cases in front of courts and arbitration panels."

AV (highest) peer review ratings in Martindale-Hubbell.

Recommended by Global Counsel's 2003-2004 Handbook on Dispute Resolution, for both trial and appellate matters.

Named "40 Under 40 Most Successful Litigators: Promising Young Advocates," The National Law Journal, July 29, 2002.

Recommended by Practical Law Company's Global Counsel 3000, for litigation and arbitration, January 28, 2002.

Named one of America's Top 10 Women Litigators, The National Law Journal, December 17, 2001.

2001 Finalist for "Trial Lawyer of the Year Award," Public Justice Foundation, for Kadic v. Karadzic.

Nominated for the 2000 "Trial Lawyer of the Year Award," Public Justice Foundation, for Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists.

Named "Litigator of the Month," The National Law Journal, September 27, 2000.

"Lawyer Hero," Stanford Law School, September 27, 2000.

Named one of the "Women on the Verge of 2000," Ms. Magazine, December 1999/January 2000.

Named one of "The 25 Smartest Women in America," Mirabella, September, 1999.

Named one of New York's "40 Under 40 Rising Stars" by Crain's New York Business, January 1999.

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY

Testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the then pending Bankruptcy Reform Bill, February 10, 2005.

Testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the then proposed Bankruptcy Reform Bill, televised on C-Span, February 8, 2001.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS (Partial List)

Panelist, "What's at Stake - the Supreme Court," National Women's Leadership Issues Conference, Women's Leadership Forum, Women for Obama, Chicago, Illinois, October 10-11, 2008.

Speaker, Roe v. Wade luncheon, NARAL Pro-Choice America, New York, New York, October 15, 2008.

Panelist, Women's Campaign Fund, "The Changing Frontlines of the Courts," November 14, 2005.

Jurist in mock U.S. Supreme Court, "Justine West v. New York," Office of the Appellate Defender, October 4, 2004.

Panelist, NYU School of Law, "Public Interest While in Private Practice," February 2, 2004.

Panelist, Pro Bono in Private Practice, Association of the Bar for the City of New York, September 15, 2003.

Keynote Speaker, NARAL Pro-Choice America's "Power for Choice" Luncheon, Chicago, Illinois, April 30, 2003.

Moot Court Judge, Lawyering Program, NYU School of Law, April 22, 2003.

Guest Speaker, Yale University "Master's Tea," October 1, 2002.

Guest Speaker, Boalt School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, September 17, 2002.

Guest Speaker, NARAL's 2002 New York City Justice Blackmun Society Briefing, May 16, 2001.

Panelist, 2000 Legal Conference of the Anti-Defamation League, New York Regional Board, and New York Lawyers' Division, "Hate Speech on the Internet: What Can and Should Be Done?," March 9, 2000.

Moot Court Participant, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law, February 23, 1998.

MEDIA PROFILES (Partial List)

New York Law Journal, "Screening Panel Members Announced," March 9, 2007.

State News, "Legal Experts Tapped for Judicial Screening Committees," March 8, 2007.

Legal Times, "Docket Watch: Upcoming Arguments at the Supreme Court," December 4, 2006.

The National Law Journal, "High Court Vets False Claims Act," by Marcia Coyle, November 27, 2006.

Multiple other articles on Supreme Court case, including Legal Times, Denver Post, Denver Rocky Mountain News, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Fulton County Daily Report, Palm Beach Daily Business Review and Broward Daily Business Review, November and December, 2006.

The Legal Intelligencer, "Jury Clears Genentech in Suit Asking for 1B," by Shannon Duffy, November 13, 2006.

New York Law Journal, "Attorney General Candidates Attract Lawyer Contributions," by Daniel Wise, November 6, 2006.

The American Lawyer, "Big Suits: Planned Parenthood," November 2005.

National Public Radio, Morning Program with Host Steve Inskeep, "Abortion Amendment," March 8, 2005.

The New York Observer, "City's Lawyers Storm Florida in Ballot Blitz," November 1, 2004.

The American Lawyer, "Pro Bono Highlight," January 2002.

Marie Claire Magazine, interview regarding Alien Tort Claims Act suit against Radovan Karadzic, March 2001.

"60 Minutes," full segment with interview by Ed Bradley, "'Hit List?'; Organization Feels That They Have the Right to Publish Information About Abortion Doctors Regardless of Context," February 20, 2000 (replayed on September 10, 2000 and July 21, 2002).

CNN International, CNN International Diplomatic License - Kadic v. Karadzic, "Women Win 745 Million Verdict Against Karadzic," August 12, 2000.

The American Lawyer, "Defending the Doctors," July 1999.

The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, "Threatening Speech," February 9, 1999.

CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, World News Tonight, World News This Morning, NBC News at Sunrise, Equal Time, World News for Public TV, Channel Three Reports, Northwest News, Eyewitness News at Four, and other media reports regarding Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, January 28 through February 9, 1999.

Inside Litigation, Aspen Law & Business, August 1999.

New York Law Journal, "Personal: Notes on Lawyers," December 22, 1995.

QUOTED IN MEDIA (In Addition to Above; Partial List)

Associated Press, Sun Herald and Philadelphia Daily News, "Supreme Court Rejects Abortion Poster Case," May 1, 2006.

Corporate Counsel, Vol. 05, Issue 12, "Deals and Suits: Planned Parenthood et al v. American Coalition of Life Activists et al.," December, 2005.

Newsday, "An Interesting First Test' for Bill; Senate to Resume Talk over Bankruptcy Payment Legislation Stalled by Schumer Abortion Amendment," February 10, 2005.

Women's eNews, "New Version of Nuremberg Files Yanked Off Web," December 8, 2003.

Legal Affairs, "Ramsey Clark's Prosecution Complex," November 12, 2003.

Newsday, Star Ledger and Columbian, regarding Supreme Court's denial of certiorari in Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, June 28, 2003.

Washington Times, "Administration View of Anti-Abortion Posters Sought," December 17, 2002.

Legal Times, The Legal Intelligencer, The Recorder and Fulton County Daily Report, regarding Supreme Court's consideration of Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, Summer 2002.

The New York Times, Associated Press, The Recorder and The Oregonian, regarding en banc Ninth Circuit victory in Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, May 2002.

Ms. Magazine, "Terror in the Name of the Lord," January 1, 2002.

Reuters News, The Oregonian and The Recorder, regarding argument before en banc Ninth Circuit, December 2001.

Associated Press, The New York Law Journal, Los Angeles Times, The Oregonian and Contra Costa Times, regarding Ninth Circuit grant of en banc review in Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, October 2001.

The National Law Journal, "In Some Cases, Justice Carries No Price Tag," February 19, 2001.

The National Law Journal, "Litigating The Reach of RICO, Can a Statute Aimed at the Mafia Apply to Foes of Abortion?," October 23, 2000.

Newsday, "A Victory Over Hate," August 11, 2000.

CNN, BBC, NPR, The New York Times, The National Law Journal, New York Law Journal, Reuters, The Record, PR Newswire, Facts on File World News Digest and Agene-France Presser - English, regarding successful jury verdict in Kadic v. Karadzic, August, 2000.

Miami Herald, "Company Says Doral Name is a Trademark But Its Origins Still In Doubt," July 18, 1999.

Associated Press State & Local Wire, The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News, regarding successful jury verdict in Stone v. Rockwell, March and April 1999.

The Legal Intelligencer, "Court: Attorney-Client Privilege Doesn't Protect Talk with Third Party," March 4, 1999.

The New York Times, New York Law Journal, Associated Press, Associated Press State & Local Wire, Reuters, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Houston Chronicle, Lincoln Journal Star, The Oregonian, Charlotte Observer, Augusta Chronicle, Boston Herald, Cincinnati Post, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Macon Telegraph, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, St. Paul Pioneer Press, Wichita Eagle, Baltimore Sun, Kansas City Star, Christian Science Monitor, Aberdeen American News, Charleston Daily Mail, The Independent (London), British Medical Journal, The Canadian Press, Toronto Star Newspaper, Scotsman (Edinburgh, Scotland), Contra Costa Times, and other media reports, regarding trial and 100 million jury verdict in Planned Parenthood v. American Coalition of Life Activists, January, February and March, 1999.

Ms. Vullo was senior editor of the Moot Court Board and a recipient of several American Jurisprudence Awards and awards for excellence in oral advocacy. Ms. Vullo joined Paul, Weiss in 1988 after serving as a law clerk for the Honorable John A. MacKenzie of the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia. She is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, the New York State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Ms. Vullo was elected to the partnership effective January 1, 1996.

Areas of Practice

• Litigation

West Practice Categories

Litigation & Appeals

Bar Admissions

• New York, 1988
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
• U.S. District Court Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court Northern District of New York
• U.S. District Court District of Colorado
• U.S. Tax Court

Professional Associations and Memberships

• New York County Bar Association (Member)
• American Bar Association (Member)
• Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member)
• First Department Judicial Screening Committee, 2007 - Present (Member)
• New York State Bar Association, Committee on Courts of Appellate Jurisdiction, 2006 - Present (Member)
• NARAL Pro-Choice America Board of Directors, 2007 - Present (Chair)
• NARAL Pro-Choice America Board of Directors, 2006 - 2007 (Vice Chair)
• NARAL Pro-Choice America Board of Directors, 2005 - Present (Board Member)
• Cy Vance for Manhattan District Attorney, 2008 - Present (Member, Vetting Committee)
• Lawyers Committee for Andrew Cuomo, 2005 - 2006 (Founding Member)
• Lawyers for Kerry/Edwards (Member)
• Federal Bar Council, 2003 - 2004 (Member, Public Service Committee)
• Sanctuary for Families, 1996 - 1998 (Member, Board of Directors)

Honors and Awards

• Named “New York Super Lawyer,” Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006 - 2008
• Named in The National Law Journal’s “Defense Hot List” for successful trial representation of Genentech, Inc.
• Recommended by PLC Which Lawyer? for “litigating some of the most challenging and complex cases in front of courts and arbitration panels.”
• AV (highest) peer review ratings in Martindale-Hubbell
• Recommended by Global Counsel’s 2003-2004 Handbook on Dispute Resolution, for both trial and appellate matters
• Named “40 Under 40 Most Successful Litigators: Promising Young Advocates,” The National Law Journal
• Recommended by Practical Law Company’s Global Counsel 3000, for litigation and arbitration
• Named one of America’s Top 10 Women Litigators, The National Law Journal
• 2001 Finalist for “Trial Lawyer of the Year Award,” Public Justice Foundation, for Kadic v. Karadzic
• Nominated for the 2000 “Trial Lawyer of the Year Award,” Public Justice Foundation, for Planned Parenthood of the Columbia/Willamette, Inc. v. American Coalition of Life Activists
• Named “Litigator of the Month,” The National Law Journal
• “Lawyer Hero,” Stanford Law School
• Named one of the “Women on the Verge of 2000,” Ms. Magazine, 1999 - 2000
• Named one of “The 25 Smartest Women in America,” Mirabella
• Named one of New York’s “40 Under 40 Rising Stars” by Crain’s New York Business

Classes and Seminars

• Panelist, “What’s at Stake - the Supreme Court", National Women’s Leadership Issues Conference, Women’s Leadership Forum, Women for Obama, Chicago, Illinois, October 10, 2008 - October 11, 2008
• Speaker, Roe v. Wade luncheon, NARAL Pro-Choice America, New York, New York
• Panelist, Women’s Campaign Fund, “The Changing Frontlines of the Courts"
• Jurist in mock U.S. Supreme Court, “Justine West v. New York,” Office of the Appellate Defender
• Panelist, NYU School of Law, “Public Interest While in Private Practice"
• Panelist, Pro Bono in Private Practice, Association of the Bar for the City of New York
• Keynote Speaker, NARAL Pro-Choice America’s “Power for Choice” Luncheon, Chicago, Illinois
• Moot Court Judge, Lawyering Program, NYU School of Law
• Guest Speaker, Yale University “Master’s Tea"
• Guest Speaker, Boalt School of Law, University of California, Berkeley
• Guest Speaker, NARAL’s 2002 New York City Justice Blackmun Society Briefing
• Panelist, “Hate Speech on the Internet: What Can and Should Be Done?", 2000 Legal Conference of the Anti-Defamation League, New York Regional Board, and New York Lawyers’ Division
• Moot Court Participant, Brennan Center for Justice, NYU School of Law

Past Employment Positions

• Hon. John A. Mackenzie, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia, Judicial Law Clerk
• House Subcommittee on Employment and Housing, Special Counsel

Education

• New York University School of Law, New York, New York, 1987
  J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence
• College of Mount Saint Vincent, Riverdale, New York, 1984
  B.A.
  Honors: summa cum laude

Published Works

• “Screening Panel Members Announced", New York Law Journal, March 9, 2007
• “Legal Experts Tapped for Judicial Screening Committees", State News, March 8, 2007
• “Docket Watch: Upcoming Arguments at the Supreme Court", Legal Times, December 4, 2006
• “High Court Vets False Claims Act,” by Marcia Coyle, The National Law Journal, November 27, 2006
• “Jury Clears Genentech in Suit Asking for $1B,” by Shannon Duffy, The Legal Intelligencer, November 13, 2006
• “Attorney General Candidates Attract Lawyer Contributions,” by Daniel Wise, New York Law Journal, November 6, 2006
• “Big Suits: Planned Parenthood", The American Lawyer, November, 2005
• “City’s Lawyers Storm Florida in Ballot Blitz", The New York Observer, November 1, 2004
• “Pro Bono Highlight", The American Lawyer, January, 2002
• “Defending the Doctors", The American Lawyer, July, 1999
• “Personal: Notes on Lawyers", New York Law Journal, December 22, 1995
• “Supreme Court Rejects Abortion Poster Case", Associated Press, Sun Herald and Philadelphia Daily News, May 1, 2006
• “Deals and Suits: Planned Parenthood et al v. American Coalition of Life Activists et al.", Corporate Counsel, Vol. 05, Issue 12, December, 2005
• “An Interesting First Test’ for Bill; Senate to Resume Talk over Bankruptcy Payment Legislation Stalled by Schumer Abortion Amendment", Newsday, February 10, 2005
• “New Version of Nuremberg Files Yanked Off Web", Women’s eNews, December 8, 2003
• “Ramsey Clark’s Prosecution Complex", Legal Affairs, November 12, 2003
• “Administration View of Anti-Abortion Posters Sought", Washington Times, December 17, 2002
• “Terror in the Name of the Lord”, Ms. Magazine, January 1, 2002
• “In Some Cases, Justice Carries No Price Tag", The National Law Journal, February 19, 2001
• “Litigating The Reach of RICO, Can a Statute Aimed at the Mafia Apply to Foes of Abortion?", The National Law Journal, October 23, 2000
• “A Victory Over Hate", Newsday, August 11, 2000
• “Company Says Doral Name is a Trademark But Its Origins Still In Doubt", Miami Herald, July 18, 1999
• “Court: Attorney-Client Privilege Doesn’t Protect Talk with Third Party", The Legal Intelligencer, March 4, 1999
• Continuing Recent Trend, Court Dismisses Securities Fraud Claims Brought Against Foreign Issuer on Subject Matter Jurisdiction Grounds, October 8, 2007
• Prosecuting Genocide, Dec. 3, 2001

Address

1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019-6064

Phones

(212) 373-3346

Faxes

(212) 492-0346

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.paulweiss.com