Bryce L. Friedman, Co-Head of Simpson Thacher’s Business Litigation Practice, represents clients in complex disputes, trials and arbitrations. He devotes a significant part of his practice to representing clients subject to allegations of fraud and False Claims Act violations and to counseling C-suite executives concerning strategic concerns, disputes and employee matters. He is regularly retained by governments and quasi-governmental entities to prosecute commercial disputes. He is recognized by Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation as a national “Litigation Star,” where sources say: “He is the complete package.” Chambers USA ranks Bryce in Band 1 for Insurance Disputes, where sources describe him as “truly an exceptional lawyer,” a “notable practitioner in the field,” “outstanding,” and as someone who is “very strategic, smart in his approach and a very good writer.” He is also recognized in The Legal 500 U.S. as a “Leading Lawyer” in General Commercial Disputes and “Hall of Fame” in Insurance. Bryce has served as chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono and Legal Personnel Committees and is a member of the boards of directors of Volunteers of Legal Service Inc. and Playwrights Horizons (an off-Broadway theater company).
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Work Highlights
- Lloyd’s of London syndicates in the first major insurance coverage litigation stemming from Russia’s cyberattack on a satellite after the invasion of Ukraine
- Chubb in connection with University of Southern California’s suit seeking coverage for sexual abuse claims
- Travelers in connection with coverage litigation arising from the opioid crisis
- Various insurers in defending against claims from aircraft owners alleging their planes became stranded in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine
- Lloyd’s of London syndicates in defense against claims seeking coverage for alleged biometric privacy violations
- Suffolk Regional Off-Track Betting Corporation in successfully prosecuting fraud claims against manager of its video lottery terminal facility
- City of New York in successfully resolving multibillion-dollar Medicare fraud claims related to its home health care program
- American Property Casualty Insurance Association as national litigation counsel prosecuting constitutional challenges to legislation and regulation of insurance industry related to COVID-19 pandemic
- American Family Insurance Group, Utica National Insurance Group and Guard Insurance Companies as national coordinating counsel for COVID-19 related litigation
- Genesee & Wyoming Inc. in winning various arbitrations over commercial contracts valued at hundreds of millions of dollars related to its railroad transportation business
Accolades
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Law360, 2020 “MVP” in Insurance
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Chambers USA
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Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation, National “Litigation Star”
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The Legal 500 U.S., “Hall of Fame,” “Leading Lawyer”
Education
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Columbia Law School, 1997 J.D.
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
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Dartmouth College, 1994 B.A.
cum laude
Clerkships
- Hon. Shirley Wohl Kram, United States District Court, Southern District of New York, 1997–1999
Bryce L. Friedman is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Litigation Department and Co-Head of the Firm’s Business Litigation Practice. He concentrates on representing clients in trials and arbitrations and in responding to allegations of fraud.
Bryce has represented a wide variety of businesses in commercial and business tort disputes as both claimant and defendant. He has successfully litigated disputes to conclusion in state and federal courts and arbitral forums across the United States. He is recognized by Chambers USA in New York Insurance (Band 1) and Nationwide Insurance, where sources describe him as “truly an exceptional lawyer” who is “very hard-working,” “very bright,” “well regarded” and “smart in his approach.” The Legal 500 U.S. recognizes Bryce in the “Hall of Fame” in Insurance and as a “Leading Lawyer” in General Commercial Disputes, where sources note he is “very sharp,” “has an impressive record in fraud and False Claims Act litigation,” “[his] strategic insights are unmatched” and “[h]e delivers results while also being fun to work with.” He is also recognized as a national “Litigation Star” by Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation. Bryce was also recognized by Law360 as a 2020 “MVP” in Insurance.
Bryce’s dispute resolution experience is broad-based. Commentators say: “He is the complete package. He’s a great speaker, a great writer and has a superior strategic sense”; “[h]is work is exceptional and he provides top-notch written product.” Bryce has extensive experience representing insurers and reinsurers in disputes at the trial and appellate levels and in helping address regulatory inquiries. Commentators say Bryce is “super smart, savvy and understands coverage and litigation nuance.” Bryce also regularly represents clients in responding to whistleblowers’ allegations of fraud, including False Claims Act violations in the financial services and healthcare industries. He assists clients with investigations of such allegations and litigates False Claims Act (FCA) claims when necessary. Bryce has achieved dismissal with no payment of a series of FCA whistleblower litigations including: cases in Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana arising out of the National Flood Insurance Program; cases in Buffalo, New York against financial institutions arising from the Medicare Secondary Payor Act; and a case in San Diego, California against a major bank relating to the 2008 financial crisis. Bryce achieved a favorable resolution just days before trial for the City of New York of a multibillion-dollar False Claims Act suit brought by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York alleging health care fraud.
Bryce has litigated extensively in bankruptcy court and tried contested matters for both debtors and creditors. Bryce’s clients regularly call on him to assist in managing crises and unusual events pre-litigation. Such engagements often involve personnel issues, potential data breaches and theft of information, financial reporting, regulatory inquiries and unexpected product or business failures in the business and professional services, consumer products, financial services and transportation industries.
Bryce received his B.A., cum laude, from Dartmouth College in 1994. He graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 1997, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Prior to joining the Firm, he served as a law clerk for the late United States District Judge Shirley Wohl Kram in the Southern District of New York.
Bryce has served as a chair of the Firm’s Legal Personnel and Pro Bono Committees. Bryce is currently a member of the boards of directors of Volunteers of Legal Service Inc. (VOLS) and the off-Broadway theater company Playwrights Horizons.