Nick P. "Nick" Panayotopoulos

Nick co-heads the firm's commercial litigation and class action practice groups. Nick’s broad-based civil litigation practice focuses primarily on class actions and other commercial litigation, construction litigation, environmental litigation, and complex torts. Known for his mastery of (and excelling in) complex, high-stakes cases, Nick is often referred such cases by the most recognized and well-regarded litigation firms in the country.

He has represented his clients in litigation and arbitration of more than 100 state and federal cases throughout the nation, including claims with thousands of plaintiffs. Nick is often hired to work on claims where the disputed amounts are in excess of $1 billion.

Nick’s practice is exemplified by his defense of thousands of claims in the highly publicized Chinese-manufactured drywall multi-district litigation. He was appointed to the Defense Steering Committee by the Honorable Eldon E. Fallon of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, where he defended numerous class and direct actions. Nick has defended many well-known manufacturers, power companies, natural resource companies, construction firms, and law firms that choose him for their “bet the company” litigation.

Lead class counsel that was Nick’s adversary in a significant class action described Nick to the court as follows: “Nick Panayotopoulos [and co-counsel] have considerable experience defending class actions. They were highly skilled adversaries and their team’s defense of [Fortune 500 Company and its subsidiary]”, which resulted in the dismissal of a nationwide class action against the Fortune 500 Company and a settlement of a much smaller class against the subsidiary, was “diligent and inventive”.

AV® Preeminent rated in Products Liability, Litigation, and Commercial Law by Martindale-Hubbell, Nick is recognized by his clients and adversaries for “fierce, tenacious and conscientious client advocacy” and for “excelling in complex litigation matters where numerous attorneys are involved.