Biography
Pete chairs the Firm’s Executive Committee and is a partner in the Corporate Litigation Group. He joined the firm following a clerkship in the Delaware Court of Chancery and handles complex corporate and commercial cases in the Delaware courts.
Pete has first-chaired many trials in the Delaware courts and has successfully argued numerous appeals before the Supreme Court of Delaware, as well as several in the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He regularly handles Court of Chancery proceedings, including stockholder class and derivative actions, summary proceedings pursuant to the General Corporation Law, and disputes involving alternative entities. He also frequently counsels officers, directors, and board committees in matters of Delaware corporate law, primarily in the context of ongoing or anticipated litigation.
In a profession that rewards diligence and attention to detail, Pete is exceptional for his myopic focus on every aspect of his cases. Despite his level of experience, he remains actively involved in every facet of his cases, no matter how difficult or seemingly minor. His degree of preparation is unrivaled, and he advocates by carefully, systematically, patiently, and relentlessly assembling the hundreds of pieces that comprise an effective argument or witness examination. After observing Pete’s cross-examination of an opposing expert witness, one judge wrote that “[w]itnessing [expert’s] testimony first- hand convinces me once again that ‘no substitute has ever been found for cross-examination as a means of…reducing exaggerated statements to their true dimensions.’” Cede & Co. v. JRC Acquisition (Del. Ch. Feb. 14, 2003).
Pete is held in high regard by his clients and members of the Delaware legal community. In the latest edition of Chambers USA, a client noted, "Peter is a fantastic litigator who gives great advice. He's levelheaded and knows the law." Another client said, "his best strength, to me, is the sophistication and calm-headed strategy that he brings to high-stakes litigation. He does not get ruffled easily." A fellow colleague commented, "he is wonderful to litigate with and against. He is a genuine and trustworthy advocate."
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Practice Areas
Experience
Representative Matters
- Melbourne Municipal Firefighters Pension Trust Fund v. Paul E. Jacobs, et al., No. 444, 2016 (Del. 2016) (Order)
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El Paso Pipeline GP Co., L.L.C. v. Brinckerhoff, 152 A.3d 1248 (Del. 2016)
- Klaassen v. Allegro Development Corp., 106 A.3d 1035 (Del. 2014)
- Allen v. El Paso Pipeline GP Co., 90 A.3d 1097 (Del. Ch. 2014)
- Alta Berkeley VI C.V. v. Omneon, Inc., 41 A.3d 381 (Del. 2012)
- Espinoza v. Hewlett-Packard Company, 32 A.3d 365 (Del. 2011)
- Kahn v. Kolberg Kravis Roberts & Co., L.P. 23 A.3d 831 (Del. 2011)
- William Penn Partnership v. Saliba, 13 A.3d 749 (Del. 2011)
- Nemec v. Shrader, 991 A.2d 1120 (Del. 2010)
- Security First Corp. v. U.S. Die Casting & Dev. Co. 687 A.2d 563 (Del. 1997)
- New Castle County, DE v. Wilmington Hospitality, LLC, 963 A.2d 738 (Del. 2008)
- Charles E. Underbrink and James H. Harrison v. Warrior Energy Service, Inc., 2008 WL 2262316 (Del. Ch.)
- Vichi v. Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., 2009 WL 4345724 (Del. Ch. 2009)
- West Willow-Bay Court LLC v. Robino-Bay Court Plaza LLC, 2007 WL 3317551 (Del. Ch.)
- Walter E. Ryan, et al. v. John F. Gifford, et al., 935 A.2d 258 (Del. Ch. 2007)
- West Coast Management & Capital, LLC v. Carrier Access Corporation, 2006 WL 3502995 (Del. Ch.)
- Cede & Co. v. JRC Acquisition Corp. 2004 WL 286963 (Del. Ch.)
- In re Explorer Pipeline Co., 781 A.2d 705 (Del. Ch. 2001)
- New Castle County v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 243 F.3d 744 (3d Cir. 2001)
Professional Activities & Recognition
Honors & Recognitions
Martindale-Hubbell rated AV Preeminent
Recognized annually by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business as a leading Chancery litigator in Delaware, and was named in the most recent editions of The Best Lawyers in America® and Super Lawyers.
Named 2019 Best Lawyers® "Lawyer of the Year" in Wilmington, Delaware for Corporate Law
Professional
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
Fellow, Litigation Counsel of America
Delaware State Bar Association: Former Member and Co-Chair, Committee on Judicial Appointments
ABA: Business Law Section: Member and Former Chair, Business and Corporate Litigation Committee; Former Co-Chair, Director and Officer Liability Committee; Former Member of the Council of the Business Section; Former Chair, Publication Board; frequent participant in ABA-sponsored corporate law programs
Member, Washington & Lee University School of Law's Law Council
Board Member and President, Garrett House, Inc.
Member, Court of Chancery Historical Society
Education
Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D., 1986; Executive Editor, Washington & Lee Law Review
Johns Hopkins University, B.A., 1983
Law Clerk to the Honorable Jack B. Jacobs, Delaware Court of Chancery, 1986-1987
Bar & Court Admissions
Bar Admissions
- Delaware, 1986
- United States District Court for the District of Delaware, 1987
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 1991