Ryan J. Levan / Partner
Ryan also brings valuable business experience to bear in his representations, having previously founded and operated a start-up company—including through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Thus, in addition to his insights from years of high-stakes litigation, his firsthand knowledge of business, finance, accounting, and operations allows him to analyze complex matters through the eyes of the business owner and control personnel.
Ryan is deeply committed to pro bono work. He has represented New York-based charitable, religious, and scholastic organizations, and has assisted local businesses in navigating the existential challenges posed by COVID-19. Ryan has also helped secure legal immigration status for more than a dozen low-income women and children from Central America, for which he was recognized with Her Justice’s Commitment to Justice Award. Ryan serves on the board of the Camp Shohola Scholarship Fund, a non-profit dedicated to providing access to summer camp for boys from low-income families.
Ryan holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, with honors. While at Columbia, he served as a summer law clerk to The Honorable Judge John R. Fisher of the D.C. Court of Appeals, was an articles editor for the Columbia Journal of Law & Social Problems and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
Beyond Dailey
A lifelong athlete and traveler, Ryan played competitive football and lacrosse and has spent time living and studying in Spain, Argentina, and Australia. In his free time, he can be found spending time with his family, playing guitar, or reading.
Representative Matters
- Represented major Swiss bank in over two dozen individual and class actions asserting antitrust, securities, and common law claims stemming from the alleged manipulation of LIBOR and similar interest rate benchmarks, as well as related government investigations.
- Secured dismissal, following a FERC investigation, of putative antitrust class action alleging manipulation of natural petroleum benchmark against French multinational and its subsidiaries.
- Won summary judgment for outdoor sports company, including damages and award of attorneys’ fees, in post-acquisition M&A dispute.
- Secured no charges for former CFO, COO, division CEO, and VP of Sales of Fortune 500 company in SEC investigation into company’s accounting and sales practices.
- Represented blockchain company in SEC investigation into issuance of digital assets, including as to whether crypto tokens constitute a security.
- Represented asset management firm and control personnel in class action asserting securities fraud violations stemming from disclosure of DOJ and SEC investigations.
Published Articles
- Delaware Business Court Insider, July 20, 2016: Hastily Filed Derivative Suits Can Have Preclusive Effect
- Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems: Do We Have a Quorum?: Anticipating Agency Vacancies and the Prospect for Judicial Remedy
Recognition
- Commitment to Justice Award, Her Justice, 2018
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, 2015
- Parker School Achievement in International Law, 2015
- Fulbright Award Finalist, 2010
Bar Admissions
- New York
- Pennsylvania
Federal Court Admissions
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Education
- University of Pennsylvania, B.A., magna cum laude
- Columbia Law School, J.D., with honors
Languages
- Spanish (fluent); Italian (intermediate); Albanian (basic)