Daniel is Co-Head of US Securities & Shareholder Litigation and Managing Partner of California.

He has represented individuals, corporations, and various financial institutions including banks, broker-dealers, hedge funds, mutual funds and private equity funds, in securities litigation, internal investigations, regulatory matters and complex commercial litigation. He has extensive litigation experience across a broad spectrum of substantive areas, including securities and complex financial products, financial markets, mergers & acquisitions disputes, shareholder actions, distressed debt and bankruptcy issues, and commercial contracts, and he has achieved a strong record of success for clients in trial and appellate courts.

In addition to the representation of clients in all aspects of strategic litigation planning and practice, Daniel regularly counsels clients on pre-dispute situation management, risk-control, high exposure transactions, compliance, and board governance issues. He conducts internal investigations for clients and board committees and reviews and advises on corporate compliance provisions, governance structures, and controls. Daniel was a law clerk to Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit, from 1999 to 2000 and to Judge David G. Trager, U.S. District Court, E.D.N.Y., from 1998 to 1999.

Experience

Representative matters

Securities and Financial Market Litigation

Technology company in purported securities class action asserting misrepresentations and omissions in connection with initial public offering.

Underwriters of initial public offering of ride-sharing company in purported securities class action asserting misrepresentations and omissions in connection with initial public offering.

Canadian bank in connection with litigation involving allegations of manipulation of benchmark rate.

Pro bono

Daniel is currently leading a long-standing class action lawsuit against the Suffolk County Correctional Facilities in New York seeking injunctive relief and damages for unconstitutionally inhumane housing conditions.

Published Work

  • Author, (2014) “The Best-Laid Plans: Preventing Rule 10b5-1 Plans from Going Awry,” The Hedge Fund Law Report
  • Former subcommittee chair and co-author, (May 2014) “Report on the Possible Impact of Halliburton II on Securities Class Action Litigation,” New York City Bar Association’s Committee on Securities Litigation’s Fraud-on-the-Market Subcommittee

Speaking Engagements

  • Presenter, Securities issues relating to cryptocurrency, Securities Litigation Institute, 2019
  • Presenter, Federal forum selection clauses in charters, Securities Litigation Forum, 2020
  • Presenter, Internal investigations, San Francisco Bar Association, 2019
  • Presenter, “Accounting Issues for Lawyers”, PLI, 2020–2022

Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

  • Securities Litigation Section Chair, The Bar Association of San Francisco, 2024
  • Securities Litigation Committee Section Past Chair, New York City Bar, 2016-2020
Recognition
Daniel Laguardia of Sherman & Sterling is the most outstanding legal expert I have ever worked with in any firm. His grasp of the law and his aplomb in advocating for clients is unmatched in my experience.
The Legal 500, 2023

Awards

  • Named one of the Top 50 Lawyers in San Francisco by Attorney Intel, 2023
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 in Securities Litigation, 2023
  • Recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a Litigation Star in Bankruptcy, Commercial Litigation, and Securities Litigation, 2020-2023

Qualifications

Admissions

New York, 2000
California, 2017

Courts

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, 2003
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, 2003
United States District Court for the Northern District of California, 2017
United States District Court for the Central District of California, 2021
United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 2014
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, 2000
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2006

Academic

B.A., with honors, Public Policy, University of Chicago, 1993
J.D., cum laude, New York University School of Law, 1998
– Managing Editor, Annual Survey of American Law