Partner
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Susan Leader boasts an impressive track record of securing favorable verdicts for clients in highly publicized, bet-the-company cases. Her intense focus in these high-stakes matters, coupled with her well-honed trial skills, make her a “go-to” lawyer for global players, including, for example, Southern California-based companies. Additionally, Leader is an ardent advocate for increasing diversity in the legal profession. Accordingly, as Akin Gump’s West coast hiring partner, she helps steer the firm’s efforts to recruit diverse law students and attorneys throughout the state. Among her recent significant matters, Leader is representing industry leaders in intense high-stakes litigation, including certain investment vehicles managed by PIMCO, a global investment management firm, in a pending multi-defendant action. In June 2020, the court granted defendants’ motion for sanctions against plaintiffs for destruction of material evidence, and ordered terminating sanctions in the form of dismissal of all of plaintiffs’ claims.
