Hughes Hubbard Acquires Schulman Bhattacharya, Expanding Litigation and Arbitration Practices in Washington, D.C.

Jan. 12, 2026 – Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP announced today that it has acquired Schulman Bhattacharya LLC, a premier commercial litigation and arbitration boutique in Washington, D.C.

This acquisition deepens Hughes Hubbard’s commitment to providing clients with the highest level of service as they navigate high-stakes disputes, adding further litigation and arbitration talent in the U.S. capital region.

“We’re thrilled to welcome the Schulman Bhattacharya team, experienced litigators with track records of excellence and the well-earned trust of their clients,” said Neil J. Oxford, chair of Hughes Hubbard. “This acquisition continues our positive momentum from last year as we strategically invest in the growth of the firm, adding strength to our leading litigation, arbitration and investigations practices and complementing our top-level finance team in D.C.”

The Schulman Bhattacharya team represents clients including Fortune 100 companies, financial institutions and foreign governments across industries including real estate, finance, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, energy and transportation, with a focus on complex commercial litigation, international and domestic arbitration, internal investigations, and corporate counseling. They have regularly appeared before federal and state courts in the Washington, D.C. area and throughout the United States as well as various international and domestic arbitral tribunals.

Jeremy W. Schulman, Koushik Bhattacharya and Jeffrey S. Gavenman join Hughes Hubbard as partners, along with two counsel and two associates. Schulman, a founding member of Schulman Bhattacharya, will lead Hughes Hubbard’s litigation practice in D.C.

“Hughes Hubbard’s distinct culture of independence and excellence, and commitment to the highest level of service make it a superb fit for our firm and our clients,” said Schulman. “I’m excited to join this outstanding team.”

“I look forward to connecting with the impressive litigation talent across the firm and collaborating across practice areas to continue delivering outstanding results for our clients,” said Gavenman, also a founding member.

Schulman Bhattacharya lawyers have achieved unparalleled results for clients including:

• Serving as national litigation counsel to a leading pharmaceutical company and its principals, the Schulman team obtained (and fully collected) an $18 million jury verdict, a valuable permanent injunction, and findings of contempt for violation of the injunction, all of which were affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in two appeals. The team also defeated more than 50 counterclaims and won summary judgment dismissing a separate $160 million countersuit, also affirmed in its entirety on appeal.
• Representing a private equity firm in litigation over its interests in a $480 million petroleum company sale, the Schulman team won summary judgment on all seven counts of their Amended Complaint, dismissal of all eleven counts of the opposing parties’ counterclaims, and a finding that the adversary pressed litigation in bad faith and without substantial justification; they also obtained a financial recovery in excess of $65 million, plus reimbursement of all of the client’s attorneys’ fees and costs.
• Representing multiple groups of minority partners in lawsuits and arbitrations concerning real estate partnerships owning shopping centers, residential apartment complexes, office buildings, and raw land in the Washington metropolitan area valued at more than $500 million—Schulman obtained numerous confidential settlements after lengthy legal proceedings, with two cases settling in the middle of trial after the Schulman team had presented their case-in-chief.
• Serving as national litigation counsel for a real estate-backed lender, Schulman won summary judgment in more than 20 recent cases, and judgments and settlements in excess of $30 million.

The combination with Schulman Bhattacharya follows the additions of project finance partners Frances McCabe in D.C. and Daniel Leslie in New York, as well as finance partner Andrés Berry in New York and international arbitration partner Alexander Marcopoulos in Paris last year.

Hughes Hubbard was recognized as a finalist for Litigation Department of the Year by New York Law Journal and is ranked by Chambers and Legal 500 across numerous areas including Banking & Finance, Commercial Litigation, International Arbitration, Bankruptcy/Restructuring, White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, FCPA, Product Liability & Mass Torts, Corporate/M&A, and Aviation Finance.