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Morgan Lewis
Andrew Buttaro

Andrew M. Buttaro

Associate

andrew.buttaro@morganlewis.com

Boston Phone +1.617.341.7743 Fax +1.617.341.7701

One Federal St.//Boston, MA 02110-1726//United States

Andrew M. Buttaro advises clients on sophisticated legal issues in complex litigation and appellate matters. A former law clerk to two appellate courts, he has successfully briefed and argued cases before the federal courts of appeals and state courts of last resort. Andrew has drafted winning briefs on high-stakes issues in securities cases, shareholder disputes, and commercial litigation matters. An experienced writer, he has been widely published and his legal scholarship has been cited in merits briefing before the US Supreme Court. He teaches an advanced legal writing course, focused on appellate litigation, at Boston College Law School.

Andrew also has experience with issues at the intersection of law and public policy. He has worked on the legal team of a presidential campaign, evaluated nominees to the federal bench for the Senate Judiciary Committee, and provided research for a leading political action committee. Before attending law school, Andrew worked in the speechwriting office of the White House and led a cross-country bicycle trip that raised money for affordable housing charities.

Selected Representations

Appellate

  • Frith v. Whole Foods Mkt., Inc., 38 F.4th 263 (1st Cir. 2022) – Secured affirmance of dismissal of Title VII claims in highly publicized case.
  • Talley v. Wetzel, 15 F.4th 275 (3d Cir. 2021) – As court-appointed amicus counsel, briefed and argued unsettled statutory-interpretation question, leading Court to adopt amicus position and commend “superb advocacy” of the issue.
  • Ellis v. Bank of New York Mellon Corp., 837 F. App’x 940 (3d Cir. 2021) – Successfully defended grant of summary judgment in high-profile employment case.
  • Nyambura v. Barr, No. 19-70865 (9th Cir. 2020) – Won an unopposed remand to the Board of Immigration Appeals for pro bono client, with the government declining to oppose the petitioner’s opening brief and instead agreeing to requested relief.
  • Cambridge Investments LLC v. Prophecy Asset Mgmt., LP, 188 A.D.3d 521 (1st Dep’t 2020) – Secured affirmance of dismissal of claims of breach of contract and breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, protecting affirmance against reconsideration and motion for leave to appeal to state’s highest court.
  • Jones v. Zatecky, 917 F.3d 578 (7th Cir. 2019) – Briefed and argued case, leading appeals court to grant conditional writ of habeas corpus because defendant was deprived of effective assistance of trial counsel in state-court proceeding.
  • Bell v. Pulmosan Safety Equip. Corp., 906 F.3d 711 (8th Cir. 2018) – Briefed and argued case, leading court to reverse default judgment because service of process was improper and the district court lacked jurisdiction.

Trial

  • Chan v. ArcSoft, Inc., No. 4:19-cv-05836 (N.D. Cal. 2021) – Obtained dismissal of securities and related claims brought by shareholder plaintiffs against outside director of company, a private-equity principal.
  • In re Synchronoss Techs., Inc. Sec. Litig., No. 3:17-cv-07173, 2021 WL 1712394, at *1 (D.N.J. Apr. 30, 2021) – Prevailed in dismissing shareholder claims for breach of fiduciary duty on the ground that the plaintiffs failed to establish demand futility.
  • In re Teva Sec. Litig., No. 3:17-CV-558, 2021 WL 231130, at *1 (D. Conn. Jan. 22, 2021), reconsideration denied 2021 WL 1197805 (D. Conn. Mar. 30, 2021) – Prevailed on motion to dismiss direct-action claims that fell outside of Exchange Act’s five-year statute of repose, defeating subsequent motion for reconsideration.
  • DSB Holdings, LLC v. Pioneer Inv. Mgmt., No. 1:19-cv-10972 (S.D.N.Y. 2020) – Successfully moved to dismiss breach-of-contract claim as untimely under statute of repose, leading plaintiff to voluntarily dismiss claim rather than oppose motion.

Awards and Affiliations

Member, Boston Bar Association

Admissions

  • Massachusetts
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia
  • US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
  • US District Court for the District of Connecticut
  • US District Court for the District of Massachusetts
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of New York
  • US District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • US District Court for the Northern District of Texas
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas
  • US District Court for the Southern District of Texas
  • US District Court for the Western District of Texas
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas
  • US District Court for the Western District of Arkansas
  • US District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri
  • US District Court for the District of Colorado

Clerkships

  • Clerkship to Judge David J. Porter of the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (2018 - 2019)
  • Clerkship to Justice Eva M. Guzman of the Supreme Court of Texas (2014 - 2015)

Education

  • University of Virginia, 2012, J.D.
  • University of Virginia, 2012, M.A., Legal History
  • Boston College, 2007, B.A., Political Science, History

Services

  • Litigation, Regulation & Investigations
  • Antitrust & Competition
  • Appellate
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Securities Enforcement & Litigation

Regions

  • North America

Publications

Spring 2016 - Antitrust’s Outlier: Consumer Welfare and Wage Restraints in Professional Sports, University of Denver Sports & Entertainment Law Journal, Vol. 19
2016 - Ex Parte Quirin: The Nazi Saboteur Case and the Tribunal Precedent, American University National Security Law Brief 37, Vol. 6
Spring 2015 - Magna Carta at 800: How a Medieval Charter Shaped American Law, Texas Supreme Court Historical Society, Vol. 4
Spring 2016 - Stalemate at the Supreme Court: Friedrichs v. the California Teachers Association, Public Unions, and Free Speech, Texas Review of Law and Politics, Vol. 20
2015 - The Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 and the End of Reconstruction, St. Mary's Law Journal, Vol. 47