Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2014 – 2018 (Published by Thomson Reuters)

James Kent Scholar

Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar

Columbia Law Review, Senior Editor

State of New York

United States District Court for the Southern District of New York

United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Mr. Buland represents plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts and arbitrations across the United States. He has represented his clients in breach of contract, fraud, class action, consumer protection, false claims, regulatory and other complex business disputes. Mr. Buland handles cases from the initial evaluation stage through discovery, trials, and appeals. His notable representations include:

• Represented Uber Technologies, Inc. in a nationally-covered trial in which Alphabet’s Waymo was claiming more than $2 billion in damages.  Susman Godfrey was hired by Uber just months before the “Tech Trial of the Century” was scheduled to begin over allegations of stolen trade secrets.  Susman Godfrey’s team successfully got all of Waymo’s expert’s damages opinions struck and the case settled during the first week of trial.  Read more about this high profile case here.
• Represented Wellstat Therapeutics in bet-the-company lawsuit against the distributor of its leading product.  Hired less than two months before trial, Susman Godfrey secured a $70 million verdict on behalf of its client (who received $58 million after deducting attorneys fees). At trial, Mr. Buland effectively examined the client’s key fact witness and damages expert. The verdict was confirmed by the Delaware Supreme Court in 2018.
• Represented the estate of bankrupt airline in an action seeking to recover over $50 mllion for creditors.
• Defended a fuel company in Texas federal court against a class action lawsuit alleging the company’s fuel caused performance issues and damage to consumer automobiles.
• Defended a private equity firm and its founder against a breach of contract claim brought by another private equity firm seeking more than $10 million in damage. At arbitration, Mr. Buland played a key role on the team that secured a favorable net award for the client after drastically limiting the client’s liability and prevailing on his counterclaims. Mr. Buland’s day-long cross-examination of the plaintiff’s chief financial officer demonstrated the client’s entitlement to relief on his counterclaims. Mr. Buland successfully argued the motion to confirm the award in New York Supreme Court and defeated a motion to vacate. Read more about this victory here: Susman Godfrey Turns Potential Loss Of Millions Into Substantial Gain For Client In Heated Breach Of Contract Arbitration.
• Represented a major pharmacy chain in a dispute with its insurer over business interruption losses suffered by the company when its flagship store was destroyed on September 11 in the World Trade Center concourse.
• Defended a dental services organization in North Carolina state court from claims asserted by the North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners and affiliated dentists asserting that its operations violated state law. Mr. Buland played a key role on the Susman Godfrey team that achieved favorable settlements with all parties. Read more about the claims that the Susman Godfrey team defended in this Law360 article, NC Scrutiny Of Dental Practice Management Continues (subscription required for full access).
• Defended a special-purpose entity in connection with the securitization of residential mortgages in Manhattan federal court. After a majority of the plaintiff’s damages were eliminated by a Daubertmotion, the case was settled.