Sarah Hannigan

Sarah Hannigan represents plaintiffs and defendants in complex commercial litigation across the country, including high-profile matters in the artificial intelligence, financial services, and energy industries. Sarah has taken direct and cross examinations at a three-week jury trial, deposed and defended senior executives of public companies, led complex technical discovery, and successfully briefed dispositive motions.

Sarah’s current representations include Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster in their copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit pending against artificial intelligence company Perplexity in the Southern District of New York. Other former and current representations include: 

• Represented Nasdaq against exchange operator Miami International Holdings (MIAX) in trade secrets case regarding Nasdaq’s trading technology, which settled before trial. Sarah led discovery on Nasdaq’s trade secrets claims and MIAX’s antitrust counterclaims; deposed and defended key executives and expert witnesses; argued discovery motions; and briefed dispositive motions.
• Represented Apache Corporation in its recovery of $140 million from multiple surety companies that attempted to avoid paying on letters of credit and surety bonds they issued in connection with decommissioning offshore oil facilities, including securing millions in attorneys’ fees for Apache. 
• Represents Formula 1 team Williams Racing against fraud claims brought by a former sponsor, including achieving prior dismissals of similar claims in multiple jurisdictions. 

BACKGROUND

Sarah joined Susman Godfrey after clerking for Judge John M. Rogers of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Sarah earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was an intern at the United States Department of Justice in the securities and financial fraud unit, deputy managing editor of the Harvard Business Law Review, and a member of the immigration and refugee clinic. She graduated magna cum laude from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service with a degree in International Politics and concentration in International Security. 

Previously, Sarah co-founded Paddock Project, a Formula 1 media platform. Sarah co-hosted the Paddock Project podcast, which reached over one million downloads during Sarah’s tenure. 

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