About Richard H. Zelichov

A sudden drop in stock prices — and the disappointment of stockholders that follows — can pose a danger to a company and its directors and officers, especially in the technology and life sciences industries. But accusations of deliberately misleading stockholders are frequently asserted too quickly and without any basis. Richard Zelichov helps clients in exactly this situation, digging deep to tell their story to the courts, government regulators and investors so cases can be dismissed, and his clients can get back to business.

Digging deep to tell his client's story

Clients turn to Richard for a wide range of commercial litigation matters. He has particular experience representing public companies and their directors and officers in securities class-action and derivative litigation in both federal and state courts throughout the United States. He also helps with matters before the SEC and with internal investigations.

Richard digs in to learn the details of the client's business to understand the issues facing his clients so that he can present them to courts and regulators in a comprehensible way. This allows him to explain the actions of the company or individual in a more convincing way and to develop creative arguments unique to a client's specific case.

Representing clients throughout the technology and life sciences sectors, Richard has worked with Amdocs, Edwards Lifesciences, Vulcan Ventures, Spectranetics, Retalix, Enzymotec, Camtek and officers from several other companies. He defends companies in a wide variety of other industries in lawsuits arising from accounting restatements, failure to meet public projections, product recalls, executive compensation, option grants and mergers and acquisitions.

Richard writes and speaks extensively on topics related to securities law. After law school, Richard served as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Alfred T. Goodwin of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

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"Richard's work is top-notch and timely. He's also excellent at explaining strategic choices available to the client." "Richard is one of the most talented lawyers available for securities. His dedication to the client is unmatched."

Chambers USA 2022
(California, Litigation: Securities) survey response

Practice Focus

  • Securities class actions and derivative litigation
  • SEC investigations and enforcement actions
  • Internal investigations
  • Commercial litigation
  • Lawsuits relating to alleged contract breaches, including earnout disputes, license agreements and nondisclosure agreements
  • Trade secret litigation

Representative Experience

  • Issuer Representations
  • Defended Edwards Lifesciences Corporation in securities class action concerning missed forecasts for new transcatheter heart valve product.
  • Defended global medical supply company and its officers and directors in securities class action arising from its recall of a multipurpose contact lens solution.
  • Defended Stamps.com Inc. and its directors and officers in securities class action and derivative litigation arising out of allegations that misstated relationship with the United States Postal Service.
  • Defended Camtek, Ltd. in securities class action alleging claims of improper revenue recognition.
  • Defend genetic testing and diagnostics company in securities class action in state court regarding statements made in its registration statement and prospectus for IPO.
  • Defended director and investment company in securities class action and bondholder lawsuit arising out of failure and bankruptcy of a telecommunications company. *
  • Defended developer of cardiac health equipment and supplies and its officers and directors in securities class action, derivative litigation and SEC investigation arising out of allegations that company promoted its products for "off-label" use.
  • Defended developer and manufacturer of nutritional ingredients and medical foods in securities class action concerning IPO, secondary offering, and other public statements concerning its two leading products.
  • Defended electric company and its officers and directors in securities class action litigation arising from investigation by Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. *
  • Defended Santa Barbara-based high technology company, and its officers and directors, in securities class action and derivative litigation arising out of company’s failure to meet public projections.  *
  • Represented diversified global semiconductor leader as amicus curiae in securities class action before the US Supreme Court. *
  • Defended numerous lawsuits arising out of significant corporate transactions including mergers and acquisitions.
  • Director and Officer Representations
  • Defended former CEO of Chinese operations of a pharmaceutical company in connection with Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations by US Department of Justice and US Securities and Exchange Commission.
  • Defended former officers of Workhorse Group, Inc. in securities class action and derivative litigation regarding company’s production and manufacturing capabilities, “backlog” of purchase orders, and positioning for a multi-billion dollar contract with the United States Postal Service to manufacture its new fleet of approximately 165,000 next generation delivery vehicles.
  • Defended officers and employees of mortgage lender in connection with investigations by US Department of Justice and US Securities and Exchange Commission concerning loan underwriting.
  • Defended director of contact lens manufacturer in securities class action and derivative litigation arising out of numerous issues company faced over a two-year period during and following merger with competitor. *
  • Defend former CFO of Blue Coat Systems, Inc. in SEC investigation and various securities cases regarding the company’s past practices relating to option grants.
  • Defended former senior executive of Krispy Kreme, Inc. in various civil securities matters and in US Securities and Exchange Commission and US Department of Justice investigations related to company’s restatement of financial results.  *
  • Complex Civil Litigation
  • Represented multiple private companies, their boards, and/or their directors and officers in corporate governance disputes.
  • Represented companies in connection with “earn-out” disputes and litigation related to mergers, licensing agreements, and other contracts.
  • Defended major financial institution in lawsuit alleging claims for fraud, breach of fiduciary duty and violation of RICO in the sale of interest rate swaps.
  • Defended multiple class action and mass action lawsuits alleging software negligence in the design and installation of point-of-sale software at gas stations and associated convenience stores throughout the United States.
  • Defended lawsuit alleging trade secret misappropriation and breaches on NDAs on behalf of a leading provider of software billing, customer management and payment solutions to telecommunication and media companies.
  • Prosecuted false advertising lawsuit related to health claims made by apparel manufacturer.
* Experience prior to Katten

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Practices
Education
  • Columbia Law School, JD
  • Yale University, BA, cum laude
Bar Admissions
  • California
Court Admissions
  • US Supreme Court
  • US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • US Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • US District Court, Central District of California
  • US District Court, Northern District of California
  • US District Court, Southern District of California
Community Involvements
  • American Bar Association
  • Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Los Angeles Chapter
Recognitions
Recognized or listed in the following:
  • Best Lawyers in America
    Litigation - Securities, 2022–2023
    Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy), 2022–2023
  • The Legal 500 United States
    Recommended Attorney, 2016, 2019–2020
  • Super Lawyers
    Southern California, 2013–2018
  • Super Lawyers Rising Stars
    Southern California, 2011–2012
  • Chambers USA
    Litigation: Securities, 2022
Award Methodologies