Lanier Saperstein

Lanier “excels in highly contentious and high-profile litigations,” according to a global banking client. Among other successes, Lanier was the first lawyer in the United States to require a litigant to use the Hague Evidence Convention when seeking confidential bank records from China. 

Representing financial institutions for more than 25 years, Lanier has managed a wide array of banking matters, including those relating to the Bank Secrecy Act, anti-money laundering, Office of Foreign Assets Control's sanction programs, the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, the bank examination privilege, suspicious activity reports, the Uniform Commercial Code and international wire transfers, as well as claims of alleged fraud under federal and New York law.

Lanier routinely handles cross-border subpoenas, asset restraints, as well as judgment and arbitral enforcement actions. He has litigated key subjects relating to personal and subject matter jurisdiction, international comity, and the separate entity rule. He also advises banks on litigation and regulatory issues relating to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters.

In addition to his banking experience, Lanier litigates commercial matters for foreign companies and individuals, including contract disputes, prosecuting and defending against claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty, and post-closing adjustment disputes.

Lanier co-chairs the firm’s award-winning U.S.-China Practice Group, recognized by the Legal 500 Greater China, China Business Law Journal, and Benchmark Litigation Asia-Pacific for its expertise in cross-border litigation. Legal 500 Greater China recently highlighted the group’s "wealth of practical experience" in "complex China-related … cross-border litigation matters," where its “meticulousness” and "a strong degree of collaboration" across the firm’s U.S. and China offices "allows it to handle a spectrum of China-related U.S. litigation." 

Lanier is a member of the NYCBA’s Compliance Committee and the Council on Judicial Administration. He sits on the China General Chamber of Commerce–USA’s Legal Counsel Committee and is an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. He writes on matters impacting financial institutions, and his writings have been cited in dozens of law journals.