In November 2008 antitrust attorney Michael Hausfeld learned that he had been ousted from the firm he cofounded, Cohen Milstein Hausfeld & Toll, from a note that was left on his chair. Unbowed, he took 17 lawyers and his vision for a global plaintiffs shop, and hung up his own shingle as Hausfeld LLP.
At his previous firm (now known as Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll), many colleagues were—to put it mildly—skeptical about Hausfeld’s global enthusiasm. One told Legal Times at the time of the split that Hausfeld was prone to returning from overseas trips and announcing that he was ready to open up offices. And as the firm’s top rainmaker, Hausfeld usually got his way: He had cajoled the firm into opening in London in 2007.
