Hausfeld announces 13 senior promotions globally
Washington, D.C., London, Berlin (January 6, 2026) - Hausfeld is pleased to announce that five attorneys have been promoted to Partner, and eight attorneys have been promoted to Counsel across the United States and Europe for 2026.
Partner promotions
Ashley M. Crooks, Daniel P. Weick, Stella Gartagani, Karl-Christoph von Steuben, and Christoph Schubert have been invited to join the partnership.
In New York, Ashley M. Crooks has a practice focus in cybersecurity and data privacy litigation. She has a broad range of experience in complex litigation, representing clients in a variety of high-stakes commercial, mass tort, and data privacy matters in state and federal courts across the country. As a key member of Hausfeld’s pioneering cybersecurity practice, Ashley has been personally appointed to plaintiffs’ leadership in numerous data privacy and technology-related class actions. She has experience in all stages of litigation and is committed to advancing the law on issues related to technology, privacy, and data security.
In New York, Daniel P. Weick specializes in federal antitrust litigation, with experience representing clients at every stage of the litigation process from case inception through trial, appeal, and judgment enforcement. He has also represented complainants and third parties in a wide range of government investigations. Dan’s practice has encompassed an array of price-fixing, restraint of trade, monopolization, and merger issues across a diverse set of technology, life sciences, industrial, and consumer markets.
In London, Stella Gartagani is a dual-qualified competition litigator (England and Greece) advising on EU and UK competition law, with particular expertise in abuse of dominance, cartels, and collective actions. She has acted in cases before the High Court, CAT, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, and at European level, the General Court and Court of Justice. Since joining Hausfeld in 2011, Stella has acted for claimants in some of the most high-profile damages claims, including Air Cargo, PU Foam, Carbon & Graphite, Occupant Safety Systems and Google Shopping, as well as the FX collective proceedings brought by Mr. Evans and the Nikki Stopford collective action against Google for abuse of dominance in search.
In Berlin, Karl-Christoph von Steuben advises clients in complex civil and competition litigation in Germany and internationally. He specializes in large-scale plaintiff litigation, including both cartel claims and digital antitrust matters. Karl-Christoph represents major individual claimants and litigates in collective enforcement proceedings. He has played a key role in the Truck Cartel litigation and in high-profile proceedings against major technology companies in abuse of dominance cases. His experience spans all phases of litigation, from early case assessment to trial and settlement negotiations.
In Düsseldorf, Christoph Schubert advises companies on the efficient resolution of complex commercial disputes. He develops tailored conflict-resolution strategies that address not only the legal issues but also the tactical and economic dimensions of the dispute, including guidance on litigation-funding to mitigate or eliminate financial risks. Christoph has special experience in structuring and financing complex collective actions including project automation using legal tech and AI. Besides this, he has many years of experience in litigation and out-of-court dispute resolution, particularly in connection with insolvency proceedings, directors' and officers' liability, and D&O insurance law. He is also a trained business mediator.
Counsel promotions
In Washington, D.C., Theodore F. DiSalvo’s practice focuses on complex litigation and trial work, with an emphasis on antitrust and whistleblower (qui tam) matters. He represents plaintiffs in high-stakes disputes against dominant market actors, including Big Tech companies, government contractors, and other corporate wrongdoers. Ted has significant experience in antitrust class actions, consumer protection, and whistleblower litigation across the technology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and transportation sectors. A former NCAA and professional athlete, he also represents athletes and is committed to protecting their interests. Ted co-chairs the firm’s Technology Committee and serves on the firm’s Disability Working Group and Lateral Associate Hiring Committee.
In Washington, D.C., Ian J. Engdahl litigates high-stakes antitrust, data-privacy, consumer-protection, and environmental cases. As a core member of the firm’s Technology and Data Breach practice group, he has represented consumers in some of the nation’s largest data-breach class actions and was recently appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee for the Set Forth Data Breach case. His antitrust work includes actions against global banks, Big Tech, and pharmaceutical companies. Earlier this year, Ian was a key member of the trial team that secured a $110 million patent-infringement verdict against Apple. Ian also represents Maine in climate litigation and is a national voice on data-privacy and AI-safety issues. Ian co-chairs the firm’s Technology Committee and Summer Associate Committee.
In Washington, D.C., Farhad Mirzadeh represents clients in high-stakes antitrust, commercial, and sports and entertainment litigation. He has appeared in courts against leading technology and media companies, helping to secure substantial settlements and jury verdicts for classes harmed by unlawful conduct. Farhad is known for his practical approach, creative strategy, and ability to distill complex claims into clear, persuasive arguments. Farhad currently plays an active role in complex litigation involving sports leagues, airlines, drug manufacturers, and major television broadcasters.
In London, Jonathan Amior is an experienced litigator focused on commercial and competition disputes. He represents claimants and defendants in matters involving breach of contract, post-acquisition disputes, professional negligence, civil fraud and unfair prejudice. Jonathan has developed specialist expertise in claimant group litigation, including collective proceedings against global tech companies and securities actions for institutional investors, complemented by his deep experience in litigation funding matters. Jonathan has acted in the High Court, Competition Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal on behalf of a diverse range of UK consumer and business groups, international corporates, high net worth individuals and public-sector organisations.
In London, Kio Gwilliam specializes in competition litigation and is currently part of the legal teams acting for clients in large scale abuse of dominance disputes against Big Tech, most notably in Kent v Apple - the first case brought under the UK’s collective action regime to reach a successful conclusion at trial - and Coll v Google. Kio was also part of the legal team acting for over 100 claimants in the Air Cargo litigation against British Airways in the High Court and Court of Appeal.
In London, Emma Poland is a senior member of the legal team advising Dr Kent in the collective action brought against Apple, in which the Competition Appeal Tribunal found Apple has breached UK and EU competition law by abusing its dominance in relation to the App Store and awarded approximately £1.5 billion in damages to over 30 million UK consumers. She also advises the Class Representative in Elizabeth Coll v Google, alleging exclusionary and exploitative practices in respect of Google’s Play Store with trial listed for October 2026.
In Berlin, Asja Zorn advises on German and European competition law and litigation. She handles follow-on and standalone cartel damages and abuse of dominance actions, with a particular focus on private enforcement in digital and platform markets. Asja represents clients in complex, high-value disputes, frequently involving multi-party claims and cross‑border coordination. In addition to her legal practice, she publishes on competition law, contributing analysis to the development of private enforcement and antitrust doctrine.
In Hamburg, Lara Boras specializes in advising companies on commercial law disputes, with a focus on disputes related to data protection law. Her particular expertise lies in litigation, a field in which she has accumulated extensive experience over the course of several years. This experience includes advising companies on complex national and international disputes. Her work is centered on the enforcement of claims for damages in cases of violations of the GDPR against Big Tech. She is currently engaged in the representation of clients in legal proceedings seeking redress from Google and Meta.
Other promotions
We are also pleased to announce a further one Of Counsel, three Senior Associate, two Senior Attorney, one Senior Staff Attorney, one Senior Paralegal, and three global operations team promotions.
Global Co-Chair Brian Ratner commented:
“I am proud to recognize our newly promoted partners and counsel, along with all colleagues promoted across the firm this year. These promotions reflect not only outstanding performance and contribution, but also the confidence the firm places in these individuals to help shape our future — through leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to advance complex and high-stakes matters for our clients with clarity and purpose, reflective of the values Hausfeld prides itself on. Their perspectives and experience strengthen our platform globally and position the firm for continued growth and success. This group represents the depth of talent across Hausfeld and the next generation of leaders driving our practice forward.”
Global Co-Chair Anthony Maton added:
“I congratulate our new partners on achieving such a significant milestone in their careers. Their combined talent, determination and dedication in bringing complex and novel litigation has been the bedrock for their promotion. They, together with all our case and business support teams, play a pivotal part in Hausfeld’s continuing success. Investing in the growth of our teams is an essential element of that success. We also congratulate everyone who was promoted across all of our jurisdictions. Each brings their own strength and vision, as well as a commitment to excellence which is the centre of what Hausfeld does. I wish everyone the best of luck in their continuing careers.”
Further information
- The promotions are valid from 1 January 2026 unless otherwise stated.
- Additional promotions are: In the US: Sean Zehmer has been promoted to Of Counsel; Carlos A. Gutiérrez and Adel Khamidullin have been promoted to Senior Attorney; Sydney J. Delin Kolker has been promoted to Senior Staff Attorney; Kenya McCune has been promoted to Senior Paralegal; Claire Harders has been promoted to Marketing & BD Specialist; and Lisa Wilson has been promoted to Project Specialist. In the UK: Hannah McEwen, Emelyne Peticca, and Pierre Welch have been promoted to Senior Associate; and Lauren Russell has been promoted to Operations & HR Advisor.
- Hausfeld has 170+ lawyers globally, including 55 partners. We are a gender diverse firm with over 46% female lawyers and 36% female partners, and have an excellent track record of promoting women worldwide.
- The firm has a broad range of complex litigation expertise, often with an international dimension. Hausfeld’s extensive experience with alternative and innovative fee models offers clients a diverse range of engagement options and maximum flexibility in terms of managing their cost exposure.
- Our collective achievements over the past year have been reflected in the launch of impactful cases, successful settlements, and judgments across the different jurisdictions, and our successes have been highlighted in various legal industry US, UK, German and Dutch directory rankings and US, UK, German, and Dutch awards. These accomplishments underscore the strength of our team and the positive impact we continue to make in the legal landscape globally.
Media enquiries
Lisa Sharrow
Marketing & BD Director
lsharrow@hausfeld.com
202.953.8177
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