Courtney Statfeld

Courtney Statfeld has extensive experience handling large-scale litigations involving complex financial products, particularly asset backed securities. She crafts creative and strategic solutions for disputes arising out of structured financial products, securities, and commercial matters. Her clients include hedge funds, private equity firms, investment advisors, institutional investors, trustees, international banks, and Fortune 500 companies. Courtney is known for her tireless dedication to client service and building close, long-term relationships that enable her to proactively identify and address her clients’ needs.

Notably, she obtained a series of rulings—including at summary judgment—that set the basic framework for MBS litigation nationwide. Courtney handles complex cases from inception to settlement, including on behalf of large financial institutions and investors, in federal and state court actions prosecuting and defending claims for breach of contract, fraud, business torts, and state and federal securities violations, including claims related to collateralized debt obligations, residential and commercial MBS, indenture bonds and bond insurance, helping investors and insurers recover more than $1 billion in losses. Recent work has also included representing investors in a number of trust instruction proceedings across the nation involving disputes regarding the proper interpretation of waterfall provisions in the governing agreements for various trusts.  

Courtney is featured in Chambers USA in the “Litigation: Securities – Institutional Plaintiffs” category. She is a Fellow of the Litigation Council of America. Courtney has also been recognized among Lawdragon's "500 Leading Litigators in America", and “500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers”  She has also been named a "Litigation Star" and named to the “Under 40 Hot List” by Benchmark Litigation.

Prior to joining McKool Smith:

• Represented an insurance company in its $5 billion lawsuit against Bank of America and various countrywide entities alleging breach of contract and fraud in the procurement of financial guaranty insurance of residential mortgage-backed securities.
• Represented a hedge fund in pursuing claims for the repurchase of mortgages worth more than $3 billion due to breaches of contractual representations and warranties.
• In a multijurisdictional dispute between a real estate investment trust and former co-owners of a portfolio company, obtained summary judgment on breach of contract claims asserted by—and dismissal of breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims asserted against—the investment trust.
• Represented one of the country's largest pharmaceutical companies in a patent infringement claim; obtained summary judgment asserted by the company against the infringer on all counts.

• Recognized in the guide to the Lawdragon 500 Leading Litigators in America, 2022
• Recognized by Benchmark Litigation as a "Future Star" (2023)
• Ranked as a leading lawyer in New York for Litigation: Securities – Institutional Plaintiffs by Chambers USA. The 2022 edition notes "A top-flight lawyer in every way. She's great on substance, she's thoughtful, quick on her feet and a pleasure to work with." "Courtney always brings a fresh and creative angle to cases."
• Recognized among Lawdragon's 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers (2019-2022)

• Recognized as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA), 2020-2022

• Recognized in the Benchmark Litigation "Under 40 Hot List," which honors the achievements of the nation’s most accomplished legal partners of the age of forty or younger, 2017-2020
• Recognized as a "Rising Star" in New York by Super Lawyers, 2015-2018