Timothy Blakely is a litigation partner in the firm’s Hong Kong office and a member of the firm’s Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Defense practice group. Mr. Blakely’s practice is focused on government and internal investigations and complex commercial litigation and arbitration, with an emphasis on securities litigation. His experience includes representing numerous public companies, and their officers and directors, in securities class actions, derivative lawsuits, insider trading cases, government investigations, regulatory proceedings, arbitrations, internal investigations, and other complex litigation matters. Mr. Blakely has represented multinational and Chinese clients in various industries, including telecommunications, biotechnology, publishing, pharmaceuticals, and financial services. Mr. Blakely is a regular speaker on topics involving cross-border shareholder litigation, securities enforcement and investigations, and risk mitigation.
Mr. Blakely also is a member of the firm’s FCPA + Anti-Corruption Task Force. He conducts internal investigations of potential violations of anti-corruption laws, leads pre-acquisition anti-corruption related due diligence, and regularly provides advice, counseling, and training to clients about FCPA and anti-corruption related issues.
Mr. Blakely graduated, magna cum laude, from Bowdoin College in 1996, with an A.B. in Government. He received his J.D., magna cum laude, in 2001 from the University of Pennsylvania, where he served as Senior Editor of the Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Following his graduation from Penn, Mr. Blakely served as a law clerk to the Honorable Mary A. McLaughlin in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Morrison & Foerster, Mr. Blakely was an associate with Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in New York.
Mr. Blakely is admitted to the bars of California, New York, and Maine, and as a solicitor in Hong Kong.
Representative Matters
Litigation and Arbitration
- Representing Hong Kong and Chinese investors in insider trading litigation being prosecuted by the SEC in the Southern District of New York.
- Representing Hong Kong investor in HKIAC arbitration proceeding against Chinese partner arising out of manufacturing joint venture in China.
- Representing U.S.-listed Chinese company in U.S. class action securities litigation and related federal and state derivative lawsuits.
- Representing Chinese investors in international dispute over ownership of China real estate project, with ongoing legal proceedings in the Caribbean, Hong Kong, and China.
- Represented Ernst & Young in SP Syntax LLC v. Ernst & Young LLP, et al. (Cal. Super. Ct.) Following a three-week trial, won a unanimous jury verdict on behalf of Ernst & Young, defeating claims that the accounting firm had made negligent representations in connection with financial statements issued by a U.S.-listed company with significant operations in Hong Kong and China.
- Represented JDSU and former executives in In re JDSU Securities Litigation. (N.D. Cal.) Obtained a complete jury defense verdict on behalf of JDSU and three former executives in a class action seeking $20 billion for alleged securities fraud and illegal insider trading.
- Represented Russian technology company and inventor in JAMS Arbitration. Obtained arbitration victory on behalf of a Russian technology company and inventor involving breach-of-contract and fraud claims arising out of purchase of an Armenian technology company.
- Represented underwriter in In re Occam Networks Securities Litigation. (C.D. Cal.) Represented lead underwriter in a class action lawsuit arising out of a financial restatement by a telecommunications company following a registered stock offering. The case settled on favorable terms— with no payment by our client.
Internal and Government Investigations
- Representing U.S.-listed Chinese company in SEC and DOJ investigations involving allegations of fraud and other potential violations of U.S. securities laws.
- Representing Fortune 100 corporation in internal investigations in China of potential violations of labor and tax regulations and policies.
- Representing Fortune 500 corporation in internal investigation of potential violations of the FCPA and related anti-corruption laws in China and Hong Kong.
- Represented Hong Kong-listed Chinese company in internal investigation of potential violations of listing rules and policies concerning insider dealing.
- Represented Fortune 500 corporation in internal investigation of potential violations in China of the FCPA and related anti-corruption laws; implemented post-investigation remediation and training program.
- Represented U.S.-listed technology company in internal investigation of potential violations in Taiwan of import-export laws and U.S. accounting guidelines.
- Represented U.S.-listed global biotechnology company in SEC investigation involving allegations of improper self-dealing and other potential violations of U.S. securities laws.