Holwell Shuster & Goldberg Elevates Kevin Benish to Of Counsel
New York—Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP, one of the premier litigation boutiques in the country, has promoted Kevin Benish to of counsel, effective July 1. Kevin joined HSG as an associate in 2016 and returned to the firm after serving as a clerk for Judge Susan L. Carney of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
“Kevin has developed into the type of elite trial lawyer that defines HSG, and he has made an impact on the broader legal community with his academic scholarship,” said Richard J. Holwell, co-founding partner of the firm and former judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. “He is incredibly sharp and dedicated, and is a fierce advocate for his clients. He’s a natural leader and we are privileged to have him at our firm.”
Kevin serves as an adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law, where he has taught the school’s International Litigation and Arbitration course and Civil Procedure for LLMs. He frequently writes about topics ranging from transnational litigation and foreign sovereign immunity to data privacy and comparative law. Kevin has also been invited to speak on these topics throughout the United States and abroad, having previously been a “distinguished guest” at the Max Planck Institute for Procedural Law in Luxembourg, and a Research Fellow at NYU’s Center for Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Commercial Law.
Since joining HSG, Kevin has played an important role in several of the firm’s litigation matters. He is currently involved in an ongoing trial of an adversary proceeding in bankruptcy court in Texas in which HSG represents certain bondholders of the supply chain services company Incora, relating to $250 million in financing that Incora received in 2022. Kevin also serves as lead counsel for a state-court judge who, as a defendant, is challenging the constitutionality of a provision of New York law, and was a member of the legal team that served as U.S. Supreme Court counsel to a former Russian lawmaker in a cross-border dispute regarding a fraud charge.
Among other matters, Kevin regularly litigates cases under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and assists clients seeking evidence in aid of foreign proceedings pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1782. He has successfully argued cases in both state and federal courts and has co-authored briefs at every level of the state and federal judiciary, including an amicus brief that was cited by the U.S. Supreme Court in two separate cases.
Kevin maintains an active and diverse pro bono practice, which has included fighting for LGBTQIA+ rights in rural New York, representing asylum seekers, and representing civil procedure scholars as amici curiae. He was an integral member of the HSG team that secured the first injunction against the second iteration of former President Trump’s Muslim Ban on behalf of a Syrian asylee in Wisconsin who sought derivative-asylum status for his wife and young child. He also serves as co-chair of HSG’s LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group.
Kevin received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.