Thomas Ajamie

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Thomas Ajamie
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BornJune 25, 1960
NationalityAmerican
CitizenshipUnited States of America
Occupation
  • Lawyer
  • Philanthropist
  • Author

Thomas Ajamie (born June 25, 1960) is an American lawyer, philanthropist, and author. He is the founder of the law firm Ajamie LLP.

Professional History

Ajamie worked as a trial lawyer at the law firm Baker Botts. During his tenure there, he successfully defended the second largest funeral and cemetery services company against a $4 billion hostile takeover bid by that industry’s largest company, SCI.[1] In 1997, Ajamie left Baker Botts and founded the firm which is now known as Ajamie LLP.[2]

Notable Matters

  • In 2001, a New York Stock Exchange panel levied a $429 million fine, the largest in history at the time, against PaineWebber broker Enrique Perusquia.[3] on behalf of Ajamie's clients.[4]
  • In 2006, a New York Stock Exchange arbitration panel returned a $14.5 million penalty, the third largest ever at the time, against Prudential Equity Group on behalf of Ajamie's clients.[5]
  • In 2010, Ajamie won the largest civil RICO jury verdict in United States history,[6] on behalf of his client ADT Security Services.[7]
  • Ajamie served as outside counsel for the Houston Super Bowl Host Committee.[8] He and his firm handled all compliance issues during the nearly two years leading up to Super Bowl LI in 2017[9]
  • In 2020, Ajamie's clients were awarded a $79 million settlement following a class action lawsuit against Wells Fargo & Company in federal court.[10]

Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men

In 2010, Ajamie and financial news writer Bruce Kelly wrote the book Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men.[11] The second edition of Financial Serial Killers was released in paperback in 2014 and ranks #3 on Amazon in Biographies of White Collar Crime, and #6 in Financial Services.[12]

Philanthropy

Ajamie maintains a scholarship endowment at Arizona State University which awards scholarships to students who support societal diversity initiatives.[13] Ajamie also serves on the board of trustees for the Houston Grand Opera.[14] His pro bono work for amfAR uncovered allegations about the abuse and harassment of women by producer Harvey Weinstein.[15]

amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research and the Harvey Weinstein scandal

In 2016 amfAR’s board retained Ajamie to investigate a suspicious financial transaction involving Harvey Weinstein.[16] Weinstein hired lawyer David Boies and law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, as well as Israeli firm Black Cube to block Ajamie's investigation.[17]

After members of the amfAR board had shared Ajamie's report with the New York attorney general and members of the press, he was contacted by New York Times writers Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. In October 2017, Twohey and Kantor published their sexual misconduct piece on Weinstein.[15] Ajamie’s Weinstein investigation is also featured in their New York Times bestseller She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement.[18]

Awards and Honors

  • 500 Leading Lawyers in America (Lawdragon)[19]
  • Top 50 Litigation Trailblazers (The National Law Journal)[20]
  • Plaintiffs’ Lawyers Trailblazers (The National Law Journal)[21]
  • Leading Lawyer in Commercial Litigation (Chambers USA)[22]
  • Litigation Star–Commercial (Benchmark Litigation, published by Euromoney Institutional Investor)[23]
  • Texas Super Lawyer[24]

References

  1. Sapino Jeffreys, Brenda (January 20, 1997). "Digging Deep" (PDF). Texas Lawyer.
  2. https://www.ajamie.com/
  3. "Former Broker Gets Big Fine From Exchange". The New York Times. December 25, 2001.
  4. Smith, Randall (December 26, 2001). "NYSE Panel Slaps Former Broker With Record $429.5 Million Fine". The Wall Street Journal.
  5. Craig, Susanne (June 6, 2006). "Investors Who Fought Arbitrator's Ties Win a Big Ruling Against Prudential". The Wall Street Journal.
  6. "Verdict and Settlement Trends Report" (PDF). Thomson Reuters. June 23, 2020.
  7. "Border Wars" (PDF). The American Lawyer. June 1, 2010.
  8. Ryan, John (February 2, 2017). "Lawyer Thomas Ajamie on His Work for the Super Bowl Host Committee". Lawdragon.
  9. Mont, Joe (January 31, 2017). "The Super Bowl of compliance: the attorney behind the big game". Compliance Week.
  10. Barker, Holly (July 30, 2020). "Wells Fargo's $79 Million ERISA Settlement Gets Judge's Final OK". Bloomberg Law.
  11. Ajamie, Tom; Kelly, Bruce (2010). Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN 978-1-62914-395-8.
  12. Financial Serial Killers: Inside the World of Wall Street Money Hustlers, Swindlers, and Con Men. 14 October 2014.
  13. Partridge, Amy (May 2015). "Legal Eagle" (PDF). ASU Magazine. Arizona State University.
  14. "People, Performers and Leadership at Houston Grand Opera".
  15. 15.0 15.1 Siegel, Tatiana (March 30, 2020). "A Texas Lawyer and an Open Secret: How Harvey Weinstein's Charity Fraud Led to His Downfall". The Hollywood Reporter.
  16. Cohan, William D. (December 20, 2017). ""Nothing About This Deal Feels Right to Me": Inside Harvey Weinstein's Other Nightmare". Vanity Fair.
  17. Rice, Andrew (September 30, 2018). "The Bad, Good Lawyer Was David Boies just doing right by Harvey Weinstein? Or did he cross an ethical line?". New York Magazine's Intelligencer.
  18. Kantor, Jodi; Twohey, Megan (2019). She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement. Penguin Press. ISBN 978-0525560340.
  19. "Lawyer Limelight: Thomas Ajamie". 11 November 2015.
  20. "50 "Litigation Trailblazers & Pioneers" Recognized by ALM's the National Law Journal".
  21. "NLJ 2017 Plaintiff's Lawyers Trailblazers".
  22. "Thomas Ajamie".
  23. "Thomas Ajamie - Texas - Lawyer Profile | Benchmark Litigation".
  24. "Top Rated Houston, TX Business Litigation Attorney | Thomas Ajamie".

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