Lawson represents public and private companies navigating high-stakes disputes. Optimizing for trial-grade outcomes pre-litigation, Lawson routinely achieves unprecedented victories in a fraction of the typical litigation lifecycle:
$1.37 million financial swing in an equity dispute involving a $10M merger (from -$233,000 to a $1,140,000 recovery) in 7 days.
228% increase in severance compensation (from $43,000 to $141,000).
80% reduction in defensive financial exposure (reducing a $300,000 demand to a $60,000 claim);
In September 2025, Lawson prevented an AI startup’s attempt to claw back $233,000 from a founding engineer just before a $10 million merger. The company dangled equity promises to secure a year of unpaid labor, then refused to honor the equity right before its merger. Taking on the board and outside counsel, Lawson defeated the clawback and leveraged the company’s malfeasance into a $1.14 million payment to the client —in 7 days.
The following month, Lawson negotiated with the General Counsel of a boutqiue investment firm with $7B AUM on behalf of a mid-level analyst. The client was terminated for alleged “performance” reasons despite no documented record of performance issues and a 5 year streak of bonus payments. Lawson took the company’s $43,000 severance offer and negotiated a 228% increase resulting in a final amount of $141,000 plus 100% carry.
Most recently, Lawson shielded Irth Capital—a Qatari-backed investment firm known for its $1.5 billion bid to acquire Papa John’s—against a recruiting agency’s multi-claim demand for $300,000. Against the agency’s big law counsel, Lawson successfully narrowed the dispute to a single-claim, $60,000 lawsuit cutting exposure by 80% pre-litigation. Irth Capital initially retained Lawson in connection with a subpoena issued by the U.S. Department of State, Office of Inspector General’s office regarding an investigation into Irth’s former consultant, a recently retired U.S. Ambassador.
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Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Olshan Frome & Wolosky LLP
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Law Clerk, Hon. Andrea Masley, J.S.C.
New York State Supreme Court, Commercial Division (2017) -
St. John’s University School of Law (J.D., 2016)
Managing Director,
Moot Court Honor SocietyJournal of Civil Rights and Economic Development
Thomas Tang National Moot Court Competition
National Quarterfinalist, 2013,
Second Best Brief, 2013National Finalist, 2014
Best Brief, 2014St. John’s University
(B.S., 2010) -
State of New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of New York
