Steven Wright

Executive Partner, Holland & Knight

Steven H. Wright is the Executive Partner overseeing the management of the Boston office. In his practice he serves as lead counsel and strategic advisor for several Fortune 500 companies, where he represents senior in-house counsel and corporate executives in complex commercial, corporate, intellectual property, litigation and regulatory matters. He chairs the Boston office's New England Executive Steering Committee and Compensation Committee.

Mr. Wright was appointed Deputy Counsel to the Office of the Mayor of the City of New York where he resolved legal and policy issues for the Mayor and his Executive Cabinet. He was also General Counsel to New York City’s Public Advocate.

Mr. Wright was Deputy Chief of the Civil Litigation Bureau of the Massachusetts Department of Attorney General and Chief of its Trial Division. In addition to managing its legal staff, he successfully tried several complex jury trials to verdict, and provided strategic representation to Massachusetts state agencies.

He is a Director of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, and Trustee and Executive Board Member of The Boston Bar Foundation. Mr. Wright was a member of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s Economic Advisory Board. Additionally, Mr. Wright was a member of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court's Standing Committee on Professional Ethics.

Mr. Wright has lectured at educational seminars for the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Massachusetts Bar Association, National Bar Association, Charting Your Own Course Foundation, the District Court Committee on Judicial Education and Northeastern University. He was also a law clerk for the Massachusetts Superior Court Justices.

Representative Matters

    Corporate

  • Served as strategic counsel for an integrated healthcare system's acquisition of a global medical consulting company, which provides services to healthcare delivery organizations, academic, and medical institutions in over 30 countries.
  • Served as primary counsel to a Fortune 200 financial institution’s investment corporation. Led team of attorneys that provided legal and strategic advice for $100 million in venture capital investments over four years, in the areas of technology, telecommunications, and manufacturing operations.
  • Supervised integration of approximately 5,000 international trademarks from external management into Fortune 200 consumer products company’s trademark portfolio. Provided global trademark utilization and analysis for more than 30 countries to assist marketing strategy, to increase commercial use of trademarks.
  • Oversaw review of analysis and adjustment to long-term benefits and retirement plan under ERISA for a Fortune 200 financial services company, resulting in a restructuring plan with significant cost reductions for company.
    Regulatory
  • Coordinated comprehensive enterprise-wide compliance risk assessment and code of conduct review for Fortune 500 retail company, resulting in identifying and reducing risk in a number of operations.
  • Developed advocacy strategy for presentation to the Centers for Disease Control advisory committee and members of Congress, resulting in expanded use recommendation for newly launched children's vaccine and approximately $150 million in increased revenue and sales for Fortune 200 pharmaceutical company.
  • Developed strategy for representing Fortune 200 consumer products company for Brazilian national sanitary monitoring agency regarding safety classifications of a consumer product; avoided product recall, and saved the company from incurring significant brand and financial damages.
  • Represented financial institution in divestiture negotiations with Justice Department’s Antitrust Division in connection with approval of merger agreement between two Fortune 200 financial institutions.
  • Directed anti-trust, price-fixing internal investigation for Fortune 200 energy company, resulting in elimination of potential claims and government investigation.
    Litigation
  • Directed defense of $8 million FINRA broker/dealer fraud claim and related litigation involving 80 claimants, resulting in settlement of 59 claims at less than one-third of claimed damages.
  • Coordinated consumer class-action litigation involving claims of false advertising in Florida and California for Fortune 200 consumer products company. Case voluntarily dismissed after plaintiff’s counsel was presented with compelling review of their claims, saving the company significant damages and legal fees.
  • Coordinated copyright litigation in Southern District Court of New York on behalf of Fortune 200 consumer products company with four national media company co-defendants, pursuant to joint defense agreement. Case resulted in favorable settlement.

Executive Education

  • Harvard Law School Executive Training, Leadership in Law Firm, 2009
  • Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Executive Leadership Program, MIT Sloan School, 2009

Corporate Board Memberships

  • Savings Bank Life Insurance Company, Policyholders Protective Board, Member
  • TAC Worldwide Industries, Former Board Member, Compensation Committee

Non-Profit Board Memberships

  • Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee, Co-Chair
  • Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Former Trustee
  • Boston Bar Foundation, Trustee; Executive Committee, Former Member
  • American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Member
  • National Bar Association, Commercial Litigation Section, Member
  • American Bar Association, Diversity Advisory Council, Former Member
  • Boston Bar Association, Former Secretary and Executive Committee Member
  • Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Professional Ethics, Former Member
  • Business Court, and Wireless Courtroom Committee, Former Member
  • Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, Past President
  • Massachusetts Bar Association, Executive Committee, Former Member
  • Massachusetts Bar Association, Fee Arbitration Board, Former Chairman
  • East Carolina University, Ledonia Wright Cultural Center, National Chairman
  • East Carolina University, National Leadership Advisory Council, Member
  • East Carolina University, Board of Visitors, Former Member
  • Insurance Library, Former Trustee

Professional Honors & Awards

  • Massachusetts Super Lawyers magazine
  • Designated one of Massachusetts Ten Outstanding Lawyers, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly
  • Recipient of Jaycees' Ten Outstanding Young Leader (TOYL) Award
  • Outstanding Outside Counsel - Commercial Law Section, National Bar Association, 2009

Court Admissions

    U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for New Jersey
  • Court of Appeals of New York State

Speaking Engagements

  • Speaker, "Help Us, Help You," National Bar Association's Corporate Leadership Forum, August 5, 2009
  • Respondent, Business Strategies for the Age of Conscious Capitalism, Boston Center for Community & Justice Winter 2009 Business Network Breakfast, February 27, 2009
  • Panelist, Managing Partner Forum, National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Conference, February 19, 2009
  • Panelist, Leading the Business of Law: How Lawyers Acquire Business Acumen, Suffolk Law School, February 2, 2009
  • Keynote Speaker, Boston Lawyers Group Annual Meeting, September 22, 2008

Published Articles & Books

  • Tips for Managing Client Relationships During Challenging Economic Times," Boston Bar Journal, June 2009
  • Steven Wright: A winding path," Boston Business Journal, September 2008
  • Wright to head Boston office of Holland & Knight," Boston Business Journal, July 2008