Robert R. Long

Shareholder Litigation

• Representing a biotech company in a series of putative class actions and derivative actions alleging securities fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty.
• Representing a Fortune 400 manufacturing company in a securities class action and related shareholder derivative actions pending in federal court in Georgia.
• Represented multiple public companies in confidential audit committee investigations.
• Represented Coca-Cola Enterprises and certain of its officers and directors in a series of putative class actions alleging securities fraud via channel stuffing, resulting in a total dismissal of all claims.
• Represented a publicly traded pharmaceutical company in an investigation of shareholder derivative claims.
• Represented Comverge and its board members in a series of putative stockholder class actions alleging that the defendants breached their fiduciary duties to Comverge shareholders in connection with the company’s merger with H.I.G. Capital LLC.
• Represented certain present and former directors and officers of CheckFree in related derivative and class action merger suits challenging the $4.4 billion acquisition of CheckFree by Fiserv.
• Represented former directors and officers of Haven Trust Bancorp in a putative securities class action arising out of private offerings of Haven’s stock and alleged claims for violations of Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act and state securities law, as well as claims for common-law fraud and negligent representation.
• Represented Heritage Financial and its directors in a putative class action challenging Renasant Corporation’s proposed acquisition of Heritage.
• Represented Southside Bancshares in a putative class action challenging its proposed $307 million acquisition of OmniAmerican Bancorp Inc.
• Represented Savannah Bancorp and its directors in a putative class action challenging SCBT Financial Corporation’s $67.1 million acquisition of Savannah Bancorp.
• Represented Cogdell Spencer and its board of directors in several putative class actions that challenged the company’s proposed merger with Ventas Inc.
• Represented Murata Electronics in a putative class action challenging the company’s acquisition of RF Monolithics Inc.
• Represented Whitney Holding and its directors in a putative class action challenging a merger between the company and Hancock Holding Company.

Robert Long is the chair of the Securities Litigation Group. He focuses on shareholder matters, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, regulatory compliance, internal investigations, and director and officer liability. He is an experienced trial lawyer and has substantial experience as lead counsel in matters regarding shareholder disputes, fiduciary duties, and numerous federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, and various banking agencies. Robert also advises corporations on director and officer insurance coverage issues.

Robert is recognized in Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America^©. He frequently publishes and speaks on securities, corporate governance, and director and officer liability and has served as a guest lecturer on securities and corporate governance issues at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and the University of Georgia School of Law. He has been honored by the Burton Awards as a recipient of a “Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award.”

Robert graduated from Stanford Law School, where he served as an editor for the Stanford Law Review and class president. He began private practice following a federal district court clerkship.

Bar Admissions

• Georgia
• California

Education

• Stanford University (J.D., 2000)
• The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (B.A., 1992)

Memberships