Courtney M. Brown

Courtney Brown is a seasoned member of the Complex Commercial Litigation group, where she focuses on high-stakes business disputes and generating outcomes that support clients’ broader business objectives.

She represents sophisticated companies and individuals across a wide variety of industries in matters involving commercial contracts, financial services, corporate governance, shareholder relationships, restrictive covenants, and trade secret misappropriation.

Clients value Courtney’s responsiveness, high-quality work product, and practical, commercially focused approach. She advises clients on litigation exposure and strategy from the outset through resolution, regularly aligning case strategy with evolving business goals. Her litigation experience also enables her to advise on transactions to anticipate and avoid future disputes.

Courtney is a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and has partnered with The Door’s Legal Services Center, helping young people gain immigration status, and with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, counseling content creators on copyright issues. Before joining Vedder, Courtney practiced at a New York-based, nationally recognized law firm, where she worked on complex litigation including securities fraud class actions, bankruptcy proceedings, and regulatory and internal investigations.

Experience

• Achieved a complete defense victory in an arbitration on behalf of a non-profit client, including an award of fees and costs totaling over $1.6 million, in connection with brokers who sought over $6 million in sale and leasing commissions.
• Prevailed on an appeal in the New York Appellate Division, First Department, and achieved reversal of the trial court’s order denying a motion to dismiss breach of contract counterclaims against a client, an aircraft engine lessor.
• Prevailed on a motion to dismiss breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims brought in New York State Court against a client who provided arbitration services in connection with an underlying dispute over earn-out consideration, and then negotiated favorable (nuisance value) settlement to avoid appeal.
• Prevailed in federal court on a motion for summary judgment dismissing all claims against a telecommunications infrastructure client in connection with a dispute over whether certain liabilities were assumed in an asset purchase agreement, and then negotiated a favorable settlement of client’s remaining counterclaim.