Moira Penza has been recognized among the New York Law Journal’s 2023 Rising Stars. This award honors the Empire State’s most promising lawyers who are 40 and under, based on a wide range of factors including the significance and complexity of work.
Moira is first and foremost a trial lawyer with a record of success leading and winning high-stakes civil and criminal cases. She recently served as trial counsel defending Altria Group, Inc. and certain of its subsidiaries in the first government entity bellwether trial, brought by the San Francisco Unified School District, in multi-district litigation arising out of Altria’s minority investment in JUUL Labs, Inc. Just one day after Moira and the Wilkinson Stekloff team completed cross-examinations in the plaintiff’s case and the defense case was about to begin, the plaintiffs agreed to a global settlement with Altria that resolved the personal injury, consumer class action, and government entity cases brought in over 6,000 e-vapor cases in state and federal courts.
Before joining the firm, Moira served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, where she led numerous criminal investigations and prosecutions involving both white collar and violent crime. She has demonstrated a commitment to public service focused on the New York community and courts throughout her career, including maintaining a robust pro bono practice while in private practice.
Moira has been widely recognized for her work, including being named a “Rising Star” by Law360 in the prestigious “Trials” category, honored by Bloomberg Law in the inaugural edition of its “ The 40 Under 40” list, and named to Crain’s New York Business “40 Under 40” list, the profile of which described her as, “a canny legal strategist” who can “go for the jugular when necessary.” Benchmark Litigation has also recognized Moira as a “Litigation Star” and named her to their “Top 250 Woman in Litigation” and “40 & Under” lists. The 2023 New York Legal Awards honorees will be recognized during the event on October 5, 2023, at Pier Sixty, located at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan.