Brian Ralston

Biography

Brian Ralston is a litigator whose practice centers around assisting clients in successfully navigating cases through the Delaware courts, particularly the Court of Chancery.

Guidance from experienced Delaware counsel is critically important for clients finding themselves involved in disputes litigated in Delaware.  Brian’s extensive experience includes stockholder class and derivative actions relating to mergers, acquisitions, tender offers and proxy contests, statutory proceedings pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, and proceedings involving the internal corporate governance of Delaware corporations. Brian also frequently counsels officers and directors, committees of the board and the Delaware corporations they serve in matters of Delaware corporate law.  Brian’s experience becomes his client’s advantage.   

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Brian does not approach any matter or client alike. Each case is unique and begins with an analysis of the client’s big-picture objectives, which informs the appropriate strategy. One case may require hard fought litigation all the way through trial, whereas another case may call for an alternative business solution that avoids litigation altogether.  Business litigation in the Delaware courts is not one-size fits all.

Brian prides himself in being a practical-minded trial lawyer who develops creative strategies to bring the dispute at hand to a successful close as efficiently and expeditiously as possible, consistent with the client’s goals. Every phase of every case is evaluated against whether, and how, it moves matters toward this objective.

In achieving this objective for his clients, Brian believes that a very personal, hands-on approach to his cases is the only approach.  Brian advises and assists clients with respect to every facet of litigating in Delaware, from procedure to complex substantive legal issues to the particular judge hearing the case.  He actively manages each litigation team to ensure the high quality of every piece of work product and that each task matches the overall litigation strategy and advances the client’s goals.  Each case is the most important case.      

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Experience

Representative Matters

  • Liberty Media in connection with litigation challenging its acquisition of Sirius XM
  • IntercontinentalExchange in litigation challenging its acquisition of the New York Stock Exchange
  • Qualcomm in connection with litigation concerning patent and licensing disputes with Nokia
  • Special Committee of News Corporation in litigation challenging the company’s proposed acquisition of Shine
  • Compellent Technologies, Inc. in connection with shareholder litigation challenging its acquisition by Dell
  • SRA and its Special Committee in connection with litigation challenging its acquisition by Providence Equity Partners
  • NRG in connection with shareholder litigation challenging its proposed acquisition of Gen-On
  • Consol Energy, Inc. in litigation relating to its tender offer to acquire the minority shares of CNX Gas Corporation
  • Rizvi Traverse in litigation relating to its acquisition with Hugh Hefner of Playboy Enterprises
  • Liberty Media in litigation relating to the effect of a proposed split-off of assets under the terms of an existing indenture trust

Professional Activities & Recognition

Honors & Recognitions

Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Mergers and Acquisitions, and Corporate Law (2019 - present)

Professional

Delaware State Bar Association

American Bar Association

Education

Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, J.D., 1998; Woolsack Honor Society; Editor, Dickinson Law Review

Villanova University, B.A., 1995

Bar & Court Admissions

Bar Admissions

  • Delaware, 1998

    District Court for the District of Delaware, 1999

    Third Circuit Court of Appeals, 2003

Newsroom

Brian in the News

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