Partner
RYAN J. LEVAN

Ryan J. Levan is a complex commercial litigator specializing in financial services representations, with a focus on securities and government enforcement matters. He began his career as an associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. To date, Ryan has litigated dozens of high-stakes disputes in federal and state courts for Fortune 500 companies, multinationals, financial services firms, large private corporations, and control personnel. His practice focuses on government enforcement actions involving securities and commodities, M&A litigation, antitrust and securities class actions, and commercial real estate disputes.
Ryan also brings valuable business experience to bear in his representations, having founded and operated a small company prior to joining Levan Legal–including through the COVID-19 Pandemic. Thus, in addition to his insights from years of high-stakes litigation, his firsthand knowledge of compliance, regulatory, and business needs allows him to analyze complex matters through the eyes of the business owner and control personnel.
Ryan is deeply committed to pro bono work. He has represented New York-based charitable, religious, and scholastic organizations, and has assisted local businesses in navigating the existential challenges posed by COVID-19. Ryan has also helped secure legal immigration status for more than a dozen low-income women and children from Central America, for which he was recognized with Her Justice’s Commitment to Justice Award.
Ryan holds a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, magna cum laude, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School, with honors. While at Columbia, he served as a summer clerk to The Honorable Judge John R. Fisher of the D.C. Court of Appeals, was an articles editor for the Columbia Journal of Law & Social Problems, and was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
PUBLICATIONS
Delaware Business Court Insider, July 20, 2016: Hastily Filed Derivative Suits Can Have Preclusive Effect
Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems: Do We Have a Quorum?: Anticipating Agency Vacancies and the Prospect for Judicial Remedy
BAR ADMISSIONS
State of New York
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
FEDERAL COURT ADMISSIONS
U.S. Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
HONORS & APPOINTMENTS
Commitment to Justice Award, Her Justice, 2018
Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, 2015
Parker School Achievement in International Law, 2015
Fulbright Award Finalist, 2010
LANGUAGES
Spanish (Fluent)