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Miles D. Orton

Of Counsel

He/Him

P. 303.244.1987

Biography

Miles Orton represents clients in high-stakes litigation and arbitration, particularly in complex commercial disputes. He regularly represents international companies and individuals facing litigation in the United States. He also has significant experience handling multidistrict litigation, product liability, and employment cases, as well as global criminal and compliance-related investigations. In 2017, Miles was recognized as a team member of ALM Media’s Transatlantic Litigation Team of the Year and The American Lawyer’s Global Dispute of the Year: Transnational Litigation for his work on one of the largest cross-border insolvencies. 

Miles also has extensive expertise helping parties explore creative solutions to complex disputes as a neutral court-appointed mediator in federal and state court.  

In addition to his regular practice, Miles regularly represents pro bono clients. He has handled matters concerning housing, immigration, intestacy, administrative, criminal, and family law. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Publico Award for his assistance on a successful amicus brief filed in the New York Court of Appeals. 

Prior to joining WTO, Miles worked in the New York City and Paris offices of a global law firm. While there, he held a secondment at a large aerospace and defense company in Europe where he helped strengthen compliance policies and advised on third-party due diligence procedures. 

Cases

Commercial Litigation & Arbitration

  • Won a jury verdict for an international polo star in a commercial dispute over the cloning and breeding of world champion polo horses.
  • Represented a major healthcare provider in a first-of-its-kind adjudicatory administrative action brought by the Colorado Division of Insurance, securing a complete dismissal of all four complaints in advance of the scheduled hearings.
  • Represented a telecom construction company in pursuing shareholder and former employee for conversion, breach of contract, and breach of fiduciary duty based on post-acquisition wrongdoing, leading to favorable settlement.
  • Represented a hospital in contractual dispute with a group of service providers, leading to favorable settlement.
  • Served on a seven-week trial team representing insolvency administrators of Nortel Group's European, Middle Eastern, and African affiliates in one of the largest cross-border insolvencies involving the division of $7.3 billion.
  • Represented various investment funds in sovereign debt litigation over Argentina's default, leading to favorable settlements.
  • Represented transnational company in coordinating defense of dozens of international arbitrations involving commercial contract claims.
  • Successfully defended an international client in a federal court action seeking to vacate an arbitration award in an international arbitration administered by the ICDR involving numerous fraudulent subsidiary companies.
  • Represented a transnational mineral products company in U.S. bankruptcy litigation.
  • Represented a pre-revenue company CEO in an SEC investigation and enforcement action.

White Collar & Investigations

  • Conducted a multiyear anti-corruption compliance investigation of a major transnational company's relationships with hundreds of third parties and dozens of associated investment projects.
  • Led a due diligence review of a multinational European company's relationships with business partners in Southeast Asia.
  • In re MF Global Inc.: Conducted an internal investigation for the trustee for the liquidation of MF Global Inc. surrounding the events leading to the shortfall of customer property in preparation for court and U.S. congressional hearings.
  • Represented a finance executive in a criminal investigation of alleged marketing kickbacks.

Product Liability

  • Represented a major pharmaceutical company against product liability claims in a multidistrict litigation, resulting in exclusion of unreliable plaintiffs' witness testimony and dismissal on summary judgment.
  • Represented international companies in various product liability litigation risk assessment and mitigation exercises.

Employment

  • Achieved favorable settlement for an executive in an employment arbitration against the client's former company after winning enforcement of an indemnity agreement.
  • Represented non-profit facing employment discrimination claims on several bases, winning motion to dismiss all claims against individually-named defendants.

Pro Bono

  • Represented pro bono clients in immigration, civil rights, family, housing, and criminal appellate litigation and administrative hearings.

Other Experience

Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP

Legal Memberships, Activities, and Honors

Legal Aid Society 2019 Pro Bono Publico Award
    Recipient
ALM Media
    2017 Transatlantic Litigation Team of the Year
The American Lawyer
    2017 Global Dispute of the Year
Commitment to Justice Award, 2015
    Recipient
New York State Bar Association’s Empire State Counsel Award, 2012-2015
    Recipient
2020 Graduate of EDNY Mediator Incubator Program and Member of EDNY Mediation Panel
Law School...Yes We Can!
    Program Mentor
American Bar Association
Colorado Bar Association
New York State Bar Association
Faculty of Federal Advocates

Personal Interests

Distance running, spending time with family, chess, and travel.

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