NEW YORK, NY, April 20, 2020 – Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP today announced that Raymond (“Ray”) P. Tolentino has joined the firm as counsel from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he has worked since clerking for the Honorable Sonia Sotomayor on the United States Supreme Court. With the addition of Tolentino, the firm expands its civil rights, investigations, and appellate practices and bolsters its bench of top-notch talent, including three former Supreme Court clerks in the firm’s Washington, D.C office.  

Tolentino, who is also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, is an experienced Supreme Court, appellate, and complex litigation attorney. He has served as the principal author of dozens of briefs filed in state and federal courts (including the U.S. Supreme Court); successfully argued an appeal on behalf of a civil rights plaintiff in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; and recently spearheaded litigation securing life-changing asylum relief for a client who had suffered severe persecution and torture in her country of origin. Tolentino’s wide-ranging practice also includes advising companies and individuals in high-stakes trial litigation and regulatory proceedings, with a particular expertise in administrative, constitutional, employment, and healthcare law.

Kaplan Hecker & Fink Founding Partner Roberta (“Robbie”) Kaplan said: “We are so excited to have Ray join the Kaplan Hecker & Fink family. The key to our firm, or the now not-so-secret ‘secret sauce’ of our success, is that from our associates to counsel to partners, we offer the absolute smartest, most efficient and creative litigators. Given his unbelievably impressive resume, not to mention his passionate commitment to seeking justice for all, Ray is the perfect addition to our team.”

Tolentino said: “Kaplan Hecker & Fink is the dream law firm: it fosters an environment of legal entrepreneurship with a deep commitment to integrity and justice while also focusing on a team-oriented approach to solving clients’ complex problems. That’s why I’m thrilled to take this next step in my career and build on the firm’s achievements with my new colleagues. I count myself incredibly lucky to join the Kaplan Hecker & Fink family and look forward to being a part of the firm’s cutting-edge litigation practice.”

“Ray is one of the most brilliant, creative, and downright effective lawyers I have ever met. He has excelled in every aspect of his practice, from solving thorny commercial disputes to advising clients in high-stakes appeals and Congressional investigations. He is a powerhouse addition to the firm’s growing DC office, which already offers top-flight expertise for clients faced with new and complex legal questions,” commented Joshua Matz, partner, Kaplan Hecker & Fink.

“From clerking at the Supreme Court to advising on Congressional investigations, Ray has established himself as a rising legal star who will be a key asset to our firm’s growing practice in Washington, D.C.,” added Kaplan Hecker & Fink partner Marshall Miller, who is in charge of the firm’s Washington D.C. office. “Our firm is uniquely positioned to serve our clients as they face their most novel and complex legal challenges, and I’m looking forward to working with Ray as Kaplan Hecker & Fink continues to deliver unparalleled results.”

Tolentino previously served as a law clerk for Judge Cornelia T.L. Pillard of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, in addition to Justice Sotomayor. Tolentino also worked as an associate at Bancroft PLLC. He graduated summa cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center in 2012 after earning his undergraduate degree in English from Georgetown University in 2009.

About Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP

Founded in July 2017 by renowned litigator Roberta Kaplan, Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP has quickly emerged as one of the most formidable litigation boutiques in the country, fusing high stakes commercial litigation with a groundbreaking public interest practice. Clients trust Kaplan Hecker & Fink with some of their most pressing challenges, from white collar criminal defense, to commercial disputes, to civil rights litigation, to appeals. Kaplan Hecker & Fink’s team of New York and Washington, D.C.-based litigators share a mission to provide the highest level of client service and advocacy, while at the same time maintaining a deep commitment to principles of integrity, fairness, and public service.