Boies, Schiller & Flexner announced today that partner Kirsten Gillibrand was elected to New York's 20th Congressional District.

Kirsten waged a long and hard-fought campaign in her first run for political office. She defeated representative John Sweeney, a popular four-term incumbent in a what was thought to be a “safe” district with a 2-to-1 Republican registration advantage. Although initial polling showed Kirsten trailing by over 20%, she raised some $3 million in campaign contributions, including substantial support from colleagues at BSF. Kirsten received endorsements from many prominent leaders, including two appearances by Bill Clinton, and fundraisers hosted by Senators Schumer and Hillary Clinton and by new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The campaign attracted national media interest through the novel use of advertising, as well as its tone.

The Firm issued the following statement: “We are extremely proud of our partner. Those who have had the pleasure of working with Kirsten know that New York and the country will have a highly skilled, able and ethical advocate serving in Washington.” Ms. Gillibrand, formerly based on the Firm’s Albany office, is on leave while she serves in Washington.

Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP, founded in 1997, has become one of the nation’s premier law firms. It has over 240 lawyers in offices located in New York, Washington, D.C., California, Florida, New Hampshire and Las Vegas. Best known for landmark cases such as United States v. Microsoft, Bush v. Gore, and In re Vitamins, the firm represents some of the largest and most sophisticated organizations in the world in their most important matters. The firm has been described by The Wall Street Journal as a “national litigation powerhouse” and by the National Law Journal as “unafraid to venture into controversial” and “high risk” matters.