Class Action and False Claims Act Litigator Joins in Dallas, Expanding Kilpatrick’s Capabilities Across Litigation, Investigations, Privacy, and Technology

DALLAS (November 2) – Kilpatrick has deepened its national litigation bench with the addition of Ethan Levinton, who joins the Firm’s Complex Commercial Litigation Team and White Collar Team in Dallas as Partner. Mr. Levinton, previously a litigation partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, defends companies in class actions, False Claims Act matters, and government investigations. Additionally, his successes in privacy, cybersecurity, antitrust, intellectual property and technology, consumer protection, and product liability will serve Kilpatrick clients with fully integrated counsel on challenges that span multiple practice areas.

“Kilpatrick’s continued growth and breadth of capabilities create a compelling opportunity for me to apply my experience across a wide range of practices,” said Mr. Levinton. “The Firm’s collaborative and multidisciplinary platform allows me to bring a holistic approach to address clients’ increasingly complex legal and business challenges.”

Mr. Levinton advises clients from the earliest days of crisis management and internal investigation through litigation and trial. This allows Kilpatrick to provide continuity of counsel across the full lifecycle of a dispute, drawing on colleagues in other practices as client needs evolve. Applying his broad experience, Mr. Levinton assists clients with developing a successful long-term, cross-matter legal and factual strategy from day one. He has represented clients in the technology, financial services, pharmaceutical, automotive, education technology, and defense sectors where regulatory scrutiny and litigation risk often intersect.

“Ethan brings experience that complements a number of Kilpatrick’s core strengths and creates meaningful opportunities for collaboration across our litigation, regulatory, privacy, and intellectual property practices,” said Tom Clyde, Co-Leader of Kilpatrick’s Complex Commercial Litigation Team. “His arrival further positions us to help clients navigate complex challenges that rarely fit neatly within a single practice area. He also adds trial depth to our Dallas team as we continue to grow in the market.”

Class action defense and government enforcement sit at the center of Mr. Levinton's practice. He has defended companies in putative privacy class actions and in multidistrict litigation over alleged fraudulent marketing and product defects, along with class actions involving antitrust, securities fraud, and employment matters.

On the enforcement side, Mr. Levinton represented a defense systems manufacturer in a cybersecurity-related False Claims Act qui tam action and has defended clients before the FTC—including in a COPPA investigation—as well as the Department of Justice, the SEC, and the Federal Reserve Board. That pairing is a natural complement to Kilpatrick's product liability, consumer protection, privacy, and regulatory teams. Because the clients those teams serve rarely face one problem at a time, his experience defending the regulatory inquiry, the civil litigation, and the reputational exposure as a single, coordinated matter will fit organically into Kilpatrick’s tool kit for serving its clients’ growing need for creative solutions to complex problems.

Mr. Levinton earned his J.D., with Honors, from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law, where he served as Chief Articles Editor of The Review of Litigation and Chief Articles Editor of The Texas Journal of Oil, Gas, and Energy Law. He earned his B.A. in Government and Philosophy from the University of Texas at Austin, graduating with Highest Honors in Philosophy and Special Honors in Government. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and received the William Jennings Bryan Thesis Prize. He is admitted to practice in Texas and New York and before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the Northern District of Texas.

About Kilpatrick

Kilpatrick is trusted counsel to the world’s most innovative companies. With recognized strength in the technology sector and a full range of service offerings, we deliver practical, business-centric solutions built upon strong and enduring connections. To serve our ground-breaking clients, we strive to be at the forefront of client service and on the cutting edge of law and technology.

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Lauren Thompson | Director, Strategic Communications

LThompson@ktslaw.com