About Sam Israel

Sam Israel is a prominent New York trial and appellate attorney with a highly distinctive commercial litigation practice. He is the founder of Sam P. Israel, P.C., a select five-lawyer boutique litigation practice headquartered in New York City’s financial district. Mr. Israel’s practice covers a wide range of subjects, including intellectual property, corporate and contractual disputes, securities, employment, insolvency and restructuring litigation, and corporate and transactional matters; in industries of equal diversity, including investment, financial and hedge fund concerns, real property, restaurant services, arts and photography, and alternative energy. His clients span modest to multi-national corporations, to prominent artists and filmmakers, among them Ramius LLC, Arena Investors, LP / Lantern Endowment Partners, North Mill Capital Investors, LLC, and Dr. William Fung (managing director of PI Asset Management.)

Mr. Israel’s notable cases and recent achievements
Mr. Israel achieved a landmark victory in the United States Supreme Court in the copyright case, Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons. After years of battle in the District Court and Second Circuit, the high court sided with Mr. Israel’s client, Supap Kirtsaeng, preventing the devastation of a $60 billion industry of copyrighted works manufactured abroad and re-sold in the United States. The ruling has had ramifications that extend beyond books to all types of copyrighted works, including music, movies, and even auto parts, sold around the world—whether online, in retail stores, or even at garage sales. This controversial case attracted interest from the Obama administration, media conglomerates, consumer and retail groups, academics, and other interest groups. It generated numerous articles and law commentaries, changing the legal landscape for the importation of copyrighted goods.