NEW YORK, March 12, 2026 – Proskauer is proud to announce that it has won Antitrust Firm of the Year and Entertainment Firm of the Year in Benchmark Litigation’s 2026 U.S. Awards, which honor the nation’s most distinguished firms and litigators for their exemplary work over the past year.
Proskauer was named Antitrust Firm of the Year for its significant work in several high-profile cases. Most recently, the Firm secured a unanimous victory on behalf of its client Major League Soccer (“MLS”) in an antitrust suit brought by the North American Soccer League (“NASL”) against MLS and co-defendant, U.S. Soccer Federation (“U.S. Soccer”), which claimed that U.S. Soccer conspired with MLS to exclude NASL from Division I and Division II professional soccer and to monopolize those claimed markets. Following a three-week trial, a 10-person jury in the Eastern District of New York delivered a full defense verdict after approximately 90 minutes of deliberation, rejecting NASL’s proposed relevant market definition as a threshold issue.
In addition, Proskauer secured a landmark victory for Sanderson Farms in In re Broiler Chicken Antitrust Litigation. Following a six-week trial, a jury in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois delivered a full defense verdict, rejecting the Plaintiffs’ claims that alleged that Sanderson Farms participated in a supply reduction conspiracy with other producers in the broiler industry between 2008 and 2012.
Proskauer was also recognized as Entertainment Firm of the Year for its work on prominent cases within the entertainment industry. The Firm served as trial counsel for Live Nation, Madonna, and U.S. venues in defending three high‑profile class actions arising from Madonna’s Celebration Tour, along with multiple arbitrations and small‑claims matters. Plaintiffs alleged late start times, inappropriate content, and uncomfortable venue conditions, asserting claims such as false advertising, negligent misrepresentation, and unfair trade practices. The New York and D.C. class actions were voluntarily dismissed before rulings on our motions to dismiss. In California, the District Court granted Proskauer’s motion to dismiss the Fourth Amended Complaint, and plaintiffs have appealed to the Ninth Circuit. All small‑claims cases were dismissed, and all arbitration demands were withdrawn.
View the full list of winners: Benchmark Litigation 2026 U.S. Awards