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    Home /  Lawyers /  Ann-Elizabeth Ostrager

    Ann-Elizabeth Ostrager

    Partner

    Ann-Elizabeth Ostrager Headshot Photo Portrait backdrop

    New York

    +1-212-558-7357

    |

    ostragerae@sullcrom.com

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    Ann-Elizabeth Ostrager is a partner in S&C’s Litigation Group. She is a co-head of the Employment Law Group and a member of the Firm’s Workplace Investigations, Criminal Defense and Investigations and Trade Secrets Groups. Ms. Ostrager has a diverse practice, which includes trade secrets, regulatory and internal investigations, employment litigation, mediations and advisory work, and securities litigation. Ms. Ostrager regularly advises clients on the evolving legal landscape in the employment space.

    Within her employment practice, she has successfully litigated high-stakes discrimination matters for a diverse array of clients and has also achieved favorable resolutions of government and internal matters without public attention. Ms. Ostrager frequently works with clients across several industries including foundations, educational institutions, financial institutions, and technology companies to review their workplace policy and practices.

    Internally, Ms. Ostrager regularly contributes to the Firm’s Legal Developments Affecting the Workplace blog. Recently, she co-recorded the S&C Critical Insights podcast “Trade Secrets: A Five-Part Podcast Series on Legal Issues and Strategy” where she discusses the interaction between trade secret litigation and non-compete agreements, and steps and strategies that companies involved in litigation can take.

    Ms. Ostrager is ranked by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America for Labor and Employment. She was recently rated a Top 50 Labor & Employment Litigator and a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation. She has also been named a 2019 Rising Star by New York Law Journal, one of Lawdragon’s 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers, and an Empire State Counsel Honoree by the New York State Bar Association for her commitment to pro bono.

    She earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her A.B. from Princeton University. She clerked for the Honorable Dennis Jacobs and the Honorable Richard C. Wesley, both of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

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    A Spotlight on S&C’s Rising Litigators

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    S&C Critical Insights – Recent Developments in False Claims Act Cases

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    Trade Secrets: A Five-Part Podcast Series on Legal Issues and Strategy

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    Trade Secrets: Strategic Considerations for Litigation (Part 5)

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    Trade Secrets: A Corporate Protection Strategy (Part 4)

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    • Experience
    • Rankings and Recognitions
    • News
    • Publications, Videos and Podcasts
    • Credentials
    • Related Practices
    Experience

    Experience

    Employment Law

    Litigation

    • Goldman Sachs in a class action accusing the bank of discriminating against over 3,000 women in pay and promotions
    • Ally Bank in a putative class action filed in the Eastern District of California alleging that Ally Bank discriminated against certain customers based on their alienage and immigration status as recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
    • An international manufacturing company in employment discrimination litigation concerning the termination of a high-ranking senior executive
    • A biotechnology company in ongoing trade secret litigation
    • A financial and bank holding company in an arbitration involving executive pay

    Government Investigations

    • Wells Fargo in resolving high-profile SDNY and SEC investigations into allegations concerning the bank’s diversity hiring practices, both of which were closed without any action taken against the bank
    • A biotech company and a supply chain technology company in SEC whistleblower investigations in connection with the SEC’s enforcement sweep of companies’ use of confidentiality provisions in employment and other documents as alleged impediments to whistleblower activity

    Internal Investigations

    • A global equipment and services company across a range of matters including, a high-stakes, expedited internal investigation related to compensation practices implicating the company’s CEO and a pay equity review
    • An American machine tool building company in a workplace investigation of potential improprieties at the company’s Chinese affiliate
    • A digital asset broker in advising on employment matters
    • A financial services company in an investigation of allegations that a senior executive at a financial services company engaged in discrimination against a direct report and violated the company’s gifts and entertainment policy on multiple occasions. S&C advised the company in connection with its findings in this investigation, including providing suggested updates to policy language
    • An internal investigation of alleged gender pay discrimination and retaliation

    Criminal Defense and Investigations

    • Allianz in the resolution of investigations by the SEC and DOJ in Structured Alpha hedge funds managed by Allianz and in settling a related series of individual and putative class actions filed in the Southern District of New York by investors
    • An alternative investment firm in a non-public SEC investigation arising out of a SPAC transaction
    • A media company in a non-public SEC investigation
    • Kinross Gold in its favorable settlement with the SEC stemming from an FCPA investigation arising from the company’s activities in West Africa, as well as in a parallel investigation by the DOJ, which closed its investigation and declined to pursue charges
    • A global bank in an ongoing criminal investigation conducted by the DOJ concerning compliance with U.S. anti‐money laundering and other applicable laws. The investigation is focused on the bank’s correspondent banking relationships with certain financial institutions headquartered in the Middle East
    • A global financial institution in connection with a civil investigation led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts into the client’s arrangement and administration of a syndicated loan to a healthcare diagnostics company
    • The former CEO of SBM Offshore in criminal investigations in the United States, Brazil, and the Netherlands related to alleged corruption in Brazil, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and other countries
    • A private investment firm in SEC and DOJ insider trading investigations
    • An individual in an insider trading prosecution 
    • The principal of a trading company, in a landmark case, the first-ever criminal prosecution alleging a violation of the “anti-spoofing” provision of the Commodity Exchange Act. In advance of trial, S&C advanced constitutional and other arguments in support of a motion to dismiss the indictment, and then litigated the case at trial 

    Securities Litigation and Complex Commercial Disputes

    • JPMorgan Chase in securities and bankruptcy litigation arising out of the bankruptcy of Millennium Health, a drug testing company
    • New York Racing Association in obtaining the dismissal of a high-profile action filed by Thoroughbred horse trainer Bob Baffert stemming from Baffert’s suspension from racing after his horse, Medina Spirit, was disqualified for testing positive for controlled substances following the Kentucky Derby
    • A U.S. bank and senior executives in a putative securities class action and stockholder derivative action filed in the Northern District of California regarding the Bank’s diversity hiring practices, as well as in a Section 220 demand for books and records regarding diverse slates allegations
    • W2007 Grace Acquisition I, Inc., a Goldman Sachs-affiliated real estate investment vehicle, in successfully securing the dismissal, upheld on appeal, in a suit brought by its former preferred shareholders alleging breach of the stock purchase agreements, breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing and 10 separate fraud-based claims
    • A major energy company in a securities fraud case
    • A major financial institution in a securities and bankruptcy litigation, which followed a DOJ investigation that was successfully resolved without any action against her client
    • Global financial institutions in separate fraudulent conveyance and Article 78 actions in New York State court against MBIA Inc. and its subsidiaries challenging their 2009 multi-billion dollar restructuring

    Recent Publications, Podcasts and Speaking Engagements

    • Co-recorded the S&C Critical Insights podcast series “Trade Secrets: A Five-Part Podcast Series on Legal Issues and Strategy” (March 2025)
    • Spoke on the NYCBA’s panel “Ethics Issues in Employment-Related Trade Secret Cases” (March 2025)
    • Co-authored the “USA Trends and Developments” chapter of the Chambers HR Internal Investigations Guide 2025 (February 2025)
    • Co-recorded the PLI One Hour Briefing presentation “Trade Secrets Litigations, Investigations, and Employment Issues” (January 29, 2025)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Supreme Court Business Review: Viking River Cruises v. Moriana and Southwest Airlines Co. v. Saxon” (September 2022)
    • Co-authored the article “Increased focus on corporate culture and implications for workplace investigations” for Financier Worldwide (May 2022)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Lessons From the 2020 Proxy Season: Board Diversity” (October 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Updates to Anti-Fraternization Policies and Issues Raised by McDonald’s” (September 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Supreme Court Business Review: Labor & Employment in Bostock and Comcast” (August 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Anti-Fraternization Policies” (July 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Understanding Common Issues in Divestitures” (June 2020)
    • Co-recorded the S&C webinar “Critical Labor and Employment Insights” (April 2020)
    • Co-authored the article “Employers’ Guide to Return-to-Work Considerations During the COVID-19 Outbreak” for Reuters Westlaw (April 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “Return-To-Work Considerations For Employers Following COVID-19” (April 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Aviation Industry” (April 2020)
    • Co-authored the article “Employers’ Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act During the Coronavirus Outbreak” for Reuters (March 2020)
    • Co-recorded S&C’s Critical Insights podcast “COVID-19 Poses Critical Issues for Employers” (March 2020)
    • Co-authored the article “Bias Case Gives Justices Chance to Rethink Title VII” for Law360 (January 2020)
    • Co-authored the article “#MeToo and Separating Arbitration from Non-Disclosure Agreements” for the Labor and Employment Law Journal (December 2019)
    • Authored the article “DOJ’s 2019 Enforcement Activities Demonstrates a Continued Commitment to FCPA Enforcement” for Anti-Corruption Report (August 2019)
    • Co-authored the article “Whistleblowers Increasingly Shape SEC, CFTC Enforcement” for Law360 (July 2019).
    • Authored the article “Will the SEC Take an Expansive Approach to the Extraterritorial Reach of Its Jurisdiction?” for the New York Law Journal (April 2019)
    • Authored the practice note “Statutes of Limitations: Agreements to Shorten Limitations Periods on Employee Claims” for LexisNexis (January 2019)
    • Co-authored the article “The Limitations of NY’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Law” for Law360 (September 2018)

    Pro Bono Work

    Ms. Ostrager has been named an Empire State Counsel Honoree by the New York State Bar Association for her commitment to pro bono. Her pro bono work has included a matter involving the Free Exercise and Establishment clauses of the First Amendment, litigation involving the foster and adoption practices of the State of Michigan, as well as a representation of multiple individuals pursuant to the Criminal Justice Act.

    Professional Activities

    She is a member of the Federal Bar Council Second Circuit Courts Committee, the New York City Bar Association’s Women in the Legal Profession: White Collar Crime Subcommittee, the New York State Bar Association, S&C’s Women’s Initiative Committee, Friends of Mount Sinai Hospital and also serves as a member of the Alumnae Board of The Spence School and on the Alumni Schools Committee for Princeton University.

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    Rankings and Recognitions

    Rankings and Recognitions

    • Chambers USA – New York Labor and Employment (2022–2024)
    • Benchmark Litigation – Labor & Employment Star (Northeast) (2021–2023), 40 & Under List (2021–2023), Future Star (2024, 2025) and Top 50 Labor & Employment Litigator (2024, 2025)
    • Lawdragon – 500 Leading Litigators in America (2024, 2025)
    • Lawdragon – 500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers (2020, 2021, 2022)
    • New York Law Journal – Rising Star (2019)
    • Best Lawyers in America – Labor and Employment (2023-2024)
    • International Financial Law Review – Euromoney Legal Media Group Rising Star: Best in White Collar Crime (2019 finalist) and Best in Labor & Employment (2018 finalist)
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    News

    News

    • S&C Advises Industrious in $800 Million Acquisition by CBRE

      January 27, 2025
    • JPMorgan Obtains Second Circuit Win in Major Syndicated Loan Case

      August 25, 2023
    • Annie Ostrager Speaks at NYC Bar Event on Ethics in Internal Investigations

      November 22, 2021
    • S&C Wins Key Ruling for JPMorgan on Syndicated Loans

      October 8, 2021
    • Annie Ostrager Speaks at NYU’s 73rd Annual Conference on Labor

      October 1, 2020
    • S&C Wins Arbitration Ruling in Closely Watched Employment Class Action

      April 14, 2020
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    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    Publications, Videos and Podcasts

    • Recent Developments in False Claims Act Cases

      Podcasts May 12, 2025
    • Trade Secrets: A Five-Part Podcast Series on Legal Issues and Strategy

      Podcasts March 25, 2025
    • Trade Secrets: Strategic Considerations for Litigation
      (Part 5)

      Podcasts March 21, 2025
    • Trade Secrets: A Corporate Protection Strategy (Part 4)

      Podcasts March 13, 2025
    • Annie Ostrager and Emily Grasso Author Lexis Practical Guidance Article on Challenging Securities Class Action Lawsuits

      Articles March 6, 2025
    • Trade Secrets: An Interplay Between Trade Secrets and Non-Competes (Part 3)

      Podcasts February 27, 2025
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    Credentials

    Credentials

    Education

    • New York University School of Law, J.D., 2009
    • Princeton University, A.B., 2005

    Bar Admissions

    • New York

    Clerkships

    • Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs, United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2014-2015
    • Chief Judge Dennis Jacobs, United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2010-2011
    • The Honorable Richard C. Wesley, United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 2009-2010
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    Related Practices

    Related Practices

    • Litigation
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Criminal Defense & Investigations
    • Digital Assets
    • Employment Law
    • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
    • FCPA & Anti-Corruption
    • Securities & Commodities Investigations
    • Securities Litigation
    • Supreme Court and Appellate
    • Trade Secrets
    • Workplace Investigations
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