Bribes, Banks and Best Practices:
How Florida Funds Can Take Action When Impacted by Fraud
Maya Saxena, Esq.
Saxena White, PA

Maya Saxena, co-founder of the firm, has been practicing exclusively in the securities litigation area for nearly twenty years, representing institutional investors in shareholder actions involving breaches of fiduciary duty and violations of the federal securities laws. Prior to forming Saxena White, Ms. Saxena served as the Managing Partner of the Florida office of one of the nation’s largest securities litigation firms, successfully directing numerous high profile securities cases. Ms. Saxena gained valuable trial experience before entering private practice while employed as an Assistant Attorney General in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. During her time as an Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Saxena represented the State of Florida in civil cases at the appellate and trial level and prepared amicus curiae briefs in support of state policies at issue in state and federal courts. In addition, Ms. Saxena represented the Florida Highway Patrol and other law enforcement agencies in civil forfeiture trials.

 

Ms. Saxena has been instrumental in recovering nearly a billion dollars on behalf of investor including cases against Sirva Inc. ($53.3 million recovery), Aracruz Celulose ($37.5 million settlement), and Sunbeam (settled with Arthur Andersen LLP for $110 million – one of the largest settlements ever with an accounting firm – and a $15 million personal contribution from former CEO Al Dunlap).

 

Ms. Saxena is currently heading a committee of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys on the risks and benefits of opting out of securities litigation and the Firm is finalizing a research project which weighs the pros and cons of filing direct actions after reviewing over 200 securities fraud cases filed over the past decade.She is a frequent speaker at educational forums involving public pension funds and advises public and multi-employer pension funds on how to address fraud-related investment losses.

Ms. Saxena graduated from Syracuse University summa cum laude in 1993 with a dual degree in policy studies and economics, and graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1996. Ms. Saxena is a member of the Florida Bar, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Northern, and Middle Districts of Florida, as well as the Fifth and Eleventh Circuit Courts of Appeal. She was recently recognized in the South Florida Business Journal’s “Best of the Bar” as one of the top lawyers in South Florida, and has been selected to the Florida Super Lawyers list five years in a row. Ms. Saxena was also selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America three years in a row.