Carol C. Villegas

Carol C. Villegas is a Partner in the New York office of Labaton Keller Sucharow LLP.  Carol focuses on prosecuting complex securities fraud and consumer cases on behalf of institutional investors and individuals.  Leading one of the Firm’s Securities Litigation teams, she is actively overseeing litigation against Boeing, PayPal, Olaplex, DocuSign, Catalent, Flo Health, Amazon, and Hain, among others.  In addition to her litigation responsibilities, Carol holds a variety of leadership positions within the Firm, including serving on the Firm's Executive Committee, Chair of the Firm's Women's Networking and Mentoring Initiative, and as Chief of Compliance.  

Carol’s development of innovative case theories in complex cases, her skillful handling of discovery work, and her adept ability during oral arguments has earned her accolades as one of the "top Securities Litigators" in the country from Chambers & Partners USA and The Legal 500, where clients praised her for helping them “better understand the process and how to value a case.”  She has also been recognized by Law360 as a "Class Action MVP," The National Law Journal as a "Plaintiffs’ Trailblazer," and the New York Law Journal as a "Top Woman in Law," "New York Trailblazer," and "Distinguished Leader." Business Today named Carol one of the “Top 10 Most Influential Securities Litigation Lawyers in New York.”  The National Law Journal’s “Elite Trial Lawyers” has repeatedly recognized her superb ability to excel in high stakes matters on behalf of plaintiffs and selected her to its class of “Elite Women of the Plaintiffs Bar” and as a finalist for “Plaintiff Attorney of the Year.”  Benchmark Litigation has recognized her as a "Litigation Star" and among the Top 250 Women in Litigation and has shortlisted her for "Plaintiff Litigator of the Year."  Lawdragon has named her one of the country’s "Leading Lawyers," "Leading Litigators," "Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers," and "Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers."  Additionally, Crain's New York Business selected Carol to its list of "Notable Women in Law."  The Women in Business Law Awards has named Carol "Securities Litigator of the Year" and "Thought Leader of the Year" and has been shortlisted for "Privacy and Data Protection Lawyer of the Year."  Chambers & Partners USA selected Carol as a finalist for "Diversity & Inclusion: Outstanding Contribution" and New York Law Journal’s New York Legal Awards selected her as a "Lawyer of the Year" finalist.

Notable recent successes include In re Nielsen Holdings PLC Securities Litigation ($73 million settlement), Allison v. Oak Street Health Inc. ($60 million settlement, pending final court approval), and City of Warren Police and Fire Retirement System v. World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. ($39 million settlement).  Carol has also played a pivotal role in securing favorable settlements for investors, including in cases against DeVry, a for-profit university; AMD, a multi-national semiconductor company; Liquidity Services, an online auction marketplace; Aeropostale, a leader in the international retail apparel industry; Vocera, a healthcare communications provider; and Prothena, a biopharmaceutical company, among others.  Carol has also helped revive a securities class action against LifeLock after arguing an appeal before the Ninth Circuit.  The case settled shortly thereafter.

Prior to joining Labaton Keller Sucharow, Carol served as the Assistant District Attorney in the Supreme Court Bureau for the Richmond County District Attorney’s office, where she took several cases to trial.  She began her career as an Associate at King & Spalding LLP, where she worked as a federal litigator.

Carol is an active member of the New York State Bar Association's Women in the Law Section and Chair of the Board of Directors of the City Bar Fund, the nonprofit 501(c)(3) arm of the New York City Bar Association.  In 2024, she was appointed by the Court of Appeals to the New York State Board of Law Examiners, an organization that administers the bar examination to candidates seeking admission to practice law in the State of New York.  Carol is also a member of the National Association of Public Pension Attorneys, the National Association of Women Lawyers, and the Hispanic National Bar Association.  In addition, Carol previously served on Law360’s Securities Editorial Board.

Carol is a frequent commentator on legal issues and has been featured in the Financial Times, Law360, Investment & Pensions Europe, and National Law Journal, among others.  

Carol earned her Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law, where she was the recipient of The Irving H. Jurow Achievement Award for the Study of Law and received the Association of the Bar of the City of New York Diversity Fellowship.  She received her bachelor’s degree, with honors, from New York University.

She is fluent in Spanish.