Hecker Fink LLP Elevates Matthew J. Craig to Partnership, Announces Counsel Promotions
Hecker Fink LLP today announced the promotions of Matthew J. Craig to partner and Anna Collins Peterson, Kate Epstein, Amit Jain, Abra Metz-Dworkin, and Jeffrey Then to counsel, all effective January 1, 2025.
Matthew J. Craig is an experienced litigator at both the trial and appellate levels and maintains a diverse civil practice. Since joining the firm in 2018, he has litigated cases involving privacy and technology, defamation, and complex commercial disputes, and established himself as a key figure in the firm’s high-profile public interest cases.
“Matt is an exceptional litigator who has played pivotal roles across the firm’s high-stakes and high-profile matters,” said Sean Hecker. “His dedication, legal acumen, and collaborative spirit have not only earned him the trust of our clients, but also made him an invaluable colleague.”
Craig represented writer E. Jean Carroll in her sexual battery and defamation suits against Donald Trump, winning two groundbreaking jury verdicts totaling $88 million in damages. He has long served as counsel to the Federal Defenders of New York in Sixth Amendment litigation against the Bureau of Prisons—the first-ever civil lawsuit brought by a federal defender organization in history. And he prevailed on an anti-SLAPP motion against X Corp. in a case seeking to suppress reporting about hate speech on the X platform. After obtaining dismissal of all of X Corp.’s claims, The American Lawyer named Craig and Hecker Fink Partner John Quinn “Litigators of the Week.”
Managing Partner Julie Fink noted, “Matt has been with the firm since its founding, and exemplifies the firm’s commitment to excellence and to work in the public interest. He is also a wonderful friend, mentor, and colleague. We are so excited to have him join our partnership.”
Craig clerked for Hon. Gerard E. Lynch, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Hon. Allyne R. Ross, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. He graduated magna cum laude from the New York University School of Law, where he was both a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar and an Institute for International Law and Justice Scholar.
In addition to Craig’s election to the partnership, Hecker Fink today also announced five promotions to counsel. Anna Collins Peterson, Amit Jain, Abra Metz-Dworkin, and Jeffrey Then are based in the firm’s New York office and Kate Epstein is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
Jenna Dabbs remarked, “Anna, Kate, Amit, Abra, and Jeffrey are everything Hecker Fink could ask for in counsel – tremendous assets to our clients, hardworking and considerate colleagues, and well-rounded lawyers who are committed to using the law to serve the public good.”
Collins Peterson’s practice focuses on a wide range of litigation matters, including representing universities on issues related to Title IX and student discipline and representing clients in complex civil litigation. In addition, Collins Peterson was selected to the 2024 class of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) Pathfinder Program. She joined the firm after completing clerkships with the Hon. James A. Wynn, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Hon. Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. Collins Peterson is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Epstein’s practice focuses on a broad array of subject areas—including contract, intellectual property, employment, finance, and insurance. At Hecker Fink, she was on the team representing one of the world’s leading spirits companies in multiple related disputes between the company and its former celebrity spokesperson, a high-profile entrepreneur and music personality. Epstein also represented victims of consumer fraud in a federal class action lawsuit against former President Donald J. Trump and his businesses. She previously clerked for the Hon. Gregory A. Phillips of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Tufts University.
Jain’s practice focuses on appellate and complex civil litigation. He represents nonprofits, universities, government entities, and individuals in administrative law, constitutional law, civil rights, education, tech accountability, and policy advocacy matters. At Hecker Fink, Jain helped secure the dismissal of speculative claims that the New York University Law Review planned to disfavor certain groups in its selection process, and has confidentially advised nonprofits regarding the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision in the Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. (SFFA) case on their operations. He was also a member of the team that secured a dismissal for client Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) in a lawsuit that alleged CCDH violated X Corp.’s terms of service by illegally acquiring data used in researching the prevalence of hate speech on the platform. Jain joined the firm following clerkships with the Hon. Sonia Sotomayor of the U.S. Supreme Court and the Hon. Diana Gribbon Motz of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He previously worked as litigation and policy counsel at the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project and as a staff attorney with the Bronx Defenders. Jain is a graduate of Yale Law School and Brown University.
Metz-Dworkin’s practice includes both criminal and civil matters, with a focus on criminal defense and state and federal regulatory investigations. At Hecker Fink, she was a member of the trial team that secured an acquittal for client Robert Bogucki, the former global head of foreign exchange trading at Barclays. Metz-Dworkin joined the firm from the Federal Defenders of New York in the Eastern District and was subsequently appointed to the Criminal Justice Act Panel in the Eastern District of New York, where she continues to represent indigent criminal defendants. Metz-Dworkin previously clerked for the Hon. Raymond J. Dearie of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. She is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School and Yale University.
Then’s practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and government investigations, internal investigations, and civil litigation matters. At Hecker Fink, he also maintains an active pro bono practice in asylum, civil rights, and criminal matters. Then recently filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Black Women Law Scholars arguing that race-conscious admissions programs are constitutional and represented an incarcerated individual before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in his suit against various state officials for violating his religious freedom. Then joined the firm after completing a clerkship with the Hon. Analisa Torres of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Previously, he was an associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. Then is a graduate of Columbia Law School and the University of Pennsylvania.