CHICAGO, November 2, 2026—Duane Morris partners Gerald L. Maatman Jr. and Jennifer A. Riley have been chosen as winners of Law360’s MVP of the Year Awards. Maatman was selected in the Class Action category, while Riley received her second consecutive award in the Employment category. Law360’s MVP awards recognize attorneys who achieve significant results in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-setting transactions. With over 1,000 nominees, Law360 selected Maatman and Riley as among the top four lawyers in their areas of practice.
Maatman’s recent defense of Papa Johns, helping the company beat a California privacy class action involving about 1.7 million potential class members and roughly $4 billion in potential exposure, earned him a spot as one of the 2026 Law360 Class Action MVPs. “That case stands out because of the stakes and complexity involved,” Maatman said in his interview with Law360. “The case required a combination of legal analysis, technical evidence, expert testimony and teamwork, with many people working together towards a common goal.”
In the interview, Maatman also talks about his daily motivation to solve clients’ problems. “Companies typically are calling when they’re facing some of the most significant legal challenges in their history or in the life cycle of a company, and they are relying on my judgment and my advocacy,” he said. “That’s what motivates me to do the best job I can do.”
Gerald L. Maatman Jr., chair of Duane Morris’ Class Action Defense Team, has nearly four decades of experience practicing law and has defended some of the most significant bet-the-company cases filed against corporate America. Maatman has represented companies, executive teams and boards across the country in class action litigation involving thousands to hundreds of thousands of claims. Among his accomplishments, he has defended and defeated the largest systemic enforcement action ever brought in the history of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the first attorney general prosecution of a Wall Street company for workplace discrimination and harassment, and major wage-and-hour class and collective actions in Florida and New York. In addition to his litigation practice, Maatman helps clients anticipate and mitigate large-scale litigation risks before they develop into litigation.
This 2026 accolade is Maatman’s ninth MVP Award. Law360 has selected him as one of the top four attorneys in the U.S. in his respective field more than any other lawyer in the history of the award (no other lawyer has won the award more than four times).
Maatman is also the lead author of the Duane Morris Class Action Review, the firm’s annual analysis of class action trends, decisions and settlements across areas affecting corporate America. The 2026 edition addresses developments spanning class certification, antitrust, data breaches, discrimination, labor and employment, privacy, securities fraud, product liability, artificial intelligence and other areas.
Jennifer A. Riley, vice chair of Duane Morris’ Class Action Defense Team, has defended companies facing significant complex litigation matters for more than two decades. Riley regularly represents companies in class actions, collective actions, pattern or practice lawsuits and other representative proceedings, ranging in size from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of claims. Working in an evolving area of law, she develops strategies for companies facing complex litigation matters involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, wage-and-hour issues, fraud, negligence, breach of contract and myriad types of alleged privacy violations.
This 2026 accolade marks the second consecutive year that Law360 selected Riley as an MVP.
Riley develops and employs strategies to defend complex representative actions at their inception, including approaches designed to fracture large-scale class and collective actions and to develop creative solutions. She has represented clients facing bet-the-company matters in complex civil litigation matters in federal and state courts across the country.
Riley is also the lead author of the Duane Morris Class Action Review, the firm’s annual analysis of class action trends, decisions and settlements across areas affecting corporate America. The 2026 edition addresses developments spanning class certification, antitrust, data breaches, discrimination, labor and employment, privacy, securities fraud, product liability, artificial intelligence and other areas. She is also a regular speaker and presenter on cutting-edge class action issues domestically and abroad.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
