The 2025 Richard H. Walker ’75 Chair in Business Law Lecture Corporate Law as a Tool to Effect Social Change: Reflections of a Business Trial Lawyer

Featuring Remarks from Greg Varallo ’83

Tuesday, March 25, 2025
12:00 PM
Temple University Beasley School of Law
Klein Hall, Room 2B

Lunch Included

about the event

The 2025 Richard H. Walker ’75 Chair in Business Law Lecture will feature Greg Varallo ’83, one of the nation’s most distinguished and well-recognized corporate litigators. After a 36-year career at an elite Delaware corporate defense firm, Mr. Varallo crossed the aisle to start representing plaintiffs, becoming a partner at Bernstein, Litowitz, Berger & Grossman, where he fights for investors’ rights through shareholder litigation. Most recently Varallo gained national attention as co-lead counsel in Tornetta v. Musk, representing Tesla shareholders challenging Elon Musk’s unprecedented $55 billion pay package in a landmark decision striking down the pay plan. Mr. Varallo will speak not only about the Tornetta case and its aftermath, but about his long career at the heart of some of the nation’s highest-stakes corporate litigation.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Gregory V. Varallo

Partner, Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP

Greg Varallo, a partner and head of Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP’s Delaware office, focuses his practice on protecting investor rights through shareholder litigation.

He prosecutes cases in Delaware and nationwide, helping the firm’s clients navigate complex derivative and class actions, business-to-business disputes, fiduciary litigation in bankruptcy court, and alternative dispute resolution. He has litigated hundreds of complex business disputes and has earned a reputation as one of the country’s leading corporate governance experts and trial lawyers.

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Greg brings a unique and varied background to his practice, which informs his creative approach to problem-solving for clients. Prior to joining BLB&G, Greg spent a distinguished 36-year career with an elite corporate defense firm, capped by a three-year term as its president, where he represented top U.S. and global corporations on various Delaware business matters. He has also served as a director of both for-profit and not-for-profit companies. Greg’s diverse experience from all sides of a litigation gives him a well-rounded perspective that he brings to bear in his prosecution of shareholder matters.

Significant recent matters in which Greg has served as lead or co-lead counsel on behalf of BLB&G’s clients include:

Richard Tornetta v. Elon Musk et. al and Tesla, Inc.: Co-leading the headline-grabbing case against Tesla, which resulted in a landmark decision nullifying Elon Musk’s $55 billion compensation package—the largest such package in history.
In re Columbia Pipeline Group, Inc. Merger Litigation: Securing one of the largest shareholder verdicts in Delaware Chancery Court history: a $350 million post-trial opinion in a case holding energy giant TransCanada liable for aiding and abetting breaches of fiduciary duty by former Columbia top executives in connection with the company’s acquisition.
In re Mindbody, Inc. Stockholders Litigation: Achieving a post-trial decision ($55 million verdict) finding liability against the CEO and acquirer in the stockholder class action related to Vista Equity Partners’ acquisition of Mindbody.
The Williams Companies Stockholder Litigation: Leading BLB&G’s successful challenge against a novel and “extreme” poison pill adopted by the board of pipeline giant The Williams Companies.

Greg is widely recognized by the legal industry for his litigation work. He is hailed as one of the nation’s leading business litigators by Chambers USA, The Legal 500 USA, Best Lawyers®, Thomson Reuters’ Super Lawyers, and Lawdragon. In 2024, Greg was named to the inaugural Forbes list of “America’s Top 200 Lawyers,” which praised his stellar work in litigating BLB&G’s landmark case against Tesla. Greg has also been named a “Top Lawyer” by Delaware Today and a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation.

A frequent speaker and author on a wide range of corporate governance and securities-related issues, Greg was involved in the drafting and passage of the 2018 Delaware Certification of Adoption of Transparency and Sustainability Standards Act and the 2015 Delaware Rapid Arbitration Act. He has been published in The Business Lawyer, The Securities Regulation Law Journal, M&A Lawyer, Corporate Governance Advisor, Insights, and Business Law Today. He is the co-author of several publications, including The Practitioner’s Guide to the Delaware Rapid Arbitration Act, Special Committees: Law and Practice, and Fundamentals of Corporate Governance.

Greg is an active member in various respected legal organizations. He is a Founding Trustee and former Vice President and Secretary of the American College of Governance Counsel. He is also a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and the Salzburg Global Seminar, Corporate Governance, and a Senior Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Greg served as a past Chair and Co-Chair on several committees and forums with the American Bar Association and previously served on the Delaware Supreme Court Rules Committee.

Greg serves as the immediate past chair (President) of the Board of Directors for the Ministry of Caring and as a Trustee for the American University of Rome. He received his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.