E. Danya Perry

A former federal and state prosecutor, Danya Perry also has proven herself to be one of New York City’s foremost civil litigators in both civil and criminal cases. Known for her courtroom presence, Danya is just as tenacious standing up to perpetrators of sexual abuse as she is defending her white collar and CJA clients in criminal matters. Above all, she is a trusted advisor for individuals and companies navigating pivotal legal crises.

Danya is the founding partner of Perry Law. She is a nationally recognized white collar criminal defense attorney and commercial litigator who has obtained tremendous results on behalf of her clients. Danya is as gifted at litigating high-profile matters in court and in the press as she is at navigating backchannels to obtain quiet victories for her clients.

Prior to founding Perry Law, Danya spent five years as the Chief of Litigation and Deputy General Counsel at MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated followed by four years successfully directing a boutique litigation firm. At MacAndrews & Forbes, she managed and advised all aspects of the company’s complex commercial litigation, compliance, and regulatory matters, including in areas of mergers and acquisitions, contract, antitrust, intellectual property, consumer fraud, and employment law. Danya led and coordinated teams of in-house and outside attorneys in the prosecution and defense of all litigation matters. She was responsible for developing, implementing, and enforcing best-in-class compliance programs across the holding company and its operating companies, and she provided guidance to executive management in a broad array of legal and business issues, including in areas of business risk, corporate governance, internal investigations, and best practices.

In 2013, Danya was appointed by the Governor and the Attorney General to serve as Deputy Attorney General for the State of New York and Chief of Investigations for the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. In this role, she led a sweeping investigation into public corruption in New York State, recommended policies for systemic reform, and referred numerous matters for criminal prosecution.

From 2002 to 2013, Danya served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, including as Senior Trial Counsel and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she investigated, prosecuted, and supervised hundreds of sophisticated white collar cases, including the prosecution of a billion-dollar health care fraud, the largest immigration fraud and tax preparer frauds in the history of the United States, and one of the largest identity theft rings in the United States.

Danya has also been an adjunct professor of law at New York University School of Law, where she taught a trial advocacy and prosecution clinic. Early in her career, Danya worked at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and clerked for the Honorable Charles S. Haight, Jr. in the Southern District of New York.

As Founding Partner at Perry Law, Diversity and inclusion are central to Danya's vision of a best-in-class, modern law firm. Her wholly woman-owned firm has a staff that is 50% women, 30% people of color, and 18% LGBTQ. Danya leads by example, fostering in young lawyers compassion and attentiveness to social justice through the firm’s social impact work. A former adjunct professor at NYU Law School, Danya cares deeply about teaching, and regularly mentors aspiring female lawyers.

Prior to founding Perry Law, Danya spent five years as the Chief of Litigation and Deputy General Counsel at MacAndrews & Forbes Incorporated. In 2013, Danya was appointed by the Governor and the Attorney General to serve as Deputy Attorney General for the State of New York and Chief of Investigations for the Moreland Commission to Investigate Public Corruption. In this role, she led a sweeping investigation into public corruption in New York State, recommended policies for systemic reform, and referred numerous matters for criminal prosecution.

From 2002 to 2013, Danya served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, including as Senior Trial Counsel and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she investigated, prosecuted, and supervised hundreds of sophisticated white collar cases, including the prosecution of a billion-dollar health care fraud, the largest immigration fraud and tax preparer frauds in the history of the United States, and one of the largest identity theft rings in the United States.

Danya serves as a trustee at the Vera Institute of Justice, a founding board member of NYC Kids RISE, and a founding member of the When There Are Nine scholarship project. Danya regularly performs pro bono work in the areas of survivors’ rights, civil rights, and prisoners’ rights. She also fosters a commitment to this work at Perry Guha, where younger attorneys represent CJA-appointed clients. Danya regularly speaks on public interest panels and sits on committees, including the Federal Bar Council’s Federal Criminal Practice Committee and the NYC Bar Association’s Women in White Collar Subcommittee.

Danya’s perspective and insights are also in high demand outside the courtroom. Danya frequently speaks on breaking legal issues for media outlets, including MSNBC, CNN, and BBC. She has also authored a number of op-eds and articles for, and been covered by, among others, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, CNN, Law360, and the Brookings Institution.

Danya has been recognized as an "Elite Boutique Trailblazer" by The National Law Journal, a "Labor and Employment Star" by Benchmark Litigation, and a "Notable Women in Law" for the second year in a row by Crain's New York Business.