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- Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Find Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Practice Area Overview
“White-collar defense” captures a broad set of substantive areas of the law, all of them arising from the myriad ways that local, state, federal, and foreign governments regulate businesses and entrepreneurs — what they say to investors and the general public about their own successes and failures (securities law); how they compete with one another (antitrust law); how they win business, deliver services, and seek payment when governments are themselves the customers (False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act); how businesses treat the environment; and whether they comply with general laws against theft, fraud, bribery, tax evasion and corruption. Public officials must navigate similar rules and thus present similar types of issues included under the broad category of white-collar defense.
The practice demands particularly versatile lawyers who deliver a range of services. White-collar lawyers try cases in court. They also specialize in risk management and compliance, training businesses and their individual employees about ways to minimize potential criminal and civil liability. Corporations engage white-collar lawyers to conduct internal investigations of their own business practices to assess and prepare for the risk of criminal and civil liability. Individuals and corporations demand white-collar representation as much when they are merely witnesses to alleged wrongdoing as when they are accused of it. White-collar litigation also involves assessing victims’ damages and their potential remedies as well as representing those accused of wrongdoing in administrative and court proceedings.
White-collar practices also must anticipate and prepare for the potential trajectory of a white-collar case. For example, an internal investigation identifying potential criminal or civil issues can lead to government enforcement actions and follow-up civil claims by alleged victims or competitors — all arising from the same conduct. The risk of criminal punishment and civil fines and liability potentially running into the billions of dollars, increase the complexity of white-collar matters and the demand for sophisticated counsel.
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Sergio Acosta is Co-Chair of Akerman’s White Collar Crime and Government Investigations Practice. A former federal prosecutor and Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers with over 70 jury trials to his credit, he has extensive experience defending companies and individuals in criminal and regulatory proceedings, conducting internal investigations, and counseling clients on compliance programs and related issues. Sergio represents companies and individuals in regulatory, civil, a...
Chris Adams is an experienced and aggressive South Carolina Criminal Defense Attorney. Chris concentrates in criminal defense in federal and state courts. Chris concentrates on defending clients accused of white collar crimes, street crimes, sex offenses, and capital murder in the South and around the country. Since launching his private practice in 2007, Chris has represented clients in serious matters from Las Vegas to New York City to San Juan, Puerto Rico. However, the bulk of his practic...
Alan Albert is a nationally-honored trial lawyer who has represented clients from Muhammad Ali to multinational corporations in a broad array of commercial disputes, white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, intellectual property litigation and other governmental and regulatory matters. Mr. Albert has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America continuously for the past 20 years, and is one of a small number of lawyers in the country to be recognized by Best Lawyers in six dis...
A. Brian Albritton concentrates his practice on “white collar” criminal defense; False Claims Act and Qui Tam litigation; defending regulatory enforcement actions brought by government agencies, including unfair/deception trade practice actions brought by the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general; regulatory compliance; and complex commercial litigation, including the prosecution and defense of claims relating to trade secret theft, non-competition agreements and ot...
Hill Allen is a partner in the firm and handles a broad range of civil and criminal litigation. His practice areas and past cases include: White Collar Criminal Defense and Government Investigations, criminal, civil and regulatory – defending those under investigation or charged by federal and state law enforcement and administrative agencies. Mr. Allen has represented entities and individuals in investigations by federal grand juries in North Carolina and other states, as well as feder...
Bob Allen is a partner in Kirkland & Ellis LLP’s Litigation and Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations practice groups. Bob’s practice focuses on representing corporations and individuals in criminal and regulatory investigations, as well as complex litigation. Prior to rejoining Kirkland, Bob served in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Taskforce, Bob investigated a...
Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers Best Lawyers in Commercial Litigation, White Collar Criminal Defense and Non-White Collar Criminal Defense Superlawyers in Maryland in General Litigation Superlawyers Top 100 Attorneys in Maryland - 2012 Martindale Hubbell AV Rating Assistant United States Attorney - 1980 to 1985 Instructor University of Baltimore School of Law - 1988 to 1993 Commentator on Legal Issues - WBFF, Fox 45 Television
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Attorney Ambrose received his J.D. from the University Of Cincinnati School Of Law. He is the senior partner at Ambrose Law Firm in Erie, PA. He exclusively handles litigation matters, with a heavy emphasis on major criminal defense, white collar defense, plaintiffs medical malpractice and commercial litigation in various state and federal courts throughout the country. Mr. Ambrose is a past Vice President of the Pennsylvania Association of Criminal D...
PRACTICE AREAS Trials Commercial Litigation Bet-the-Company Trials Class Actions White Collar Criminal Defense EXPERIENCE Kay is a seasoned trial attorney, having tried over 100 jury trials to verdict. She represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a broad range of high-stakes commercial litigation and white collar cases. Chambers USA ranks her among the top commercial litigators in California, quoting sources who describe Kay as “having great instincts and clients listen breathlessly...
Jessica’s practice focuses on defending clients facing government investigations and enforcement proceedings, as well as False Claims Act, Anti-Kickback and Stark litigation. This includes working with clients in both the healthcare and government contracting industries. Jessica also has significant complex commercial litigation experience representing corporations, officers and directors in class actions, securities litigation and contract disputes and conducting internal investigation...
Julian L. André focuses his practice on litigation with a particular emphasis on government prosecutions, enforcement actions and investigations, internal investigations, complex civil litigation and appellate matters. He is an experienced trial attorney and former federal prosecutor. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/julian-l-andre/
David Angeli represents corporations and individuals in complex criminal, regulatory and commercial cases. A Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, David has repeatedly been named as one of “The Best Lawyers in America” in the categories of Bet the Company Litigation, White Collar Criminal Defense and Commercial Litigation. Mr. Angeli has the distinction of being the only lawyer in the State of Oregon to be included in all three of those categories. He is consistently id...
David Apfel is a partner in Goodwin's Complex Business Litigation and Dispute Resolution Department. Mr. Apfel is a former federal prosecutor who specializes in white collar criminal defense, SEC and other government investigations, internal corporate investigations, and bet-the-company civil business litigation. Mr. Apfel is also the founder and chair of the firm’s Gaming & Gambling practice, and the founder and co-chair of the firm’s Cannabis practice. He has been regularly ...
A former Assistant U.S. Attorney with a focus on public corruption and national security, Jacqueline Arango is co-chair of Akerman’s White Collar Crime & Government Investigations Practice. She leads a team including former federal prosecutors, senior enforcement lawyers at the SEC, and government lawyers representing corporations, financial institutions, boards of directors, and individuals in government investigations, regulatory enforcement matters, grand jury probes, internal in...
Bill Athanas represents companies and individuals in government enforcement matters, focusing on federal grand jury investigations. He has almost 30 years of white-collar experience, roughly a third of which was spent as a federal prosecutor in Washington, D.C. and Birmingham. Bill has handled hundreds of complex criminal cases and represented clients in all facets of those matters – whether as subjects, targets or witnesses, or those who simply receive subpoenas for documents. In repre...
Russell D. Babb was born in Wilson, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Morehead Scholar and co-captain of the 1995 Carolina football team. A four-year starter as an offensive lineman for the Tar Heels, Mr. Babb was also the winner of the 1995 Jim Tatum Award, which is presented each year to the top Senior Scholar-Athlete in the Atlantic Coast Conference. After college, Mr. Babb entered the University of North Carolina School of La...
A managing partner of Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey, James W. Bannister graduated from the University of South Carolina honors program in 1992 as a Phi Beta Kappa. He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1995, after which he served for two years as clerk to US Federal Judge Henry M. Herlong. Since then, he has been with Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey. Mr. Bannister is a member of the South Carolina Bar, Federal Bar Association, National Association o...
Oscar W. Bannister, Jr. (Bill) founded Bannister, Wyatt & Stalvey along with John F. Wyatt in 2000. Mr. Bannister graduated from the Citadel in 1962 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. From 1962-1965, Mr. Bannister served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He attended law school at the University of South Carolina, where he received his J.D. in 1969. Mr. Bannister was admitted to the South Carolina bar, the U.S. District Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1969. Mr. Banni...
David G. Barger focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, government investigations, including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations, corporate compliance, including FCPA compliance, criminal and civil tax controversies, and complex commercial litigation. His practice includes representing companies and individuals in civil and criminal government investigations, often involving government contract issues; and handling complex civil litigation in both state and fede...
Dave Barry is Pierce Atwood’s managing partner. Previously, Dave was chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, representing clients in a wide variety of complex litigation and counseling clients on how to avoid or minimize the risks and burdens of litigation. Dave also chaired the firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense practice. He regularly manages complex business litigation in federal and state courts and has extensive experience assisting...
John Bartko is a Founder and a Principal of the firm. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in complex civil, criminal and regulatory matters. He has represented many executives ensnared in complex regulatory investigations and has been involved in significant international discovery and complex investigations requiring foreign court appearances, including conducting examinations in Switzerland and Japan through pioneering requests for civil judicial assistance. He has traveled to Euro...
Dan Barton has practiced criminal defense in the mid-peninsula since 1988. He received his A.B., magna cum laude, in 1983 from Brown University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and awarded the Prize for Academic Excellence in Latin American Studies. Mr. Barton received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1988, where his honors included induction into the Order of the Coif. Mr. Barton is a criminal law specialist certified by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization and a...
Criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator Michael Battle is focused on white collar criminal matters. Having previously served as a prosecutor and judge himself, Michael understands their perspectives and designs compelling arguments that have the best chance of defending his clients and mitigating their exposure to prosecution. After leaving public service for private practice, Michael has counseled numerous clients on cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), healthcare fr...
Jerry Beaver is one of North Carolinas best known and well-respected trial attorneys. He came to Fayetteville in 1973 from UNC law school and began work as an Assistant Public Defender. During his years of practice, Jerry has achieved many honors and distinctions. He has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America” for more than twenty years and as one of North Carolinas Legal Elite by North Carolina Business Magazine since the inception of the directory. Since 2003, he has been selec...
Robert J. Becerra is a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in International Law, one of approximately 50 lawyers in Florida with such a certification. He concentrates his practice in the areas of litigation and arbitration, white collar criminal defense, grand jury investigations, corporate compliance and internal investigations, and administrative and judicial proceedings related to international trade matters. Prior to opening his own firm, Becerra practiced at the Miami law firms of Dev...
As Chair of the CSG Law Litigation and White Collar Defense & Investigations Groups and a former federal prosecutor, Matthew Beck brings exceptional skills and insight to representing companies, government entities, and C-suite executives in game-changing complex civil litigation, white collar criminal investigations, and securities enforcement matters. His broad practice also includes acting as outside general counsel for mid-sized private companies, managing their entire portfolio of le...
Douglas F. Behm practices complex civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, government regulatory agency defense, and corporate internal investigations and compliance. He has extensive trial and appellate court experience. Mr. Behm began his career as an assistant district attorney in Kings County (Brooklyn), New York in 1974. From 1977 to 1987 he served as an attorney with the United States Department of Justice in New York City (Eastern District). While with the Justice Department, h...
Brian Benczkowski is a partner in Kirkland’s Washington, D.C., office. He is a member of the Firm’s Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group. Brian has deep and diverse government enforcement and investigations experience, bolstered by his service in multiple leadership positions at the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and on Capitol Hill. From 2018–2020, he served as the Senate-confirmed Assistant Attorney General for DOJ’s Criminal...
Lee Bentley’s practice includes the defense of False Claims Act and qui tam cases, internal investigations, and white collar criminal matters. He specializes in telemedicine/telehealth, compound pharmacy, and urine toxicology cases, among other alleged fraud schemes. His experience also includes complex civil litigation involving government entities. Lee has handled trials and appeals in numerous federal and state courts, and has served as sole or lead counsel in almost 40 civil and cri...
David has tried numerous cases in both state and federal courts and has argued in the U.S. Courts of Appeals on multiple occasions. From 2000 to July 2005, David left private practice to serve as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York. There he handled a variety of criminal prosecutions and investigations and worked closely with representatives of financial institutions, including internal auditors, compliance offi...
Ms. Bernstein has active criminal defense and civil litigation practices in both state and federal courts. She was named Best Lawyers' "Lawyer of the Year" for Boston Employment Law - Individuals in both 2015 and 2018. She has been listed in Best Lawyers in America every year since 2007 for both criminal defense and employment law, more recently, she has been also been listed for Litigation - Labor and Employment. In 2002 she was awarded the highest possible rating -- AV -- by Martindale-Hubb...
Whitney Z. Bernstein is an aggressive litigator and accomplished trial attorney with a track record for achieving success for her clients when the odds are against them. She has spent her career successfully defending felony and misdemeanor criminal offenses, leading companies in internal investigations to prevent litigation, and representing companies and individuals in contract and business tort claims and employment litigation. Whitney is a credible, tireless, and respected advocate who ha...
A highly skilled civil, criminal, and appellate litigator, Joel Bertocchi handles appeals in state and federal courts and represents clients in connection with criminal and regulatory investigations and proceedings, providing counsel on compliance policies and related issues. He has argued cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple federal Circuits and state appellate courts, and served as Illinois’ Solicitor General, the chief appellate lawyer for the State. A former federal prosecut...
Gene Besen advises corporations and individuals across the country in navigating investigations, civil enforcement actions and criminal proceedings brought by various government agencies. He represents clients in a wide range of industries – including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and others – that need proactive strategies to mitigate and avoid controversies related to allegations involving billing fraud, kickbacks, securities fraud, insider trading, FCPA viola...
After two decades prosecuting white collar crimes in federal courts throughout the country, Eric Beste now represents businesses and individuals facing domestic and international investigations and enforcement actions. A seasoned trial lawyer with a natural aptitude for advocacy, Eric takes each client’s story and turns it into a compelling narrative to achieve the best possible result. Eric focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations and compliance ma...
Thomas “Tom” H. Bienert, Jr. is a highly experienced trial attorney who handles the spectrum of litigation matters. After spending ten years as a federal prosecutor and two years at a national law firm, Tom founded Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP (BKLW) in 2000 and steadily grew the firm to its current size through the addition of other trial attorneys. Since starting the firm, he has obtained many multi-million dollar verdicts for plaintiffs in civil cases, multiple zero-su...
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Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
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