Find Lawyers in Boston, Massachusetts 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.
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 ...
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...
Hannah Bornstein is a litigator, trusted advisor, and the deputy practice group leader for Government Investigations & White Collar Defense. She is also a member of the firm’s Life Sciences team. She represents individuals and multi-national companies in regulatory compliance matters, investigations, and litigation. She is experienced in healthcare industry matters involving the False Claims Act; the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDA); and the Anti-Kickback Statute. My focus I counse...
Eric Christofferson is an experienced trial, litigation, and investigations lawyer in DLA Piper's Boston Office and is a member of the firm's white collar group. Immediately prior to joining DLA Piper, Eric served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, leading an array of white collar criminal investigations, trials, and appeals. Eric, whose practice focuses on the life-sciences, healthcare, and financial services sectors, represents corporations and individuals in g...
Moving between the public and private sectors, Bill Codinha has led some of the highest profile governmental investigations conducted in the past 20 years and now defends corporations and individuals caught up in similar investigations. Bill brings his unique and effective experience to the defense of all of his clients. What do you focus on? I leverage my 30+ years of experience defending individuals and corporations who are the subject of government investigations. As a prosecutor, I tried ...
Michael F. Connolly, Partner and Co-Chair of Rubin and Rudman’s Litigation Department and a member of Rubin and Rudman’s Executive Committee, is a seasoned litigator with extensive civil and criminal trial experience. Across federal, state, and administrative courts and agencies, Michael has tried numerous cases involving complex securities, commercial and real estate litigation. He has represented clients in shareholder litigation, securities fraud, management disputes, business ...
Mr. Duncan joined the firm in 1985, after three years practicing with a small civil firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His practice with the firm encompasses both trials and appeals, in state and federal courts. He has tried or been co-counsel on numerous major criminal cases, involving charges of murder, real estate and tax fraud, sex crimes, drug crimes, firearms crimes and perjury. He has been co-counsel in two federal cases where the trial judge granted judgments of acquittal, one judge ...
Jack Falvey, a partner in Goodwin's Securities Litigation & White Collar Defense practice, focuses on white collar criminal defense, governmental and internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. Mr. Falvey's practice includes representing companies, boards of directors and their committees, and individuals in connection with federal and state investigations in matters involving financial services and securities, healthcare fraud, and public corruption. His civil practice is focu...
Rob Fisher is a Chambers USA ranked trial lawyer and former Assistant United States Attorney who represents clients facing bet-the-company internal and government investigations or charges brought by agencies such as the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and the various state attorneys general. He serves as practice group leader for the firm’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense prac...
Brian French is a partner and member of the firm’s Government Investigations and White Collar Defense team. He represents clients in government enforcement and internal compliance matters, primarily involving the life sciences and health care industries. What do you focus on? Government Enforcement I represent a wide range of health care organizations, life sciences companies, executives, and employees in government investigations and related criminal and civil litigation initiated by t...
Miranda is a former federal prosecutor and experienced trial attorney who defends clients in government investigations and enforcement matters, including those involving health care fraud and abuse matters, and conducting internal corporate investigations. Miranda brings deep experience to her representation of pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, clinical laboratories, payors, pharmacies, health care providers, and other entities and individuals in federal criminal, civil ...
With 25+ years of experience in government investigations and white-collar defense, Brian Kelly is a nationally recognized former federal prosecutor and high-profile trial attorney. Brian has tried numerous federal cases including, most notably, U.S. v. James “Whitey” Bulger . His seasoned judgment and strategic counsel comes from decades of experience in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in both Boston and San Diego. Brian defends corporations and executives in federal and state i...
Paul Kelly is a principal in the Boston office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He has extensive experience in white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, NCAA enforcement investigations and infractions cases, and complex civil litigation. Paul chairs both the Collegiate and Professional Sports industry group and the White Collar and Government Enforcement resource group at the firm White Collar and Investigative Experience Paul is a trial attorney with substantial experience in both state a...
Bill Kettlewell has four decades of experience representing clients in white collar criminal cases, government enforcement actions, and complex civil litigation. In the course of his storied career he has successfully tried numerous civil and criminal cases in both state and federal courts as well as before administrative and regulatory agencies and licensing boards. He also frequently leads sensitive internal investigations for his institutional clients. Bill has represented companies, CEOs ...
A. John Pappalardo focuses his international practice on federal white collar criminal defense, representing individuals and corporations in federal and state investigations. John has conducted many significant representations, including the landmark case in which he represented former YUKOS Oil Company CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was on trial for fraud and tax evasion. Additionally, John's clients include numerous businesses and corporations, medical doctors, attorneys, a U.S. Congressman ...
Mark W. Pearlstein concentrates his practice on white-collar criminal defense, the defense of actions brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, complex commercial litigation, arbitration and internal investigations. Previously, he was the partner-in-charge of the Boston office and served as head of the Boston Trial Department. Mark is also a member of the Firm-wide Management Committee. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/pearlstein-mark-w/
Dan Rabinovitz co-manages the firm’s Litigation Department. He is a trial lawyer with 30 years of experience and began his career prosecuting violent crime with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago, Illinois. He has handled a wide variety of civil and criminal matters, representing corporations and individuals and he has tried hundreds of cases, including numerous civil and criminal jury trials in state and federal courts. Currently, his practice focuses on w...
Alan Rose founded the firm in 1995. A former Assistant U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts, he represents clients in a wide variety of civil litigation matters and defends individuals and companies in governmental and regulatory investigations and prosecutions. Alan has been recognized as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in Massachusetts by Boston Magazine . From 2002 to 2006, he served, by appointment of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, on the Board of Bar Overseers, including serving as it...
Mark Seltzer represents corporations, executives and professionals in government investigations and enforcement actions and related complex litigation. What do you focus on? In recent years, I have focused my practice on representing pharmaceutical companies and their executives, medical device manufacturers and their executives, clinical diagnostics manufacturers and other health care providers in government health care fraud investigations and related civil litigation under the federal Fals...
Josh Sharp is a Boston-based partner in Nixon Peabody’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice group. He represents corporations and individuals in government investigations, regulatory inquiries, and complex civil and criminal litigation. What do you focus on? I assist clients with internal investigations, regulatory inquiries, grand jury matters, and criminal defense. I also litigate civil matters in state and federal courts. Financial Institutions Investigation...
Sara Silva is an accomplished trial lawyer with more than twenty years of experience representing multinational corporations, executives, and employees in a wide range of industries. Recognized in 2020 as a Massachusetts Lawyer of the Year, Sara has defended U.S. and international clients against allegations of kickbacks, fraudulent product promotion, false claims, export violations, public corruption, health care fraud, wire fraud, tax fraud, and conspiracies to violate federal laws. She is ...
Dan Small practices in the area of litigation, focusing on witness preparation, government and internal investigations, white-collar criminal law and complex civil litigation. He has extensive investigation, jury trial and other litigation experience. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Small was a prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice, during which time he tried RICO, corruption, financial and regulatory cases. Mr. Small received various awards and commendations for his work. He ...
A trial lawyer, David A. Vicinanzo serves a broad array of clients—from Fortune 100 to pro bono —in New England, New York, the Washington, DC, area, and elsewhere. He practices primarily in the area of government investigations and the representation of organizations and individuals in complex civil and criminal matters. What do you focus on? Before joining the firm, I was a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC, and New England for thirteen years. I served in Washington, DC, as an...
Sarah Walters is an experienced trial lawyer who focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement and compliance matters and complex civil litigation. In addition to both criminal and civil trial work, Sarah has substantial experience conducting internal investigations and representing clients in securities, healthcare and other government enforcement matters. She also assists companies in developing compliance policies and training programs. Read full biography: ...
Norman Zalkind has tried over one hundred jury trials, including many high-profile cases. He has won a number of federal and state jury trials, including a recent first degree murder case where the jury acquitted his client of all charges. His criminal cases involve a wide range of offenses, such as murder (including death penalty cases) drug crimes, terrorism, extortion, bank robbery, sex crimes, tax evasion, federal extradition, arson, telemarketing fraud, and Medicaid and securities fraud....
Thomas A. Barnico Jr. is a member of the Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice group, where he represents corporations, executives and professionals in government investigations and enforcement actions as well as related complex litigation. My focus I represent clients through all stages of government investigations and criminal and civil litigation. My prior experience as an assistant district attorney in Boston, Massachusetts, has made me not only a zealous courtroom...
With a focus on the health care, life sciences, and education sectors, Elizabeth ("Lizzie") Pignatelli represents individual and institutional clients in all phases of criminal, civil, and regulatory enforcement actions, sensitive internal investigations, and complex business litigation. She is a "go to" attorney for her clients' toughest matters because of her incisive advocacy, her ability to distill complex issues to what is most important, and her pragmatic approach to problem solving. Li...
Brianna Portu is a litigator and a member of Nixon Peabody’s Government Investigations and White Collar Defense practice group, representing individuals and corporations across multiple industries. My focus I represent individuals and companies through all stages of government investigations, internal investigations, and complex civil and criminal litigation. I advise clients in responding to grand jury subpoenas, HIPAA subpoenas, and civil investigative demands involving various enforc...
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