Morvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello P.C.

If there's one thing Morvillo Abramowitz has, it’s trial experience—not to mention a roster of high-profile clients. The Big-Apple-based litigation boutique specializes in white collar defense, securities enforcement, and government investigations as well as complex civil litigation.

Securities Heads and U.S. Attorneys

Morvillo Abramowitz's expertise in white collar defense and securities law dates back to its beginnings. In 1972, John Martin and Otto Obermaier created Martin and Obermaier, a boutique firm, to represent business executives and government officials embroiled in sensitive matters. A year later, Robert G. Morvillo—who had served as head of the Securities Fraud Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and later became the office's Chief of the Criminal Division—brought his seasoned expertise to the firm. Morvillo started to make his mark immediately, becoming the principal counsel to Merrill Lynch, an early client of the firm.

More S.D.N.Y. veterans followed. In 1979 and 1985, two more Chiefs of the Criminal Division joined: Elkan Abramowitz and Lawrence Iason. Iason briefly left the firm to head the Securities Exchange Commission of New York but later returned. Paul Grand, Chief of the Securities Fraud unit, came to the firm in 1989, and in 2002, longtime associate Robert J. Anello—who had snagged Deloitte and Morgan Stanley as clients—was added to the masthead. 

Making Room in the Trophy Case

Morvillo Abramowitz's status as a leading litigation firm is well known, and its white collar defense practice in particular has drawn universal acclaim. Morvillo is among the top 20 firms in Vault’s White Collar Defense & Internal Investigations ranking. The firm has also been recognized as a leader in this area by the likes of Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, Legal 500 US, Who's Who Legal, and U.S. News and World Report. Morvillo partners have been named New York Super Lawyers and Rising Stars and have been recognized as leading lawyers by Chambers USA. 

A Job Well Done

Morvillo Abramowitz has an enviable list of representations and clients, past and present, including Steven Davis, the former Dewey & LeBoeuf Chairman, in what had been referred to as the legal industry’s ‘trial of the year’; the Supervisory Board of VimpelCom, Ltd., an Amsterdam-based telecommunications company, in one of the largest FCPA investigations in U.S. history; the Executive Chamber of the Office of the Governor of the State of New York in a high-profile investigation into the shutdown of the Moreland Commission on Public Corruption; and several high-profile individuals on both sides of MeToo litigation.

The list also includes Martha Stewart, in connection with her infamous obstruction of justice charges for illegal stock trading, conspiracy, and securities fraud; Woody Allen, in connection with his notorious courtroom battle with Mia Farrow; Donald Drapkin, the former Vice Chairman of MacAndrews & Forbes LLC, in connection with a claim for breach of contract; and David Stockman, the former Chief Executive Officer of Collins & Aikman, in connection with charges of bank fraud, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. 

Morvillo Abramowitz also represented former chief executive of the American International Group, Maurice R. Greenberg, during his prosecution by the attorney general; Anil Kumar, a McKinsey senior executive witness in the insider trading trial of former hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam; and John A. Zaccaro, real estate developer and husband of one-time vice-presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro, in his much-publicized bribery case.

COVID-19 Update

Our approach to recruiting has not changed since the start of the pandemic. We continue to seek out and hire top-notch candidates.

• Morvillo Abramowitz represented the Executive Chamber of the Office of the Governor of New York in connection with investigations and inquiries into the state’s reporting on COVID-19 in nursing homes.
• Morvillo Abramowitz represented the Board of Directors of Veon, the first Russian company traded on the U.S. stock exchange, in connection with one of the largest FCPA investigations in U.S. history.
• Morvillo Abramowitz represented the CEO of American Media, Inc., publisher of the National Enquirer, in connection with a high-profile Southern District of New York investigation relating to the well-publicized Michael Cohen scandal.
• Morvillo Abramowitz represented a public company and its founder and CEO, Phillip Frost, in connection with a high-profile SEC enforcement action regarding stock manipulation allegations.