Attorneys in this practice area represent individuals and companies accused of financial crimes in criminal suits, often brought by the DOJ, and conduct investigations at companies to determine if any parties engaged in wrongful conduct. White collar attorneys often work as prosecutors either before, after, or in between stints as defense counsel in private practice. The day-to-day practice of white-collar defense is similar to civil litigation and includes discovery, research, drafting, factual development, and motion practice, but with significant client contact, especially when representing individuals. Internal investigations can be a very hands-on practice. Attorneys will often go to a company to review documents and interview employees to develop an understanding of facts in the face of allegations of financial or other impropriety by individuals at the corporation. Lawyers in this area are often called in to be crisis managers.
- 1L core curriculum
- Criminal Procedure
- Legal Research and Writing
- Mock Trial
- Crisis Management firms
- Government prosecutor
- Large law firm practice
- White collar boutique
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
At Cravath, I am a member of our Investigations & Regulatory Enforcement and Data Security & Privacy practices. I advise clients on a wide variety of matters, including domestic and cross‑border investigations involving matters such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, trade sanctions, and the False Claims Act. I also have a very active cybersecurity practice in which I represent clients in matters ranging from cyber incident response to compliance reviews. My work often involves representing clients before federal regulatory enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as well as before numerous state regulators.
What types of clients do you represent?
My clients include global and domestic companies, boards of directors, and senior executives, and come from a range of industries, including banking, fintech, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, e-commerce, transportation, mining, consumer products, pharmaceuticals, and real estate.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
The work that I have had the opportunity to handle at Cravath has been fascinating. In some ways, it is similar to the work that I did as a prosecutor—such as handling international corruption, financial fraud, and sanctions cases in different parts of the world. In other ways, it is completely different—for example, helping clients in the healthcare industry solve complex regulatory problems, or trying an M&A case in Delaware Chancery Court. I also spend a lot of time on cybersecurity matters, from dealing with ransomware attacks to providing compliance advice regarding policies and procedures, and other areas involving tech, which I find to be both interesting on an intellectual level and an area of growing need for clients.
How did you choose this practice area?
I first became interested in investigations and criminal law when I interned for a summer with the Manhattan D.A.’s Office while I was an undergraduate. That experience led me to apply to law school and ultimately to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn. The cases I handled and supervised as an AUSA for the next decade—in particular, the experiences I had leading international corruption investigations and running our national security and cybercrime unit—were formative for me and had a big impact on how I chose to continue developing my career when I joined Cravath.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
There really is no typical day at Cravath. One day I might be in my office in New York, and the next sitting in a client’s conference room halfway around the world—every day brings a new challenge and the opportunity to learn something new. One constant, however, is that I work collaboratively within my practice area and across the firm with attorneys and administrative staff at all levels, which is a very rewarding and enjoyable part of my role as a partner.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
That’s difficult to answer in the abstract. When associates come to me and tell me they want to pursue a career in investigations or cybersecurity, I try to understand why. Whether they are driven by interest in the substantive area of law, a potential future career in government, or something else, to me, the most important thing is to identify the core of what drives them and then to make recommendations around that.
What is the most challenging aspect of practicing in this area?
As a prosecutor, I had tools that gave me significant control over the scope of an investigation, but working for clients on the defense side means operating with fewer tools and less overall control than I used to have, which adds considerable complexity to each matter. For every internal and government investigation I handle, it is thus essential for me to gain an intimate understanding of how my clients’ businesses work by dissecting what they do well and examining any potential weaknesses—as a result, I am continuously learning. This facet of the work is challenging but also enormously important.
What do you like best about your practice area?
Throughout my career, I have found that I am most engaged and motivated when I am doing really difficult work—which I have tended to see as work without precedent and, very often, with an international dimension. This was true during my time as a prosecutor, and one of the main things that drew me to Cravath was the knowledge that handling daunting challenges is a defining feature of the firm. In both my investigations and cybersecurity work, I have the privilege of helping to manage some of the biggest challenges my clients will ever face, often in a crisis setting.
What kinds of experience can summer associates gain at this practice area at your firm?
To a law student thinking about joining Cravath as a summer associate, I would say: if you are ready for a challenge, if you are ready for every day to be different from the last, come here. In your first week, you might be asked to prepare for and participate in conducting interviews in a corruption investigation involving a client’s business operations on multiple continents, and in your second week, you might get thrown into a ransomware attack and find yourself being asked to master the facts and law surrounding the forensics, the operational disruption, and the regulatory dimension all within the first 72 hours. Whatever the matter, you will be deeply and substantively involved and will get unparalleled training in how to not just sort through a legal problem, but also to sort through a business problem and understand every facet of it. The clients that we are lucky to have bring us their most difficult and important matters to work on, and coming to Cravath means you will be working on those matters day in and day out, including during your summer.
How important is prior criminal law experience (e.g., working for the Prosecutor’s office or DA) in paving a successful career in white collar defense?
For me, the skills that I gained working as a prosecutor were an essential part of my ability to transition into my role at Cravath, especially when it came to helping clients facing government investigations. By the same token, while experience and time in government are very important, I believe the strategic thinking we bring to the table is our distinguishing characteristic regardless of whether the specific matter is a criminal investigation issue, crippling ransomware attack, complex regulatory question, or bet-the-company litigation.
Evan Mehran Norris is a partner in Cravath’s Litigation Department who focuses on advising U.S. and multinational companies, boards, and senior executives on government and internal investigations, criminal defense, regulatory compliance, and related civil litigation.
Prior to joining Cravath, Evan served for 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. During his tenure he held a number of leadership positions, including Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section, and he was the lead prosecutor of the groundbreaking FIFA case.
Evan has been recognized for his white collar criminal defense work by the Best Lawyers in America and The Legal 500 US, as a Future Star by Benchmark Litigation, as a leading lawyer in White Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA, and as one of Lawdragon’s “500 Leading Litigators in America.”
Evan received a B.A. from Columbia College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. He joined Cravath in 2017 and was elected a partner in 2019. He sits on the firm’s Diversity Committee and serves on the board of the Iranian American Bar Association’s New York chapter.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
Loretta: I advise corporate clients in reputation-threatening litigation and their most sensitive government and internal investigations. This includes advising them on high-stakes regulatory enforcement issues and crisis management. Additionally, I co-lead the firm’s Civil Rights and Racial Equity Audits Practice and am a founding member of our new DEI Strategic Advisory Group.
Lina: I have a generalist litigation practice, so I represent companies in a range of areas, including regulatory and internal investigations, complex commercial litigation, antitrust, False Claims Act, and post-merger suits. I focus on providing our clients with strategic counsel to resolve substantive concerns as well as anticipate collateral issues, so they can focus on running their businesses and being good corporate citizens.
What types of clients do you represent?
Loretta: I advise corporate clients in every industry, from finance to sports to biosciences to e-commerce and beyond. Recent clients have included Amazon, the NFL, Pfizer, the Northwestern University Athletics Department, BlackRock, and McDonald’s, among many others.
Lina: Like Loretta, I counsel a wide variety of clients across industries. My clients include well-known financial institutions, manufacturers, and pharmaceutical companies.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
Lina: I have a diverse practice. I handle a range of civil litigation matters, including at the trial phase. Another focus of my practice includes representing public and private companies in connection with sensitive internal investigations or investigations by the Department of Justice or U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters and other regulatory enforcement matters.
Loretta: In addition to defending companies and individuals in high-profile litigation, much of my work is focused on keeping my clients out of the headlines by resolving issues through internal investigations or in negotiation with the government. For example, boards of directors hire us to independently investigate any allegations of financial misconduct, sexual harassment, or discrimination at the company; following our investigation, we compile a report with our findings and recommendations for next steps, ideally getting ahead of any litigation risk. I also help clients find ways to legally encourage diversity within their ranks, and I evaluate their DEI policies and practices and identify areas where there is room for improvement.
How did you choose this practice area?
Loretta: I’ve always felt a duty to stand up for others, even when doing so may be difficult, and have worked my whole career to ensure equality under the law. These are the values to which I held fast during my tenure in public service, and this has translated into the way I conduct my investigations work at Paul, Weiss. In advising my clients, I always aim to get ahead of situations where they may find themselves at odds with the law—often unintentionally. I see great value in steering companies in the right direction because good corporate citizenship impacts us all.
Lina: I was drawn to white collar work because of how collaborative it can be, particularly with respect to internal and regulatory investigations. Being able to investigate the underlying issues allows us to then strategize, think creatively, and counsel our clients to resolve pressing concerns as early as possible. I also appreciate the opportunity to manage the cases holistically, taking into consideration crisis management, reputational harm, personnel management, and business needs. This broad approach has allowed me to develop strong relationships with my clients and think strategically about their issues.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
Lina: One thing that I really like about my practice is the variety; I don’t really have a typical day. My day may include engaging with clients, preparing for investigations, reviewing motions and filings, preparing witnesses for depositions or trial, building high-level strategies for my matters—and everything in between. I also dedicate a good portion of my time to mentoring more junior lawyers on my matters and throughout the firm; I’m invested in ensuring our associates sharpen their skills and are well equipped to reach their individual career goals.
Loretta: As Lina mentioned, there’s really no such thing as a typical day in our area of the law. My work day could include reading up on documents and witness statements in preparation for interviews we conduct as part of the investigation process; strategizing with our clients’ general counsel and talking clients through our game plan; preparing reports for boards of directors; or touching base with my teams to make sure everything is on track in all of our various matters.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
Loretta: One of the key qualities of an excellent white collar attorney is the ability to see a situation from both sides—your client’s and the government’s—and to make a move or propose a solution based on the interests and perspectives of each. Gaining prosecutorial experience is one way to develop this perspective, but being able to think critically, strategically, and outside the box are among the most important skills you can develop in this field. Also, don’t be afraid to speak up, take up space, and play an active role in the trajectory of your career. Make yourself part of the discussion, and be ready to jump on opportunities that will bring you closer to your goals.
Lina: Perhaps more than any particular class or type of training, I see interest, motivation, and curiosity as the keys to developing as an effective litigator in this practice area. As a junior associate and summer associate, enthusiastically dig into the details—the where, when, who, why, and how questions—and remember to voice your opinion. You are the lawyer on the matter, after all; act accordingly.
What do you like best about your practice area?
Loretta: There are many things I love about my practice, such as the variety of tasks and the opportunity to work closely with so many different people. But it is particularly satisfying to finally get to the bottom of a given situation, find and propose solutions, and help our clients resolve disputes with the government in a way that keeps them on the right path. It’s like solving a puzzle.
Lina: The best part of my practice is that no two matters are the same, which makes everyday practice interesting but also allows me to keep learning and growing as a lawyer. A close second is developing bespoke solutions to our clients’ biggest challenges involving complex legal (and other) issues.
What is unique about your practice area at your firm?
Lina: What sets our White Collar and Regulatory Defense Practice apart is the breadth of the work we do and our incredible bench of talent. Our work spans all stages of civil and criminal investigations and enforcement proceedings—including parallel regulatory and civil proceedings—as well as internal investigations. We are regularly called upon to counsel companies in crisis, providing strategic solutions to help companies navigate this sensitive territory and mitigate against possible financial, regulatory, and reputational risks. The experience in our department is hard to match: We have more than 40 former federal prosecutors and leading government officials among our ranks. Our associates have incredible opportunities to work alongside the very best white collar lawyers on the most sophisticated corporate and regulatory investigations. Paul, Weiss offers unparalleled opportunities to develop your career as a litigator.
What kinds of experience can summer associates gain in this practice area at your firm?
Lina: Summer associates become integral members of their case teams during their time with us. Their experience on matters in this practice area may include working on fact-finding projects, preparing for and/or attending key interviews, engaging in strategy discussions, and drafting analyses. Partners often include summer associates in strategy discussions and welcome their thoughts as we determine the best avenues to resolve outstanding concerns. We encourage our summer associates to roll up their sleeves and dive in, so it’s a great way to get real exposure to the practice area.
What are some typical career paths for lawyers in this practice area?
Loretta: Aside from private practice, which can involve both white collar defense and investigations work, public service is a popular and often very fulfilling choice. Becoming a state or federal prosecutor offers the opportunity to gain crucial courtroom skills, work directly with victims and witnesses, and gain a deep understanding of the government’s approach to various white collar issues. Another common (and DOJ-adjacent) career path is joining a regulatory agency like the SEC or Commodity Futures Trading Commission and carrying out regulatory investigations into companies and individuals. While white collar is certainly a competitive field, there are many different ways to make an impact in the space.
Loretta Lynch’s legal career has included both private law practice and public service, including three presidential appointments. She served as the U.S. Attorney General (2015–2017), appointed by President Barack Obama, and she has twice been appointed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Today, at Paul, Weiss, Loretta is consistently called upon as a trusted mediator and fact finder. She handles sensitive investigations matters and high-profile litigation defense for some of the world’s largest companies. Loretta received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in American Literature from Harvard University.
Lina Dagnew is a partner in Paul, Weiss’s Litigation Department. She is a trial lawyer who represents domestic and international clients in various complex commercial and civil litigation matters, as well as in internal investigations, white collar defense, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters. Lina was recently recognized by Benchmark Litigation in its 2023 “40 and Under Hot List.” She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Manchester University.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
As a partner in Davis Polk’s White Collar Defense & Investigations group, I represent companies and individuals in high-stakes and complex white collar defense matters. These include criminal and regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings by government regulators such as the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Federal Reserve, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCen), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), state attorneys general and Congress.
What types of clients do you represent?
I represent companies across multiple industries and individuals in criminal and regulatory investigations, as well as civil and criminal trials. Because of the sensitive nature of some of my matters, many of my clients remain confidential.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
I primarily work on government and internal investigations, and criminal and civil trials in connection with matters involving fraud, financial manipulation, and other misconduct. Some of my recent matters include: representing a financial institution with respect to multiple inquiries from a range of federal and state agencies relating to the operation of the CARES Act funding, including loans processed pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program. The inquiry involves the DOJ, the Small Business Administration, the CFPB, and various State Attorney General’s Offices and Congress; representing a senior automotive manager of a major automobile manufacturer in connection with a federal criminal investigation; representing a national consulting company in connection with investigations by the DOJ and IRS into tax matters; representing a global financial institution in connection with potential fraud in Ecuador.
How did you choose this practice area?
My passion is to help people and make a positive impact. Clients who are facing criminal charges or subject to an investigation are often going through the most difficult time in their lives. I find it personally rewarding to serve as an advocate for individuals and companies that are experiencing these trying moments. I take to heart the responsibility that comes with clients placing their trust in me to defend them at such critical points in their lives or company’s history.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
As a lead counsel on various white collar matters, I oversee the investigative and/or defense team and direct the overall strategy of the matter. A typical day may consist of meeting with clients to discern the underlying facts, preparing for and conducting key witness interviews and/or depositions, oral argument and other court appearances and hearings, presenting to or interacting with government regulators, advising the client, reviewing key documents and evidence, drafting and editing briefs and investigative reports, working with expert witnesses, and preparing for and conducting trials. I also teach and mentor associates and collaborate with counsel and partners.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
There are many valuable professional experiences and courses that will help prepare law students for a career as a white collar defense attorney. Law students may wish to intern at the DOJ, a U.S. Attorneys’ Office, the SEC, the FTC or other government entities to gain firsthand experience in the regulatory and investigative process. In addition, an internship or clerkship with a federal or state judge can provide a unique opportunity to observe trials, understand the adjudicative process and hone research and writing skills.
Law school courses that are particularly useful to white collar defense include Trial Practice, Appellate Practice, Federal and State Courts, Securities Regulation, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, advanced legal writing courses, clinics and other courses related to prosecution.
What do you like best about your practice area?
I love helping people solve difficult problems. Two of the things I most enjoy about white collar defense are the complex legal issues and intellectual challenges that arise. Whether it is negotiating with government regulators or navigating a difficult witness interview, I am constantly problem solving and strategizing. Those elements have helped push me to be a better lawyer.
What is unique about your practice area at your firm?
Davis Polk is routinely credited for developing the first premier white collar criminal defense practice among global law firms. We continue to maintain that standard of excellence today. The depth of our experience and the sophistication of our lawyers—supported by one of the most respected corporate practices in the world—set us apart from other law firms. Our practice is further amplified by the impressive resume of government experience that is strategic and selectively focused on quality over quantity. For example, our team includes two former U.S. Attorneys, a former Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, the lead Special Counsel prosecutor in Paul Manafort’s trial, the former first-ever Chief of the SEC’s Cyber Unit and, in the most recent arrival, the former acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of DOJ’s Criminal Division and head of the Fraud Section and FCPA Unit.
What kinds of experience can summer associates gain at this practice area at your firm?
At Davis Polk, summer associates are afforded the opportunity to gain real and valuable experience working on white collar defense matters and government and internal investigations. Summer associates work closely with partners and associates on high-profile, significant matters involving complex legal issues. They draft documents, participate in conference calls with government regulators, go to client meetings and court, and conduct meaningful research.
What are some typical career paths for lawyers in this practice area?
A terrific path for lawyers seeking to focus on the white collar field is to gain experience in government. Many white collar defense lawyers begin their legal careers practicing at a large law firm before joining the DOJ as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) or as a Trial Attorney in other divisions at Main Justice. Some lawyers may spend the entirety of their careers in government service while others, like myself, may spend a number of years there before transitioning back to private practice.
I started my legal career as an associate at a private law firm where I worked for five years. Then I spent more than a decade as an AUSA in the Eastern District of Virginia, where I prosecuted dozens of financial crimes and public corruption cases and tried multiple cases. My time at the DOJ was invaluable to developing the skills that I now use in my white collar defense practice today.
Many Davis Polk alumni who practiced in the white collar field have gone on to senior positions in government, including within the DOJ, SEC, FBI, CFPB, Federal Public Defender’s Office, Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, New York State Office of the Attorney General and Congress, or to in-house positions in the business world.
Uzo is a seasoned trial lawyer who, before joining Davis Polk, spent more than a decade prosecuting complex financial crimes and public corruption. He advises companies and individuals in connection with government, grand jury and internal investigations, and represents clients in criminal and civil trials. He has deep experience in matters involving insider trading, market manipulation, public corruption, and other areas of financial fraud.
Before joining Davis Polk in 2020, Uzo was Acting Chief of the Financial Crimes and Public Corruption Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. While in government, he led major fraud and public corruption cases, and tried numerous multi-defendant, complex cases to guilty verdicts before juries. In 2018, he served in the Office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller during its investigation into Russian government interference in the 2016 election, where he successfully prosecuted a former U.S. presidential campaign manager.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
I represent clients on a broad array of white collar and civil litigation matters, including criminal, internal, and regulatory investigations. It’s a combination of traditional white collar investigations, both government-facing and internal, where I’m guiding clients through the complexities of a significant, high-stakes, and often highly sensitive investigation, and trial work, where I’m leveraging my extensive experience leading jury trials. On the other side of the table, I’m regularly facing the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and State Attorneys General.
What types of clients do you represent?
My clients run the gamut from well-known global brands to public entities, and often come from sectors that are frequently the subject of regulatory and investigative scrutiny. That could mean an automotive manufacturer, a sports organization, or a global financial services firm. I also represent some of the world’s most prominent technology companies and many other types of businesses.
What types of cases do you work on?
Much of my work is confidential for obvious reasons, but on the investigations side, representative matters include: representing a global financial services organization in connection with parallel DOJ and SEC investigations; representing a multinational company in connection with a DOJ investigation involving international trade; representing a major technology company facing inquiries from U.S. federal, state and local enforcement agencies; conducting an investigation on behalf of a multinational company into serious, highly sensitive allegations of abuse; and conducting investigations on behalf of high-profile professional and collegiate sports teams into allegations of wrongdoing. On the trial side, good representative examples include defending a leading beverage manufacturer in litigation alleging fraud and misrepresentations in product labeling, defending an automotive manufacturer in class action litigation alleging fraud, and representing a large municipality in a federal labor and employment trial.
How did you choose this practice area?
I wasn't sure what I wanted to do when I started practicing law. I found myself on a few white collar investigations and I really enjoyed investigations work—and still do. I like talking to people about difficult subjects. It's one of the things that I really enjoy and I think that I'm good at. Along with really enjoying the work, I enjoyed the people that I was working with. Loving the people that you work with and really being into the work that you do are everything.
What is a typical day like?
I wake up, I put a fire hose in my mouth, and I start drinking! Right now, I am handling a government-facing investigation on behalf of a corporate client where I am preparing a witness to testify under oath. Today I’ll spend time preparing for that. I handle civil trials as part of my practice as well and have a class action trial coming up, so I'll also be spending time preparing our trial strategy. For one of my clients, I am coordinating counsel for all of their serious matters throughout the country. Some of those matters are in the thick of discovery, others are close to resolution. We also have mediations and briefing coming up, as well as hearings. What I do on a given day can vary considerably. I could be interviewing witnesses, interfacing with the government, revising a brief, arguing a motion, determining trial strategy, responding to a client emergency, etc. It just depends. I really enjoy that.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
In my opinion, being a prosecutor is the best kind of training ground you can have. I think that is true for all kinds of work, but certainly, for white collar, it’s so important for even the most junior associates to start thinking on a macro level about their cases. That means looking beyond the immediate task to how things fit into the big picture. If it were your case, if you were the owner, what would you want to know? What would you want to have happen? Start seeing around corners. Aim to be a strategic thinker from the very beginning; the more you develop that, the more value you’re going to add all across the board on your matters and definitely in white collar. Clerkships tend to be good for developing your writing skills. But it’s most helpful to be able to tell a story in a compelling way.
What do you like best about your practice area?
It's never dull, and I really enjoy that. I like having to think strategically and juggle a whole lot of things at once. I’m never bored at work. I'm always using all of my abilities and my mental faculties. I love that in my practice, it’s not just any one thing I’m doing. When you're doing an internal investigation as opposed to doing a government-facing investigation, those are similar, but they’re also different skill sets. With investigations, I like talking to people about difficult subjects. That’s borne from my days as a prosecutor talking to victims about truly awful events. I think there’s a way to conduct an interview where you can get the truth, get all the information you need, and have a genuine exchange, while making sure the person on the other end feels respected. When I’m trying a case, that's a different side of me that I'm bringing to bear for a jury and it’s a different kind of strategic thinking. You’re telling a compelling story, you’re making a connection, and your goal is to win. There’s one winner in a trial, and I like to win. I'm always doing things that I think are interesting and cool and using different parts of my skill set and my personality. One of my favorite quotes is a one-liner attributed to Winston Churchill: “I like a man who grins when he fights.” I like to think of myself as someone who grins when I fight. That's who I am in a lot of ways. I think this stuff is fun.
What misconceptions exist about your practice area?
I think white collar lawyers are like Swiss army knives. We do different things and tend to have very varied practices. We touch upon many areas in our day-to-day work. If you're a class action litigator, you're probably doing a lot of the same things every day—briefing, arguments, and preparing motions for summary judgment. In my practice, I do all of that. I do briefing. I do arguments. I do trials. I do motions. I interview witnesses. I go before the government. I literally do everything. I think many white collar lawyers are very similar. You have to be nimble. We are adroit at playing different roles and wearing different hats—more so than people probably realize.
How do you see this practice area evolving in the future?
Where the practice is headed is very much driven by what’s going on in the world. Twenty years ago, you didn’t have so many investigations into things like “toxic work environment” inside organizations. You didn’t see that when I was an associate coming up and that’s not traditional white collar, but that’s very much in the space of what white collar lawyers like myself do today, in addition to investigations into conduct that could be criminal. The government’s focus and the focus of regulators also drive our work. As the government shifts its attention to different industries, different markets, and different kinds of enterprises and businesses—take crypto, for example—we pivot.
What are some typical career paths?
I think being a prosecutor is incredibly valuable because it develops you in ways that nothing else can. I am the person that I am today because I was a prosecutor, 100%. I’m a little bit fearless because I’ve done everything. As a prosecutor, you show up, you get it done, and you figure it out under incredibly stressful circumstances. A lot of young lawyers are naturally nervous and they want perfection. But total perfection isn’t attainable, so that sets you up for failure and makes it more difficult for you to be nimble. Also, your job as a prosecutor is to do the right thing. You need to have a very firm moral compass. You have to be able to face yourself in the mirror every morning. Your job is to be an advocate and a voice for victims who sometimes don't have a voice at all. And so you've got to be honest and believe in what you're doing. You have to have a mission that’s deep and profound.
Being a prosecutor was probably the best job I've ever had because not only does it teach you what the criminal statutes are and help you build relationships, but it also teaches you what really matters—sometimes in the most visceral ways. Sometimes it was my job to help keep someone alive. Or stand out front for someone who had lost their loved one in a brutal way, or someone who had been sexually assaulted who had been made to feel like they were worthless. That is an incredible responsibility, and having that kind of responsibility is character building and life affirming.
I don’t think it's an absolute necessity, but it's so valuable because it builds a lot of character and skills that you could otherwise spend a lifetime trying to build. Particularly for attorneys of color, for women attorneys of color, and for all of the more marginalized groups, I think it's incredibly important to build that kind of confidence and get that kind of training. I was a Black woman appearing in court every day on behalf of the United States and on behalf of victims a lot of times who look like me and who came from where I where I come from. I grew up in the Bronx. I'm an immigrant. It’s important to be that face, to be that symbol. People who are disenfranchised standing up on behalf of the United States, just like it should be. People who are disenfranchised and people of color standing up as partners in law firms because we are such a rarity. It’s important that we represent in all capacities. The more we have people who don't look like the traditional mold doing these kinds of jobs, the better for everyone.
Damali Taylor is a former federal prosecutor and an accomplished trial lawyer who has led dozens of jury trials. Damali regularly represents clients on a broad array of white collar, civil litigation, and securities matters, including criminal, internal, and regulatory investigations.
Damali spent several years as a federal prosecutor at the United States Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of California, including as the Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force Section. As a federal prosecutor, Damali handled complex fraud, racketeering, bribery, money laundering, murder, and human trafficking cases. Prior to her tenure as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Damali served as an Assistant District Attorney in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.
Damali is O’Melveny’s San Francisco Hiring Partner and a leader on O’Melveny’s Racial Justice Committee. Outside the firm, she previously served as Chair of the San Francisco Police Commission, which oversees one of the largest police departments in the U.S.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
My practice focuses predominantly on anti-corruption compliance in the U.S. and internationally, with emphasis on the U.S. FCPA and related anti-bribery laws around the globe.
What types of clients do you represent?
My clients are multinational companies and conglomerates, usually large companies with over 25,000 global employees. I have experience in numerous industry sectors, including aviation and transportation, life sciences, oil & gas, and construction and engineering, among many others, including past secondments to defense and life sciences companies.
My typical client is a large corporation operating across multiple jurisdictions that may have an internal or government investigation or a settlement agreement with compliance reporting obligations. My clients may also be acquiring another company with operations in countries with high potential corruption risks or seeking to understand compliance risks or strengthen the compliance program. My recent clients include SAP SE, Alstom, and Embraer S.A., and I worked closely with the independent compliance monitor for Panasonic Avionics Corporation following its FCPA settlement.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
I primarily work on three types of cases: (1) helping clients develop and enhance their compliance programs and related internal controls, including in connection with and part of the strategy for resolving government investigations; (2) conducting pre- and post-acquisition due diligence and integration in connection with corporate transactions; and (3) advising clients in connection with post-settlement compliance reporting obligations, such as working with independent compliance monitors or meeting self-reporting obligations. I’ve also worked as part of independent compliance monitor teams engaged by companies as part of their settlement agreements with U.S. authorities, which have provided great insight into government expectations regarding compliance programs.
As one recent example, I was part of the Paul Hastings team that worked with Embraer S.A. in successfully completing its independent compliance monitorship in 2020, as part of its $205 million settlement agreement with the DOJ and SEC. Embraer engaged Paul Hastings to help guide it through enhancing its compliance program and internal controls, and in post-settlement interactions with the independent compliance monitor and the DOJ and SEC. Embraer completed its reporting obligation in 2020. Embraer is a multinational aerospace manufacturer based in Brazil.
How did you choose this practice area?
I wish I could say that it was a deliberate choice! In law school, I thought I would practice employment law, but once I actually started practicing I gravitated to international law, investigations, and especially compliance work. As a junior lawyer, I had amazing opportunities to work on some of the first FCPA independent compliance monitorships and never looked back. I learned so much from working with leading investigations and white collar and anti-corruption practitioners, who also turned out to be great mentors and friends.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
My typical day starts at the end of the prior day when I plan out what I want to accomplish next. The next morning, I reprioritize to address the urgent questions or requests that inevitably came in overnight. Since I have an international practice, I work with clients and colleagues in all time zones and often work via email and video conferences, sometimes starting early in the morning or late in the evening. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, much of my work has shifted to a virtual environment, although travel started to return in 2022 with work trips to England, Germany, Italy, and Dubai.
In a typical morning I work on matters related to multiple clients. For example, I may virtually interview someone to learn about the compliance program of an entity acquired by a client, followed by a meeting to discuss process changes to strengthen a different company’s compliance program, and then another discussion about recommendations to address the root causes of misconduct identified through an internal investigation. While I perform many of the same tasks—video conferences, phone calls, and emails—every day, no day is ever the same.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
My practice is truly global in scope and requires working with people all over the world, most of whom are not U.S.-trained lawyers and include professionals in internal audit, finance, compliance, operations, and other areas. Being bilingual or multilingual gives you a nice leg up for sure. More specific to the legal profession, research, writing, legal analysis, and creative thinking are fundamental to my practice area, particularly since there is limited traditional case law to rely upon in this space. Being able to conduct interviews and clearly and succinctly communicate, particularly with someone who may not speak English as their first language, is critical. In addition, document review, eDiscovery, and related procedures are central to conducting investigations, so understanding these tools and processes is important. For compliance work, understanding basic financial controls processes will also give you a head start. Finally, time management, planning, matter management, and fundamental organizational skills are as critical to my practice as they are to any lawyer.
What do you like best about your practice area?
I most enjoy the compliance and investigations practice for a variety of reasons, including the opportunity to work on notable cases with leading practitioners, and ultimately change the world for the better. Plus, no day is ever the same. Our compliance practice is somewhat unique in that, despite being in “BigLaw,” I work closely with companies and their teams to reduce corruption globally, which is widely recognized as having a negative impact on nearly all aspects of society. When conducting internal investigations or enhancing compliance programs, you’re in a unique position as an advisor to a large corporation because you are able to help shine a light on and put in place processes that help stop corruption wherever that company operates.
What is unique about your practice area at your firm?
The Paul Hastings compliance practice is truly unique. We are unmatched in experience, integration between the investigations and compliance teams, and our global footprint. Our attorneys have been appointed as independent compliance monitors and we have advised companies working with monitors or completing self-reporting obligations more than any other firm. Our investigation and compliance teams work closely together starting early in an investigation to remediate identified issues and best position our clients for settlement with regulators. Our teams are also truly global. A large part of the work we do in the Paul Hastings Investigations and White Collar Defense group happens outside the U.S. From Europe and sub-Saharan Africa to all parts of the Asia continent, our work takes place wherever our clients conduct their business. In fact, our group as a whole has handled investigations and related compliance work in over 100 countries.
What are some typical tasks that a junior lawyer would perform in this practice area?
Junior lawyers are responsible for a wide range of tasks throughout the practice. This includes initial fact investigation (scheduling and conducting witness interviews, document collection, and review), research, and initial preparation of guidance, memoranda, and reports to clients or government agencies. Junior lawyers can expect to analyze relevant documents and participate in telephone and virtual discussions or interviews, benchmark and research questions, and synthesize this information into succinct and coherent communications. Truly the range of experiences runs the gamut and is dependent on the individual attorney’s strengths, desires, and areas they’d like to develop.
What kinds of experience can summer associates gain at this practice area at your firm?
The summer program within Investigations and White Collar Defense is an immersive program that previews the type of work that associates can expect when they start at the firm and includes legal research and writing, fact investigation, document collection and review, etc. In addition, there is a heavy emphasis on observational learning during the summer, including opportunities to attend depositions, mediation, court hearings, and even trials. Summer associates also participate in mock litigation work (e.g., depositions) to practice these skills on their own. Social events are also built into the summer program to allow new associates the opportunity to meet and get to know the department.
Nisa R. Gosselink-Ulep is a partner in the Litigation Department of the firm’s Washington, DC, office where her practice is primarily focused on matters relating to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA") and international anti-corruption law. Ms. Gosselink-Ulep has extensive experience advising multinational clients regarding anti-corruption compliance programs and risk assessments, conducting due diligence on third parties and in connection with acquisitions, and performing corruption-related internal investigations. She has worked closely with clients to enhance compliance programs and related internal controls, implement testing and monitoring processes, and demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs. In addition, Ms. Gosselink-Ulep has also worked as part of independent corporate monitor teams as well as prepared clients for working with corporate monitors and self-reporting obligations.
Ms. Gosselink-Ulep has more than 15 years’ experience counseling clients from a broad range of industries and has traveled throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Africa on client matters. She also has worked on matters involving export controls, international arbitration, and political risk insurance. As part of her pro bono efforts, Ms. Gosselink-Ulep has for several years co-facilitated the International Law Institute’s Governance and Anti-corruption Methods course.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
Loretta: My practice largely focuses on advising corporate clients on complex government and internal investigations and high-stakes litigation. I help them navigate significant regulatory enforcement issues and substantial reputational concerns that are often international in scope. I also lead racial equity audits for corporations as co-chair of Paul, Weiss’s new Civil Rights and Racial Equity Audit practice.
Harris: I represent an array of public companies, investment advisory firms, and executives facing SEC and other regulatory investigations, and counsel clients facing criminal prosecution in jurisdictions across the country. I handle all stages of civil and criminal investigations and proceedings, including trials and appeals. Like Loretta, I also conduct many internal investigations for corporations.
What types of clients do you represent?
Loretta: I represent a wide range of corporate clients. I have recently handled major matters for Amazon, BlackRock, McDonald’s, the National Football Leauge, and private and public universities, among many others. I also serve as a mediator in a matter involving issues of legal access for those in federal pretrial custody during the COVID-19 closures.
Harris: I am fortunate to represent a diverse mix of sophisticated clients. Many of my clients are confidential, but some recent representations include a major sports league, a Fortune 20 company, two of the largest private equity firms in the world, a subsidiary of a foreign government, and a well-known telecommunications company.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
Loretta: Much of what I do remains behind the scenes; my job is to keep my clients out of the spotlight. A large part of my work is focused on internal investigations in which we’re brought on by a company or the board to investigate allegations of wrongdoing or regulatory noncompliance within the company. I’ve worked on internal investigations regarding claims of sexual harassment, discrimination, bribery, and other issues. I also frequently defend companies and executives in high-profile lawsuits concerning alleged discrimination. Additionally, I help corporations proactively assess their policies and practices around racial equity and civil rights, and propose solutions where gaps are illuminated.
Harris: I also aim to keep my clients out of the headlines by ideally resolving issues before an enforcement action or criminal charges are filed, or by working to reduce their liability as much as possible. In the past few years, I’ve represented several public companies and investment firms in high-profile U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Department of Justice investigations, and conducted internal investigations on behalf of several corporations. Additionally, I represent clients when necessary at trial in both criminal and civil cases. On average, I try one to two cases a year.
How did you choose this practice area?
Harris: A combination of my interest in issues of fairness and justice, as well as my love for trial work. In law school, I did an externship at the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago and an internship for a federal judge in Manhattan, and just after graduation, I spent a year working at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, prosecuting the former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes. I later worked at the Southern District of New York as an assistant U.S. attorney. One of the great opportunities in being a prosecutor is the chance to be a steady hand trying to ensure that the cases brought and the punishments sought are fair and reasonable. On the defense side, it’s been incredibly rewarding to work with individuals and companies to ensure that they receive fair and reasonable treatment.
Loretta: As a former prosecutor, I saw a number of situations where it seemed that white collar defendants had crossed a line that they hadn’t set out to cross; they followed an agenda or incentives that may have fit in the business world but led them out of compliance or into regulatory or criminal problems. I thought it would be worthwhile to try and get in front of these kinds of situations and help companies avoid them. If they found themselves on the wrong path through misguided policies or bad actors, I felt I could help them navigate these issues in a manner that would let them reaffirm their commitment to compliance, be good corporate citizens, and reward good employees while excising bad actors.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
Harris: One of my favorite things about my job is that every day is different. There are constantly new problems, industries, and jurisdictions that I’m dealing with and learning about, and that keeps it exciting. The first part of any engagement is usually figuring out the facts and overseeing internal investigations or other similar efforts. From there, a good portion of my days are spent talking through strategy with general counsel, public company directors, or chief compliance officers. I also spend a lot of time talking to the SEC, the CFTC, and various U.S. attorney’s offices to help clients work through regulatory and other issues. Although most matters don’t go to trial, occasionally they do, and then I devote substantial time to managing the case and preparing arguments.
Loretta: Echoing Harris’s sentiment, every day is different. I spend a lot of time checking in with my teams working on various investigations and making sure we are considering all issues. I conduct many of the interviews in the investigation process myself, so that involves preparing and immersing myself in the documents and witness statements. I also spend time meeting with clients, preparing reports for boards of directors, and checking in with our clients’ general counsel and lawyers for any co-defendants.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
Harris: Don’t worry too much about taking white collar-specific classes in law school; it’s the last chance you’ll have to be a student, so study what interests you. Doing an internship or clinic or working for a regulator or prosecutor will give you a window into the day to day of white collar work. Grab any opportunity you can to get on your feet in court as soon as possible and get a feel for whether you love it or not. No matter what type of litigator you become, writing is a core skill, and you will be writing for the rest of your career. If that’s an area you’re not confident in, take advantage of the resources at your school to sharpen your writing skills.
What is the most challenging aspect of practicing in this area?
Loretta: I’ve always found it most challenging to represent individuals facing significant liability. They often don’t think of themselves as possible wrongdoers or criminals; it requires a lot of emotional support as they come to grips with the fact that the government may find them guilty of something. With corporations, the obstacle is that there are so many variables and so many ways to be culpable; even in companies with strong internal controls, there may still be people who take advantage of any weaknesses and do things that can drag the company down.
Harris: The emotional investment in clients can take a toll on you, particularly if an individual’s freedom is at stake. These legal proceedings can have serious repercussions for people’s careers, mental state, family life, and so on, and because it matters so much to your clients, it matters a great deal to you. So it’s important to try to maintain some space and emotional separation from your work so it does not consume you. Also, white collar work often involves taking on new clients facing crisis situations, unlike the more drawn-out process of civil litigation. It can be really exciting and one of the best parts of the job, but it can also be very disruptive and demanding.
What do you like best about your practice area?
Harris: Helping our clients. Working with them to come up with the best plan to address their issues and then executing on that plan in a thoughtful and efficient manner.
Loretta: I’ve always liked solving the puzzle—what happened and who was involved.
What are some typical tasks that a junior lawyer would perform in this practice area?
Harris: Our junior associates are crucial to executing our internal investigations. They help come up with the plan, prepare for and take witness interviews, prepare drafts of our investigations, and prepare senior lawyers for presentations to boards of directors or government bodies. In a trial context, the people I want in the room with me are the people who are completely immersed in the case and really know the facts, regardless of seniority. The best opportunities go to the team members who are the most engaged in the matter.
How important is prior criminal law experience (e.g., working for the Prosecutor’s office or DA) in paving a successful career in white collar defense?
Loretta: It can be very important to your development as a litigator, but it’s not the only way to be successful in this field. I work with several excellent white collar trial lawyers who were never prosecutors, such as Ted Wells, who is one of the most highly regarded trial lawyers in the country. The key to being a good white collar lawyer is to flip the perspective and think how the other side is thinking; that’s what you do as a prosecutor. As long as you’re able to get to the heart of the issues, connect with your clients and put yourself in the government’s shoes in terms of how they would view certain behavior, then you’re on the right track.
Loretta Lynch’s legal career has included both private law practice and public service, including three presidential appointments. She served as the U.S. Attorney General (2015–2017), appointed by President Barack Obama, and she has twice been appointed U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York. Today, at Paul, Weiss, Loretta is consistently called upon as a trusted mediator and fact finder. She handles sensitive investigations matters and high-profile litigation defense for some of the world’s largest companies. Loretta received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in American Literature from Harvard University.
Harris Fischman is a partner in the Paul, Weiss Litigation Department and a widely respected trial lawyer and litigator. He has extensive public and private experience in white collar and regulatory matters, and regularly counsels companies, boards of directors, investment advisory firms, and senior executives in proceedings before regulators and prosecutors. Previously, Harris was a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, where he was chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Unit and deputy chief of the Narcotics Unit. He received his J.D. from Northwestern University and his B.A. from Emory University.
Describe your practice area and what it entails.
Broadly speaking, I have a white collar practice, which means I advise clients on government enforcement matters and internal investigations, especially those involving securities and commodities.
What types of clients do you represent?
My clients range from market innovators offering new financial products to established financial institutions. Most of my client engagements are confidential, but my public representations include helping BlockFi, Allianz, and Polymarket reach resolutions with government authorities. I am currently advising FTX in its dealings with various government authorities.
What types of cases/deals do you work on?
Part of my practice focuses on compliance, as I help clients understand the financial regulatory system and set up protocols for staying within the rules. When issues or questions from regulators arise, I often communicate with the government and help the client find a resolution. This year, for example, I was part of a team that helped BlockFi reach a resolution with the SEC and state regulators that enabled it to announce plans to register an interest-bearing crypto account as a security, which would have been the first of its kind. (Unfortunately, the company filed for Chapter 11 during a downturn in the crypto market before that happened.) I was also part of the team that helped Allianz and its subsidiary, Allianz Global Investors U.S., resolve parallel DOJ and SEC investigations arising from the collapse of certain hedge funds at the start of the pandemic.
How did you choose this practice area?
One of the things that has been really important in my career is the group of mentors that I’ve had. These mentors have been people I knew from my law school alumni network, professors at law school, and judges that I clerked for. As I started to get into private practice, I really started to develop the kinds of relationships that helped me narrow my interests and match them to those that would work within the firm. These mentors helped me understand what a white collar practice looked like, and I realized it’s something I really enjoy. It offers a chance to help clients through their most difficult and significant problems, and I think rewards creative thinking about ways to achieve strategic solutions that might not be apparent on first glance. A big part of my experience here at Sullivan & Cromwell has been working with other lawyers who have helped me develop my practice, and we recognize how important this is in both directions. We want to make sure that summer and junior associates have real, meaningful opportunities to grow not only as lawyers, but also as people.
What is a typical day like and/or what are some common tasks you perform?
There really is no typical day, which is why S&C and this practice are great. I spend a lot of time interfacing with clients and dealing with the government in enforcement matters. One of the things I like most about my practice is working with others within the firm to come up with creative strategies and approaches to find solutions. Everyone on the team recognizes that there’s no monopoly on good ideas. They don’t only come from the senior level, they come from everywhere. I like to brainstorm all the possible ways that we might be able to secure a victory for the client, whether this be through litigating the matter, through trying to preserve some other aspect of its business impacted by government investigations, or through achieving regulatory solutions. I spend a lot of time really trying to understand the client’s business and come up with creative strategies to achieve a successful result, which I think is one of the parts of the job that I enjoy the most.
What training, classes, experience, or skills development would you recommend to someone who wishes to enter your practice area?
It depends on whether we’re talking about law students, junior associates, or folks at the more senior associate level who are thinking about focusing on different aspects of their own practice. No matter where you are in your career, there is a great benefit to being proactive, which starts with trying to get exposure to a number of different types of experiences. In law school, I suggest taking a wide variety of classes with different types of professors and getting involved with different types of groups. For white collar in particular, prosecutorial clinics and defense clinics could be helpful. Try a mix between black-letter law classes and clinic-type classes. I tried to get as much exposure as I could, which then helped me identify areas where my interests aligned with the different opportunities that were available to me. I don’t think that there is a single path that works for everybody, but I do think that getting exposed to as many experiences as one can is a pretty good start.
What do you like best about your practice area?
What I like most about my practice is the interdisciplinary nature of it. The expectation is that across the firm, we’ll be working with different disciplines and with different lawyers who have different areas of expertise, but we’ll also be building our own generalist foundation from which we can draw upon for the particular matters that we’re handling. Criminal defense investigation is a practice that is really trans-substantive. The expectation is that you’ll be able to handle whatever kind of matter comes up.
But you’re never doing it all yourself. You’re supported by a team of other experts at the firm who will contribute to tackling whatever problem is raised by a particular case, whether they are securities lawyers or IP lawyers. I think one of S&C’s strengths is our ability to draw from different disciplines and across practice groups. Whichever direction the case goes, we have a team that will find the avenue to maximize the prospects of a positive resolution.
What kinds of experience can summer associates gain at this practice area at your firm?
There is a lot of really good experience that summer associates can get, particularly in the area of criminal defense. For example, a case representing an individual in a criminal investigation will tend to be a smaller, more leanly staffed matter. In a case like that, summer associates can come in and do real, substantive work right away, having direct interaction with clients and handling particular areas of the case. At S&C, we’re expecting summer associates to do associate-level work. We think about the work that needs to get done and see who has the time and interest, so work is just as likely to go to a summer associate as a full-time associate. S&C is really focused on building the next generation of leaders at the firm and we know that doesn’t just happen, it’s something that requires really careful cultivation.
What are some typical career paths for lawyers in this practice area?
I think that there can be a sense that the only viable path is to go into government first, followed by entering private practice. That has been my path—I have a background both as an AUSA in the Southern District of New York and then running enforcement at the CFTC before joining S&C—but it’s definitely not the only one. At S&C, there is a mix of folks who were in government and joined the firm, people who had a range of experiences within the firm and ultimately focused on criminal defense and regulatory enforcement, people who have experience on the defense and prosecutorial side, etc. I think this is one of S&C’s strengths. The firm recognizes that there are a number of different paths that anyone can take, which helps us to ensure a balanced, thoughtful approach to the issues we face.
How important is prior criminal law experience (e.g., working for the Prosecutor’s office or DA) in paving a successful career in white collar defense?
I think it’s important, but it isn’t the only path necessary for a successful career in white collar defense. There’s not a single path for success at the firm; there is a real emphasis on flexibility. I think the expectation for whichever path you go down is that you form a broad enough foundation so that you can draw from that background and work within the generalist structure of the firm, even if your area is presenting itself in what may first appear to be a specialized field, like criminal defense or regulatory enforcement.
James M. McDonald is a litigation partner and a member of Sullivan & Cromwell’s Securities & Commodities Investigations practice and its Commodities, Futures and Derivatives group. His practice focuses on advising clients on regulatory enforcement matters, white collar criminal matters, and internal investigations, as well as on regulatory and corporate governance matters related to the securities and commodities laws.
Mr. McDonald previously served as Director of Enforcement at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Prior to joining the CFTC, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. Mr. McDonald served as a law clerk to John G. Roberts, Jr., Chief Justice of the United States, and Jeffrey S. Sutton, Jr., Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and as a Deputy Associate Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel under President George W. Bush. Mr. McDonald received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and graduated from Harvard University with a A.B.
