Lawyers and Law Firms
The Firm has defended law firms in civil litigation and arbitrations and represented lawyers and law firms both in federal and New York State criminal and regulatory and internal investigations. In civil litigation, our engagements have included cases alleging malpractice and fee-related claims. In government and internal investigations, we have represented lawyers in matters ranging from criminal investigations of alleged fraud, anti-money laundering and U.S. sanctions violations, to fraud allegations in state court, and potential violations of New York law relating to the State’s pension fund investments. We have also represented a law firm’s partners and an in-house lawyer as witnesses in federal criminal trials and before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and represented an international financial institution’s former general counsel in a court-appointed monitor’s investigation.
Compliance Professionals
As government scrutiny of the compliance function has increased during the past decade, we have represented U.S.-based and non-U.S. compliance professionals in a number of government investigations,including a congressional investigation, focused in the areas of the Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering statutes, as well U.S. sanctions laws.
Auditors
The Firm has significant experience representing auditors and certified public accountants in criminal and civil proceedings. For example, the Firm has represented a partner of one of the major international auditing firms in an enforcement proceeding instituted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. We also recently represented an accounting firm audit partner in a criminal trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and an audit partner in a New York Attorney General’s Office, Charities Bureau investigation. And, in a criminal proceeding in the Eastern District of New York, the Firm represented an auditor of a nonprofit entity who served as a witness in the government’s investigation.