White Collar Defense and Investigations

Our internationally recognized White Collar Defense and Investigations Group represents corporations, boards of directors, management and other individuals in all phases of civil enforcement and criminal investigations, jury trials and internal investigations.

We have decades of experience defending clients facing every type of significant matter brought by federal and state law enforcement agencies in the U.S., including U.S. attorneys’ offices, the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, FINRA, NFA, OFAC, FINCEN, IRS, federal and state banking regulators, state attorneys general and before Congress. We also conduct internal investigations for boards of directors, audit and special committees and management, often in their most sensitive situations.

Our global practice comprises senior lawyers in key financial centers in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, enabling us to represent clients in multijurisdictional dealings involving investigative agencies around the world, including the Financial Conduct Authority and the Serious Fraud Office in the U.K., BaFin in Germany, the European Commission in Brussels and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission.

Our team includes numerous attorneys who formerly served at senior levels of U.S. law enforcement including as U.S. attorney, assistant U.S. attorney and in other DOJ positions; SEC senior officers, CFTC director of enforcement; director of the National Counterterrorism Center; and in senior roles with OFAC, FINCEN and the OCC, as well as a former White House official.

Skadden is ranked as having one of the preeminent white collar defense and investigations practices worldwide. We were named New York Law Journal’s 2021 Litigation Department of the Year, and a finalist in the general litigation category of the publication’s 2024, 2023 and 2022 competitions. We also were named by The American Lawyer as a 2021 Litigation Department of the Year finalist. Skadden was named as having one of the top practices worldwide in Global Investigations Review’s 2024 GIR 30, a ranking of leading firms handling internal and government-led investigations. We also have been repeatedly ranked as a top firm for corporate investigations in Chambers Global and Chambers USA, as well as for white collar crime in Benchmark Litigation and Best Lawyers Best Law Firms.

Our attorneys also teach at prominent law schools and speak publicly and write extensively on white collar issues.

Criminal Defense and Trials

We have deep experience in all phases of criminal matters, including trials and appeals. With a team of career trial lawyers and experienced former federal prosecutors, we have extensive courtroom experience and have tried numerous criminal cases to a jury verdict. Whether inside or outside the courtroom, our lawyers have defended some of the nation’s highest-profile senior executives and public officials in cases involving allegations of financial fraud, securities fraud, market manipulation, public corruption, insider trading, FCPA violations, sanctions violations and theft of trade secrets, among others.

Areas of Focus

Our white collar defense and investigations attorneys are well-versed at handling every type of regulatory, criminal or investigative matter, often concerning our clients’ most significant and crucial challenges. Complimented by the depth of knowledge across the firm’s other leading practices, our core areas of representation include:

  • Anti-Corruption Investigations and Compliance
  • Anti-Money Laundering Enforcement
  • Blockchain and Digital Assets
  • Civil Rights Law Advisory Group
  • Congressional Investigations
  • Consumer Protection Investigations and Compliance
  • Corporate Compliance
  • Criminal Defense and Trials
  • Crisis Response and Risk Management
  • Cybersecurity Incident Response
  • Economic Sanctions Enforcement
  • Energy Regulatory Enforcement
  • Export Controls Enforcement
  • False Claims Act Defense
  • Life Sciences Compliance Counseling and Enforcement Defense
  • Securities and Commodities Enforcement
  • State Attorneys General Defense and Investigations