White Collar Defense and Investigations

Uncompromising defense of corporations and individuals in high-profile and complex litigation and investigations.

Key Contacts

Meet Our Team

WilmerHale Wins National Law Journal’s White Collar Defense Category in DC Litigation Departments of the Year Contest

Recognition

WilmerHale W.I.R.E. UK Blog

WilmerHale’s White Collar Defense and Investigations team is involved in most of the current high-profile SFO and FCA investigations on behalf of both individuals and companies. This blog, WilmerHale W.I.R.E. (White Collar, Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement ) UK, shares the team’s insight and analysis relating to all aspects of UK white collar crime and regulatory enforcement work, as well as legal updates. The team has particular experience in the defence of financial services fraud, market abuse, multi-jurisdictional white-collar crime allegations, corruption allegations, criminal cartel allegations and sanctions/export control work, as well as internal investigations. They work closely with colleagues in the United States and Europe to provide a seamless global service.

Experience

  • Representing BP in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling accident in the Gulf of Mexico, leading the company’s response to an unprecedented number of inquiries, including 15 hearings and investigative demands by more than 90 committees and members and investigations by the DOJ, the SEC, the National Oil Spill Commission, the Chemical Safety Board and the National Academy of Engineers.
  • Representing a Fortune 100 global manufacturer in its FCPA settlements with the DOJ and SEC regarding payments to consultants and sales representatives in the Middle East and Asia.
  • Representing at trial an international bank and international accounting network in relation to US government investigations of accounting fraud.
  • Representing an Indian technology outsourcing company in federal criminal and administrative investigations by the DOJ, Department of State and Department of Homeland Security into alleged immigration and tax violations.
  • Representing Analogic in its FCPA settlements with the DOJ and SEC related to conduct in Russia and elsewhere.
  • Representing Purdue Pharma in connection with a multi-year criminal investigation by the DOJ and US Attorney's Office for the Western District of Virginia into the marketing and promotion of OxyContin.
  • Representing at trial a CFO of a software company charged with securities fraud and related offenses.
  • Representing Latam Airlines (formerly LAN Chile) in its FCPA settlements with the DOJ and SEC.
  • Representing a major financial institution in relation to allegations that it deceived some of its custody clients when providing them with indirect foreign currency exchange services.
  • Representing at trial an in-house corporate counsel charged in a federal criminal environmental prosecution.
  • Representing PTC, Inc. in its FCPA settlements with the DOJ and the SEC related to conduct in China.
  • Representing an international consulting firm in a federal criminal public corruption investigation.
  • Representing a Fortune 50 global manufacturer in multilateral development bank investigations into potential corruption by manufacturer’s distributors and affiliates in association with foreign government contracts in Latin America and Africa.
  • Representing an industrial technology leader in its FCPA settlement with the SEC and declination by the DOJ related to conduct in China.
  • Representing Key Energy in its SEC settlement and DOJ declination related to alleged conduct in Mexico.

  • Representing a leading technology company in its FCPA declinations by the DOJ and SEC related to conduct in Russia and elsewhere.

Recognition

  • Law360 – Recognized WilmerHale in the White-Collar category of its 2023 Practice Groups of the Year awards, which honor the attorney teams behind litigation wins and major deals that resonated throughout the legal industry this past year.
  • Chambers and Partners – Ranked WilmerHale among the nation’s best crisis management law firms in the 2022 and 2023 editions of Chambers Crisis and Risk Management Guide.
  • Global Investigations Review – Named WilmerHale the winner of the 2022 “Most Impressive Investigations Practice of the Year” Award and a finalist in its 2021 “Most Impressive Investigations Practice of the Year,” “Most Important Court Case of the Year” and “Most Important Development of the Year” contests. Since 2015, the firm has been ranked at the top of GIR’s list of the world’s most accomplished investigations practices. 
  • Chambers Global recognized WilmerHale as a leading law firm for corporate crime and investigations in the United States and globally in its 20202023 editions.
  • Chambers UK ranked WilmerHale for Financial Crime: Corporates and Financial Crime: Individuals in the 2018–2023 editions of the guide and for Financial Services: Contentious Regulatory in the 2020–2023 editions.
  • Chambers USA 2019–2023 ranked WilmerHale's Massachusetts, New York and Washington DC practices in the area of Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations. 
  • The American Lawyer – Named WilmerHale the 2020 Law Firm of the Year—an award recognizing one firm that has had an exceptional year across its service offerings and for its work on behalf of clients in high-stakes matters. 
  • The National Law Journal – Named WilmerHale the winner for the white collar defense category in the publication's 2019 DC Litigation Departments of the Year contest.
  • The Legal 500 United States has recognized WilmerHale for corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense in its 2019–2023 editions.
  • The Legal 500 UK recognized WilmerHale for Fraud: White Collar Crime and Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime in its 2023 edition. 
  • Benchmark Litigation – Ranked WilmerHale among the top firms in the nation across several practices, including white-collar and recognized a number of WilmerHale lawyers as Litigation Stars and Future Stars in 2022 and 2023. 
  • U.S. News – Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms List, ranked tier 1 nationally for white-collar criminal defense in its 2023 and 2024 editions.

Insights & News

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