Global 50 law firm Goodwin announced today that James D. Gatta, the former Chief of the Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), has rejoined the firm’s New York office as partner in its Government Investigations and Enforcement and White Collar Defense practices. Gatta was an associate at Goodwin from 2004 to 2007. His practice will focus primarily on representing U.S. and multinational companies and individuals with respect to government and internal corporate investigations, white collar criminal defense, regulatory compliance and related civil litigation, and complex commercial litigation.
“As the outgoing Chief of the Criminal Division for the Eastern District of New York, Jim Gatta is one of the go-to counsel for companies facing investigations initiated by the EDNY, the DOJ and other jurisdictions,” said Richard Strassberg, partner and head of Goodwin's New York White Collar Defense practice. “In the decade he spent as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Jim has grown to be much admired and respected in the New York legal community as much for his experience and talent as for his being such a wonderfully nice person. We are thrilled to welcome Jim back as a Goodwin partner.”
“I am very excited to return to Goodwin and its premier government and regulatory investigations and white collar defense practices,” said Gatta. “After the privilege of serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York for the past decade, it is an honor to be part of a firm that not only delivers industry-leading service to clients in the most sensitive and significant matters, but also places a premium on collegiality and public service."
From 2007 to 2018, Gatta served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the EDNY, where he held a number of leadership positions and handled a range of cases. As Chief of the Criminal Division, Gatta supervised all of the EDNY’s criminal investigations and prosecutions, including some of the nation’s most significant corporate and securities fraud, public corruption, foreign bribery, cybercrime, sanctions and export enforcement, international terrorism, and organized and violent crimes cases. Prior to that, and among other supervisory positions, Gatta served as Chief of the EDNY’s Public Integrity Section, where he led a team of experienced federal prosecutors in investigations, prosecutions, and trials involving corruption and white collar offenses, which included the successful prosecution of several federal and New York State elected officials. Gatta is also an experienced courtroom advocate and has earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor. In 2017, he received an Executive Office of United States Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, and was named a “Prosecutor of the Year” by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation in 2011.
Gatta received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A. from Fordham College and is admitted to practice in New York. Earlier in his career, he clerked for the Honorable Frank Maas of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Gatta can be reached at JGatta@goodwinlaw.com or 212-459-7481.
About the Government Investigations and Enforcement and White Collar Defense Practices
Fortune 500 companies, corporate executives, and business leaders repeatedly turn to Goodwin’s Government Investigations and Enforcement and White Collar Defense practices when faced with the most sensitive and potentially damaging government investigations and white collar litigation. Goodwin has extensive experience responding to government investigations, defending enforcement actions, and managing administrative, criminal, and private proceedings. The firm’s team of top-tier trial lawyers has a superb record of successfully defending clients in complex, high-profile trials. Goodwin litigators have achieved great success in resolving many matters quietly, without any litigation at all, let alone criminal referrals or prosecutions.