Jennifer L. Chunias

Jennifer Chunias is a partner in the firm’s Litigation department, a co-founder and co-chair of Goodwin’s Private Investment Litigation practice and a member of the Government Investigations and Enforcement practice. Jennifer has nearly 25 years of experience handling complex private investment litigation and commercial disputes, government and internal investigations, and whistleblower litigation. Her practice focuses on representing investment funds, advisors, portfolio companies, directors, and founders in a wide range of disputes and contexts, including complex commercial litigation, acquisition and partnership disputes, business torts, and in connection with internal and government investigations and crisis management.

Jennifer has extensive experience representing her clients in connection with a variety of private investment litigation and commercial disputes, internal and board committee investigations and crisis management, as well as shareholder, founder, partnership, and governance matters, including in particular in the Delaware courts. She frequently represents her investment firm clients in a variety of post-closing matters, including arbitrations and litigation arising out of escrow and indemnification disputes, restrictive covenant violations, and earnout and working capital disputes.

Jennifer also has conducted dozens of internal corporate investigations for public and private companies, boards of directors, and special board committees into allegations of securities and private investor fraud, revenue recognition treatment and other financial accounting improprieties, workplace misconduct, and cybersecurity and data privacy incidents, as well as alleged FCPA and FCA violations. She brings her specialized understanding of Goodwin’s private investment clients and their business structures to her management of internal investigations and crisis management as allegations of wrongdoing arise in these contexts She advises clients on a wide variety of whistleblower issues, and handles alleged retaliation and other employment litigation arising out of these matters. Jennifer regularly represents entities and individuals before state and federal regulators, including the DOJ, SEC, BIS and the Massachusetts Securities Division, and handles all aspects of self-reporting decisions, government investigations, and remediation that may ensue as a result of internal investigation findings.

In 2016, Jennifer was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker to the State Ballot Law Commission.

Jennifer has served on the Board of the Women's Bar Foundation, on the BBA's Individual Rights Responsibilities Section Steering Committee, and as a pro bono Bar Advocate, handling dozens of court appointments in the Criminal Division of the Boston Municipal Court.

Prior to joining Goodwin in 2005, Jennifer was a lecturer at Harvard Law School. Before that, she was an associate in the Litigation Practice group at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP in Boston. Prior to and during law school, she was a public health researcher and spent a decade working with survivors of sexual assault.

Jennifer has been recognized by Chambers USA for her work in Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations in 2023 and 2025. She has also been recognized by Best Lawyers in America as Best Lawyer for her work in Privacy and Data Security Law since 2024 and Criminal Defense: White-Collar in 2026.

Jennifer is recommended by The Legal 500 U.S. for her corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense as well as her venture capital and emerging companies practices, and is listed in Global Investigations Review 100, a guide to the world’s leading firms for corporate investigations. In 2009, Jennifer was selected by the Boston Business Journal as one of the top 40 business leaders in Massachusetts under the age of 40 and honored at a “Women of Justice” event by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, the Women's Bar Association and the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers. She also was selected as an “Up and Coming Lawyer” for 2005 by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly and named a Massachusetts Super Lawyer “Rising Star” in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

Jennifer was appointed Climenko Thayer Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School in 2004, and has taught as an adjunct professor at Northeastern University School of Law. She is also a frequent panelist on such topics as conducting effective internal investigations, handling whistleblowers, public company compliance concerns, and rising enforcement risks associated with global business models and international research and development activities.

She has authored several book chapters, articles and other publications related to conducting effective internal investigations, handling whistleblowers, FCPA compliance and best practices, risks to government contractors under the FCA, and insider trading and securities fraud.

Jennifer's recent publications include:

• Co-Author, "Conducting Internal Investigations: An In-House Counsel’s Guide," Privacy & Cybersecurity Law Report, Vol.7 No.6, July/August 2021
• "2020 Year in Review: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act" February 2021
• Co-Author, “Corporate Whistleblower Developments and Best Practices,” Corporate Counsel, November 2018
• Co-Author, “Second Circuit Limits Reach of FCPA,” Goodwin Client Alert, August 2018
• Co-Author, “A Guide To Corporate Internal Investigations,” MCLE, March 2017
• Co-Author, “Update: Another SEC Enforcement Action on Whistleblower Waivers and Releases,” Goodwin Client Alert, August 2016
• Co-Author, “SEC Enforcement Expands Scope of Prohibited Provisions in Employment-Related Agreements,” Goodwin Client Alert, August 2016
• “Qui Tam Suits and the Civil False Claims Act,” Chapter 16, Massachusetts Business Torts, MCLE Press, 2016
• Co-Author, “SEC Applies Whistleblower Protections to Confidentiality Arrangements,” Goodwin Client Alert, April 2015
• “Conducting Effective Internal Investigations: A Corporate Counsel's Guide,” MCLE, January 2015
• “Sound the Alarm: Whistleblower Trends and the Pitfalls of Retaliation Claims,” MCLE, January 2015
• Author, “The SEC’s Whistleblower Program: 2013 Results and What to Expect in 2014,” Goodwin Client Alert, April 2014

Jennifer’s recent speaking engagements include:

• Panelist, “WeChat, WhatsApp and the Continuing Ephemeral Messaging Dilemmas: Updating Your Policies on Messaging, Retention Systems, Privacy and Recordkeeping,” American Conference Institute, 19th Annual FCPA & Anti-Corruption for the Life Sciences Industry, New York, May 10, 2024
• Panelist, “What It Takes to Comply with the FCPA’s Internal Controls Provision: Expanding Interpretation and Strict Liability Risks for the Life Sciences Industry,” American Conference Institute, 16th Advanced Forum on FCPA & Anti-Corruption for the Life Sciences Industry, Boston, July 21, 2022
• Panelist, "2020 Year in Review: Foreign Corrupt Practices Act," Webinar, February 8, 2021
• Panelist, "Internal Investigations + Compliance: Hot Topics in Higher Education," Webinar, October 15, 2020
• “Conducting High Profile Internal Investigations in the COVID-19 Era,” Directors Roundtable Webinar, August 25, 2020
• Panelist, “How to Conduct an Internal Investigation,” MCLE, Webcast, June 2, 2020
• “Hot Topics in High Profile Investigations,” Directors Roundtable, Boston, May 9, 2019
• “Key Issues Facing Boards of Directors: New SEC Enforcement Initiatives and Corporate Governance Risks,” Directors Roundtable, Boston, April 5, 2018
• Panelist, “How to Conduct Efficient, Effective Internal Corporate Investigations,” MCLE, Boston, April 13, 2017
• “Directors Roundtable: Key Issues Facing Boards of Directors,” Directors Roundtable, Boston, March 29, 2017
• “FCPA Investigations: Best Practices and Trends,” EY Fraud Investigation & Dispute Services, Boston, March 23, 2017
• Panelist, “Views of In-House Counsel: Best Practices for Managing Internal Investigations," American Conference Institute, 3rd Annual Executive Forum on False Claims & Qui Tam Enforcement,” New York, January 21, 2016
• Panelist, “Whistleblowers: What Companies Are Doing Now,” Webinar, September 2015
• Panelist, “How to Conduct & Respond to Internal Corporate Investigations,” Boston, February 2015
• Panelist, “The Global Anticorruption Regulatory Landscape,” Massachusetts Export Control Center Export Regulatory Compliance Update Conference, Boston, June 2014