White Collar Defense

Whether you’re a chief executive officer or member of the board, knowing what to do and having the right partner when the government comes knocking can mean the difference between quiet resolution or a very public indictment. Fortune 500 companies, corporate executives, directors and other individual business leaders repeatedly turn to Goodwin when faced with the most sensitive, complex and potentially damaging white collar litigation. That’s because we’ve successfully represented clients in many of the most high profile white collar matters in recent memory. We can do the same for you.

Because of our reputation in the market, we are frequently asked to handle some of the highest profile matters– oftentimes, matters where issues of first impression are at stake. We have outstanding reputations as criminal defense attorneys, in many cases building upon the extraordinary success achieved as federal prosecutors. Our lawyers have held positions of leadership in the government, giving our team extensive experience in all aspects of white collar work.

We have achieved great success in resolving many matters quietly, without any litigation at all, let alone criminal referrals or prosecutions. But when investigations have resulted in enforcement actions, indictments or civil lawsuits, we have a superb record of successfully defending our clients in complex, high-profile trials. We are true trial lawyers – we do not hesitate to take a case to trial when the client agrees that doing so is the best approach.

Chambers USA

Recognized as a leading white collar and corporate crime & investigations practice.
Benchmark Litigation

Ranked as a top national white collar firm by Benchmark Litigation.

Goodwin's appellate litigators have briefed and argued hundreds of high stakes appeals, securing victories for clients in federal and state appellate courts throughout the United States. Lawyers in our Appellate Litigation practice are experts at working cooperatively as part of a team — alongside trial counsel and subject-matter experts — to preserve and present the best possible case on appeal and maximize our clients’ chances for success.

Our work begins well before a case goes on appeal: preparing dispositive motions in trial court; preserving error for appellate review; handling post-verdict motions practice; and even initiating litigation, to set aside arbitrary decisions by administrative agencies or to enjoin unconstitutional or invalid laws on legal grounds. Members of the practice have argued more than a dozen cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and have briefed scores of others.

Whistleblowers and the U.S. Department of Justice use the False Claims Act (FCA) to extract damages and civil penalties, which pose a significant threat to many corporations.

State attorneys general are conducting investigations and asserting claims under state laws modeled around the federal FCA, and more qui tam actions are being filed each year as the opportunity for significant whistleblower monetary awards increases.

Our FCA attorneys represent companies and their officers, directors, and employees in complex criminal fraud investigations, internal investigations, and civil and qui tam litigation . We have handled cases and investigations in numerous industries, including government contract, health care, pharmaceuticals and life sciences.

From acquiring a company to raising public or private funds to defending lawsuits or government investigations and enforcement actions, we provide strategic and tactical advice, a range of pragmatic options, and bottom-line results. We do more than just help our clients survive the current challenges; we partner with them to find the best solutions and identify new business opportunities.

Compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is a critical business issue for international companies with operations in the United States. Government investigations and enforcement actions resulting from alleged violations of the FCPA can be a financial liability and place an unwelcome public spotlight on a company’s management. Goodwin's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act team, which includes a number of former federal prosecutors, has extensive experience investigating and defending against FCPA allegations.

For many companies, government investigations and enforcement actions are an unfortunate reality in today’s world. How you respond to and manage these matters can help to mitigate disruption and keep your business on track, and you need a partner who is intimately familiar with navigating these murky waters. Goodwin has extensive experience responding to government investigations, defending enforcement actions, and managing administrative, criminal, and private proceedings. We represent our companies, directors and audit committees in investigations relating to securities fraud, the FCPA, the False Claims Act, healthcare fraud, whistleblower allegations and alleged violations of financial lending regulations. And in the event an enforcement action proceeds, we advocate for our clients before the government on a daily basis, responding to investigation requests, negotiating the resolution of enforcement actions and advocating for our clients before a wide range of federal and state agencies, including the SEC, DOJ, CFPB, and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and state attorneys general.

Succeeding in the life sciences industry is as much about strategy and execution as it is about research and development. In this highly competitive business, you need more than the best and brightest ideas – you need a legal and strategic partner that understands the challenges of securing funding, safeguarding intellectual property, establishing partnerships, bringing new products to market, opening up new revenue streams, and protecting existing product lines.

Lawyers in our life sciences practice are deeply experienced in corporate governance, financing and M&A transactions, collaborations and licensing, regulatory matters, and intellectual property law. As part of our interdisciplinary approach, we also collaborate with attorneys in our patent litigation, products liability, employment and tax practices to protect client interests and to advocate on their behalf.

With a full service team of highly experienced lawyers resident in key life sciences hubs, our team helps clients find the strategic paths that foster growth and minimize risk across all phases of the corporate life cycle. Motivated by the knowledge that the work that we do with you is improving people’s lives, we serve as an extension of your team so you can focus on your core business.

As businesses today face an increasingly sophisticated threat environment compounded by aggressive regulatory enforcement, companies need a partner who can help mitigate risk and respond to the unthinkable. Our Privacy + Cybersecurity practice is one of the longest-standing of any AmLaw 50 firm. Dating back to the late 1990s and established formally in 2004, our practice is fully integrated and leverages the firm's core strengths, with the group's lawyers coming from our technology, financial institutions, licensing, litigation, regulatory and appellate practices. Our unique approach, focusing on client needs and value, enables us to engage specialists whose experience is framed by a holistic understanding of clients' greatest risks in this threatening environment.

In the face of a competitive marketplace, elite private equity firms expect counsel with extensive experience and a stable of blue chip relationships. That’s why private equity firms have been entrusting their deals to Goodwin for decades. Our Private Equity team ranks as one of the top in the United States, and we are on a trajectory of rapid ascent, both in the U.S. and worldwide. The group is a market leader in the expansive middle market sector, having earned a reputation for notable buyouts, growth equity deals and growth company representations in key sectors such as technology, healthcare, financial and business services, consumer and manufacturing.

Rising interest rates? Falling tenant demand? “High-yield” or “value-added”? Across the global real estate capital markets, how you position yourself with respect to risk and return is critical for maximizing your investments. Whether assessing demographic trends and capital flows or anticipating geographic shifts, Goodwin’s Real Estate Industry Group offers deep market insight and a practical approach to help you make the most of every investment decision – from private fund formation and all types of real estate transactions to REIT and real estate M&A, we excel at what we do.

When a company is faced with a securities class action or shareholder derivative litigation, they need a partner who understands what is at stake and can think outside the box to achieve resolution. Goodwin’s deep experience, creative thinking and tenacity has led to our involvement in precedent-setting securities cases in courts across the country. The results we achieve are best of breed and have helped shape the law nationally, including outright dismissals of billions of dollars in putative class action and shareholder derivative claims. Our cases range from defending high tech and biotech companies in class action securities fraud litigation brought following restatements of earnings or the release of bad business news, to resolving shareholder derivative challenges, to multibillion dollar mergers and acquisitions.

As a growing technology company, your prospects are exciting and your challenges are unique – from securing funding, protecting IP, and navigating the regulatory environment, to differentiating yourself in the marketplace, managing customer acquisition and scaling your business. We get it. We are proud to bring a comprehensive, coordinated approach that interconnects business, new technologies and the law.

At Goodwin, we share your entrepreneurial spirit. We developed Founders Workbench, a free online legal advisory resource to help entrepreneurs navigate many of the legal and organizational challenges commonly faced by start-ups and emerging companies. We partner with you to grow your business and realize your potential more effectively – with a combination of legal experience and business savvy that can scale with management teams from the earliest stages of development through mature public company. We support clients at all stages of the corporate life cycle with legal advice related to company formation, IP protection, licensing, commercial agreements and venture financing to IPOs, M&A, corporate governance, board matters and more.

With 180+ lawyers dedicated to the industry, we have one of the largest and most recognized technology practices in the United States. Consistently rated in the top five most active of all law firms for venture capital, IPOs and M&A, we draw on our deep experience and network of clients and investors to provide the most effective and efficient counsel for today’s emerging companies.

Appellate Litigation

False Claims Act

Whistleblowers and the U.S. Department of Justice use the False Claims Act (FCA) to extract damages and civil penalties, which pose a significant threat to many corporations.

Financial Industry