White Collar

  • January 29, 2025

    SCOTUSBlog Publisher Faces Tough Odds In Tax Crimes Case

    SCOTUSblog publisher Tom Goldstein, an expert U.S. Supreme Court lawyer accused of paying gambling debts with funds from his law firm and dodging taxes, faces an uphill battle given the considerable amount of evidence the government has already included in an indictment against him, attorneys told Law360. 

  • January 29, 2025

    Chinese Co. Execs Convicted Over Fentanyl Chemical Imports

    Two former executives of a Chinese chemical company were convicted Wednesday of charges related to a purported scheme to import fentanyl precursor chemicals in order to manufacture large quantities of the drug, as well as laundering funds.

  • January 29, 2025

    4 Questions About Trump's Federal Worker Resignation Policy

    President Donald Trump’s offer of letting federal workers resign with several months of paid administrative leave raises questions about its legality and whether workers will actually get paid, attorneys said. Here, Law360 explores four questions that stem from the policy.

  • January 29, 2025

    Jay-Z Says Buzbee Barratry Suits Cite Fake Texas Investigator

    Attorneys for Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter told a Houston federal court that personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee included a fictitious defendant in two lawsuits claiming the rapper tried to recruit former Buzbee clients to file malpractice claims.

  • January 29, 2025

    Former Chief Counsel For Cruz Named US Atty In Texas

    Nicholas Ganjei, a former chief counsel for Lone Star State Sen. Ted Cruz, was sworn in on Wednesday as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

  • January 29, 2025

    White Collar Group Of The Year: Quinn Emanuel

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP won a showdown with the IRS that resulted in a rare public apology from the government and then dismantled a high-profile manslaughter case against actor Alec Baldwin, to name a few achievements that landed the firm a spot among the 2024 Law360 White Collar Groups of the Year.

  • January 29, 2025

    Ailing Harvey Weinstein Begs Judge To Move Up NY Retrial

    Disgraced Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein pleaded with a New York state judge on Wednesday to move up the date of his retrial on rape and sexual assault charges, telling the court he is dying of cancer in the city's "medieval" jail, which he called a "hellhole."

  • January 29, 2025

    Ex-Sen. Menendez Gets 11 Years For Bribes, Abuse Of Power

    A Manhattan federal judge sentenced Robert Menendez to 11 years in prison on Wednesday after a jury convicted the former U.S. senator from New Jersey of engaging in a lengthy, million-dollar course of bribery and corruption, saying his crimes merit "serious consequences."

  • January 29, 2025

    Ex-Allied World Executive Gets Prison, Must Repay $1.2M

    A former executive and claims handler at Allied World Insurance Co. will serve 20 months in prison and must repay $1.2 million he admitted to scamming from the company for phony construction work and kickbacks from vendors, federal prosecutors in Connecticut announced Tuesday.

  • January 29, 2025

    US Atty Will Resign From NC's Eastern District

    U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley Jr. of the Eastern District of North Carolina handed in his resignation Wednesday, making him the latest in a wave of Biden-nominated federal prosecutors to step down from their positions in the wake of President Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office.

  • January 29, 2025

    Trump Taps Sullivan & Cromwell For NY Hush Money Appeal

    President Donald Trump tapped a new legal team to handle the appeal of his hush money conviction, filing a notice on the New York state court docket Wednesday signed by a team of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP attorneys.

  • January 29, 2025

    Pam Bondi's Nomination To Be AG Goes To Full Senate

    The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 on Wednesday, along party lines, to send attorney general nominee Pam Bondi's nomination to the Senate floor.

  • January 29, 2025

    Feds Drop Appeal In Trump Classified Info Case

    Federal prosecutors told the Eleventh Circuit on Wednesday they are dropping the prosecution of President Donald Trump's former co-defendants for the allegedly illegal retention of classified documents at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trump Tells Federal Workers They're Welcome To Resign

    The Trump administration on Tuesday emailed about 2 million federal employees offering them the option to resign but continue to be paid to the end of September, in an effort to implement a campaign promise to drastically cut the federal workforce and only keep employees who are "loyal" and "trustworthy."

  • January 28, 2025

    Erika Girardi Didn't Know About Fraud, Appeals Court Says

    A California appellate court Tuesday refused to disturb a lower court's finding that reality television star Erika Girardi wasn't aware that her former husband and his firm might have misappropriated settlement funds owed to co-counsel, agreeing that the "undisputed facts" back the lower court's ruling.

  • January 28, 2025

    DC Circ. Says Gov't Made A Mess Pulling 9/11 Planners' Pleas

    After four hours of oral arguments on the government's bid to yank back plea deals from a pair of 9/11 co-conspirators that had already been signed, the D.C. Circuit agreed on one thing Tuesday — that this was a problem that need never have landed on their laps.

  • January 28, 2025

    Trump Targets Gender-Affirming Care For Minors In New Order

    President Donald Trump ordered federal agencies late Tuesday to take steps to halt gender-affirming care for minors, including by cutting off Medicaid and military health coverage for what he called a "stain on our nation's history."

  • January 28, 2025

    Ex-SEC Enforcement Chief Says Staff Faced Uptick In Threats

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recently departed enforcement chief said Tuesday he wishes he could have done more to insulate his staff from the uptick in threats they received while he headed the program, and he urged his successor to do what they could to protect the agency's attorneys.

  • January 28, 2025

    Citron Research Founder Slams DOJ's Fraud Suit

    Citron Research's founder urged a California federal judge to throw out the federal government's securities fraud case alleging he published unfavorable reports about companies to manipulate stock prices, arguing Monday he never published false information about any public company, and prosecutors fail to allege he intended to defraud his audience.

  • January 28, 2025

    SEC Wells Meetings Likely Back On The Table, Official Says

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's acting deputy director of enforcement said Tuesday that leadership was open to meeting more frequently with those facing SEC investigations and hinted at the possibility that it would pursue fewer industry bars against those who violate the securities laws. 

  • January 28, 2025

    Lobbying Is Not A Crime, Madigan Co-Defendant Tells Jury

    An attorney for an ex-lobbyist standing trial on public corruption charges alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told jurors on Tuesday the government failed to establish that his client conspired to trade the ex-speaker's support for do-nothing jobs, saying all that really happened was "lobbying and politics."

  • January 28, 2025

    Silk Road Pardon Sparks Hope For More Crypto Clemency

    President Donald Trump's decision to free the convicted Silk Road operator Ross Ulbricht brought praise from crypto advocates and spurred some to seek the ear of the new administration in hopes that the president will pardon other alleged crypto criminals, too.

  • January 28, 2025

    Amid Big Bets, Tom Goldstein Argued 'Poker Is Not Gambling'

    A federal indictment's jarring portrayal of pioneering U.S. Supreme Court advocate Tom Goldstein as an "ultrahigh-stakes" gambler who dodged taxes has left the legal community virtually speechless. But Goldstein's status as a serious poker player was not a secret, and in past court cases, he proclaimed the card game "fundamentally dissimilar" from conventional gambling, even while preparing to wager millions on matches.

  • January 28, 2025

    Chinese Pair Sought To Fuel Fentanyl 'Grand Lab,' Feds Say

    Prosecutors told a Manhattan federal jury Tuesday that two Chinese nationals sought to furnish chemicals for what they thought would be a huge fentanyl hub in New York City, pointing to what they called damning evidence such as recordings, texts and cryptocurrency transfers.

  • January 28, 2025

    Ex-DOJ Criminal Division Deputy Leader Joins Sidley In DC

    Sidley Austin LLP announced Tuesday that it has deepened its white collar defense bench in Washington, D.C., with a partner who formerly served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the criminal division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Expert Analysis

  • SEC Custody Rule Creates Crypto Compliance Conundrum

    Author Photo

    While the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's application of the custody rule may be a good faith attempt to enhance consumer protections for client assets, it doesn't appreciate the unique characteristics of crypto-assets, forcing advisers to choose between pursuing their clients' objectives and complying with the rule, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

    Author Photo

    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • What Insurers Need To Know About OFAC's Expanded FAQs

    Author Photo

    The Office of Foreign Assets Control's recently expanded insurance FAQs clarify how OFAC views insurance policies in a number of specific circumstances involving sanctioned parties, and make plain that sanctions compliance is the responsibility of all participants in the insurance ecosystem, including underwriters, brokers and agents, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Plugging Gov't Leaks Is Challenging, But Not A Pipe Dream

    Author Photo

    As shown by ongoing legal battles involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Sean “Diddy” Combs, it’s challenging for defendants to obtain relief when they believe the government leaked sensitive information to the media, but defense counsel can take certain steps to mitigate the harm, says Kenneth Notter at MoloLamken.

  • Rethinking Clawback Policies For 2025 Compensation Season

    Author Photo

    The start of a new year presents an opportunity for companies to reassess their executive compensation clawback policies, and while mandatory Dodd-Frank clawbacks are necessary, discretionary policies can offer companies greater flexibility to address misconduct, protect their reputations and align with shareholder priorities, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • SEC Prioritized Enforcement Sweeps As Cases Slowed In '24

    Author Photo

    Following three consecutive years of increasing activity, fiscal year 2024 marked the lowest number of cases the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has brought since Gary Gensler assumed office in April 2021, buttressed by some familiar enforcement sweeps, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

    Author Photo

    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Rank-And-File DOJ Attorneys Will Keep Calm And Carry On

    Author Photo

    Career prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice often pride themselves on their ability to remain apolitical in order to ensure consistency and keep the department’s mission afloat, and the incoming Trump administration is unlikely to upend this tradition, says Michael Landman at Bird Marella.

  • Navigating 4th Circ.'s Antitrust Burden In Hybrid Relationships

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to review the Fourth Circuit's Brewbaker decision, a holding that heightens the burden on antitrust prosecutors when the target companies have a hybrid horizontal-vertical relationship, but diverges from other circuits, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • 5 Ways SEC's Crypto Approach Could Change Under Trump

    Author Photo

    Given the Trump campaign's procrypto stance, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission could take a number of different approaches to crypto policy in the next administration, including pausing registration-only enforcement actions and proposing tailored rules that take into account the differences between crypto-assets and traditional securities, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • With Precautions, AI Can Help With Suspicious Activity Filings

    Author Photo

    While artificial intelligence can enhance suspicious activity report processes, financial services firms should review applicable expectations and areas of deficiencies that can lead to enforcement actions before using AI to help write SARs, say attorneys at Jenner.

  • Opinion

    Justices Should Squash Bid To Criminalize Contract Breaches

    Author Photo

    In Kousisis v. U.S., the U.S. Supreme Court should reject the sweeping legal theory that breaches of contract can satisfy the property element of the mail and wire fraud statutes, which, if validated, would criminalize an array of ordinary conduct and violate basic constitutional principles, say attorneys at The Norton Law Firm.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the White Collar archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!