White Collar Defense and Investigations
Our global White Collar Defense and Investigations group represents public companies, boards of directors, audit committees, corporate executives, and public officials in the full range of internal and government investigations, regulatory proceedings, congressional oversight, and other matters that present complex reputational, financial, and operational risk. With a deep bench of experienced practitioners throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and Australia our legal team has earned a reputation for advising clients in the most sensitive and high-visibility enforcement and regulatory matters worldwide.
We offer our clients comprehensive, multijurisdictional legal advice in matters involving:
- Accounting fraud
- Anti-bribery and anti-corruption (ABC) compliance
- Anti-money laundering (AML) and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA)
- Antitrust and price fixing
- Consumer product safety investigations
- Corporate fraud
- Cyber investigations
- Digital currency and crypto investigations
- Economic sanctions
- Environmental crimes
- Extradition
- Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA)
- Health care fraud and anti-kickback matters
- Internal investigations
- Market manipulation and insider trading
- Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigations
- Securities enforcement and financial regulatory enforcement
- State attorney general investigations
- Tax crimes
- Trade secrets and economic espionage
- Trademark and intellectual property infringement
- UK Bribery Act
- UK health and safety investigations
- US False Claims Act
- US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Foreign Extortion Prevention Act (FEPA)
White Collar Defense and Investigations Legal Services in the United States
We have deep and diverse experience representing clients in enforcement matters and criminal, civil, and regulatory investigations involving the:
- US Department of Justice (DOJ)
- US Attorney’s Offices
- US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
- Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)
- Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
- State attorneys general
- Other federal and state regulators
First-Hand Government Enforcement Experience
Our US-based team is comprised of former senior officials from the DOJ’s Criminal Division and Civil Division, the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, the White House Counsel’s Office, as well as two former US Attorneys, a former member of DOJ’s FCPA Unit, and nearly a dozen former federal prosecutors and supervisors from US Attorney’s Offices and state attorney general offices nationwide.
We have represented clients in nearly every significant US government investigative and enforcement initiative in the last 50 years. Recent examples include the FTX investigation, Operation Kleptocapture, the January 6 Committee investigation, multiple Office of Special Counsel investigations, the global auto emissions scandal, Brazil’s Operation Carwash, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), the subprime mortgage crisis, the Unaoil investigations, Petrofac, Rio Tinto, the Madoff investments Ponzi scheme, Enron, WorldCom, and many more. Collectively, our White Collar Defense and Investigations team has litigated hundreds of criminal matters in federal and state courts throughout the United States. Our decades of government experience give us deep, first-hand insight into how enforcement agencies and regulators operate, enabling us to pursue an advocacy strategy designed to minimize our clients’ reputational, financial, and liability exposure.
White Collar Defense and Investigations Legal Services Across Europe and Asia
We assist clients with matters involving the:
- UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
- Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (SFC)
- Monetary Authority of Singapore
- BaFin
- Other regulators throughout Europe and Asia
Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption
Anti-Money Laundering (AML)
Federal, State, and Local False Claims Act
Internal Investigations
Securities Enforcement / Financial Regulatory Enforcement
U.S. Congressional Investigations
Legal 500
Ranked by The Legal 500 United Kingdom for Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals) in London, 2025
Ranked by The Legal 500 United Kingdom for Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates) in London, 2025
Ranked by The Legal 500 United States for Corporate Investigations and White-collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Corporates, 2024
Ranked by The Legal 500 United States for Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense - advice to corporates, 2024
Ranked by The Legal 500 United Kingdom for Fraud: white-collar crime (advice to individuals) in London, 2024
Ranked by The Legal 500 United Kingdom for Regulatory investigations and corporate crime (advice to corporates) in London, 2024
The K&L Gates team is incredibly effective, practical, and efficient. They are a great resource in connection with some of our most sensitive and challenging matters.
National Tier 1 – Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Ranked Nationwide for Government Relations: Federal
Recognized for Regulatory Investigations and Corporate Crime (Advice to Corporates)
Recognized for Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense (Advice to Corporates)
Named to the GIR 100 2023
