Practice Areas
Civil rights are the foundation of our democracy and must be protected. When abuses occur, we advocate for clients seeking accountability and effectively pursue civil remedies on their behalf. Our firm represents individuals who are victims of physical and sexual abuse by police officers, corrections officers and other public officials, including those who have been victims of excessive force by law enforcement in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Our experience in both government and private practice provides us with expertise to properly investigate and evaluate cases, assist in reporting misconduct to the appropriate authorities to ensure claims are taken seriously, and effectively pursue civil remedies, including through litigation, in federal court. As federal prosecutors, we successfully investigated and prosecuted federal Bureau of Prisons officers for repeated sexual abuse of female federal inmates and city corrections officers engaged in bribery and corruption at Rikers Island.
As sex crimes prosecutors, we confronted sex abuses in the workplace, online, and in jails. We bring the same dedication to clients seeking justice in civil, criminal and Title IX proceedings. We have significant experience working with men, women and children who have undergone trauma and understand the importance of treating each of our clients with dignity and respect to ensure that our representation does not result in their further victimization. Our firm provides representation to individuals and families whose children have been victims of harm, ranging from intimate partner violence, sex trafficking and sexual abuse to revenge porn, stalking, harassment, extortion, assault, online sexual exploitation and bullying. We help clients obtain orders of protection, create safety plans, navigate the criminal justice system, report crimes to law enforcement, and vindicate their rights through civil litigation. As federal prosecutors, we successfully investigated and prosecuted numerous sex crimes, including sexual abuse of female inmates by federal Bureau of Prisons officers, a court officer involved in the production of child pornography, and individuals involved in sex trafficking adults and minors. Our firm’s founders brought a ground-breaking racketeering charge against singer R. Kelly in New York for his decades of criminal misconduct throughout the country involving the sexual exploitation of minors, forced labor, and other offenses, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence following a six-week trial in Brooklyn, New York.
Everyone is entitled to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. We represent employees denied these rights by seeking settlements or pursuing litigation when appropriate. With decades of investigative and litigation experience, including conducting internal investigations for organizations responding to reports of misconduct, we are well-positioned to assess an employee’s claims and effectively advocate on their behalf. That often means pursuing financial damages through an out-of-court settlement with the employer, but when appropriate, we won’t hesitate to pursue litigation in state or federal court. We represent employees who have been discriminated against at work based on their membership in a protected class, including race, gender, sexual orientation, and asserting claims related to unequal pay, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment. For employees transitioning roles, we negotiate employment, severance and separation agreements.
Drawing on decades of investigative and litigation experience, we conduct internal investigations with efficiency for organizations faced with allegations of workplace misconduct or malfeasance. Our firm’s collective experience conducting complex and sensitive investigations as federal and state prosecutors and in private practice spans decades. Through impartial, thoughtful and nimble investigations, we help clients investigate allegations of misconduct, identify any additional malfeasance, and design and implement measures to minimize and mitigate risk. Our experience allows us to craft and implement an investigative plan quickly, making modifications as necessary to address new information gathered during the investigation, assess witness credibility, and hone in on relevant materials. Our findings and recommendations are well supported and clearly presented, enabling clients to confidently rely on them to make informed decisions. As seasoned investigators, we are also well-positioned to conduct civil rights audits, providing proactive assessments of an organization’s policies and practices to ensure compliance with civil rights laws and address both intentional and systemic discrimination in the spheres where an organization operates. These audits can assist organizations in creating an inclusive environment for all, with policies and practices that comply with both the letter and the spirit of the law, minimizing the risk of misconduct and discrimination and ensuring such issues are addressed appropriately when they occur. Finally, our experience allows us to assist companies and other organizations who have been the victims of fraud or other illegal conduct in reporting that conduct to law enforcement and regulatory authorities. Given our extensive experience in federal and state prosecutions, we are able to present compelling summaries of the evidence gathered by the organization to date and identify the potential criminal statutes implicated by the misconduct in a manner that is helpful to prosecutors and regulators in deciding whether to open a criminal or civil investigation.
We represent individuals who are the subjects of federal and state criminal investigations to ensure the most favorable outcomes possible, as well as witnesses served with subpoenas. Our practice is grounded in decades of experience as federal and state prosecutors. We know how criminal cases are built and how best to advocate for positive outcomes, whether before prosecutors, judges or juries. We are skilled trial attorneys with deep experience trying cases in federal and state courts. We can effectively cross-examine government witnesses, present a defense case when warranted, and make compelling arguments in court, including on appeal. We also represent witnesses in the criminal investigation and trial process, including individuals and organizations served with grand jury or trial subpoenas and those who have been asked to voluntarily meet with law enforcement agents and prosecutors. Our prior experience as federal and state prosecutors ensures we can protect our clients’ interests, negotiate the scope, timing and manner of production of documents, and effectively prepare clients for testimony and meetings with law enforcement.
Wrongful convictions may stem from intentional or unintentional conduct. We represent clients seeking to overturn unjust convictions and pursue civil remedies for harms suffered. Whether due to government incompetence, intentional misconduct, eyewitness misidentifications or the use of jailhouse informants and other confidential sources, wrongful convictions happen and have a devastating impact. As former federal and state prosecutors, we leverage our vast experience in building criminal cases to benefit our clients by reinvestigating their cases, uncovering new evidence, and finding the flaws in existing evidence. Our prosecutorial experience at both the federal and state level also gives us credibility in advocating for our clients using a multipronged approach, including working with Conviction Review Units in district attorney’s offices to overturn wrongful convictions and pursuing post-conviction litigation in state and federal courts.