Firm Profile

Chaiken Ghali LLP is a boutique white collar litigation and government investigations law firm. We handle your most sensitive, difficult matters discreetly and thoughtfully to help you mitigate risk and achieve the best possible outcome.

Founded by two former federal prosecutors with decades of experience handling some of the most sophisticated white collar fraud investigations and trials in the country, Chaiken Ghali LLP represents companies, business executives, and other professionals in civil and criminal government investigations and enforcement actions, internal investigations, and complex business disputes.

We are first-chair trial and appellate lawyers who draw on years of experience in the courtroom, powerful written and oral advocacy, and unique insight into prosecutorial and judicial decision-making to handle every matter with the singular goal of delivering outstanding results to our clients.

We focus on four primary areas

We represent companies and individuals in white collar criminal and civil investigations conducted by grand juries and federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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We represent individual and organizational targets, subjects, witnesses, and victims in criminal and civil investigations conducted by a wide range of federal and state agencies and industry regulators, including

  • the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
  • U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country
  • the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
  • the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
  • the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
  • the U.S. Secret Service
  • the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
  • the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-OIG
  • the U.S. Department of Labor
  • the FDIC-OIG
  • the U.S. Department of Fish & Wildlife
  • the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS)
  • the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG)
  • DEA Diversion Control
  • The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
  • State attorneys general offices across the country

We are frequently retained at the earliest sign of a government investigation, often after an agent interview request; an informal agency letter seeking documents or information; or receipt of a grand jury subpoena, target letter, civil investigative demand, or administrative summons.

We are also often hired to represent clients at later stages of investigations, such as after the execution of a search warrant at a business or residence, or during the pre-indictment investigative phase when prosecutors are in the process of making final criminal charging decisions.

We have had particular success in convincing prosecutors to resolve federal criminal investigations by declining prosecution entirely, enabling our clients to avoid any criminal charges being brought against them. This includes successfully negotiating non-prosecution agreements, deferred prosecution agreements, and pretrial diversion. We have also convinced prosecutors to drop the most serious charges in order to reduce our clients’ sentencing exposure.

We defend companies and individuals against formal criminal charges brought by federal grand juries and in lawsuits and enforcement actions filed by government agencies or industry regulators.

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We defend companies and individuals against federal indictments charging complex white collar crimes, including mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, embezzlement, healthcare fraud, Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) violations, Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering (AML) violations, securities fraud, insider trading, federal program fraud, bribery and honest services fraud, antitrust and bid-rigging, obstruction of justice, and false statements.

We have the expertise to confidently assess your individual or corporate exposure, anticipate problems, craft creative solutions, and vigorously advocate on your behalf. And given our significant first-chair trial experience, we are trial-ready and prepared, if necessary, to fight the government’s allegations before a judge and jury. But we are also adept at employing pre-trial litigation strategies to secure more favorable pre-trial resolutions, such as by convincing courts to suppress key evidence or statements, and by making creative and compelling arguments at the sentencing phase to increase our clients’ chances of a reduced sentence.

We also defend companies and individuals against lawsuits and enforcement actions filed by federal and state regulators, such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in bet-the-company cases where the government is seeking to shut down our clients’ business operations entirely.

We litigate high-stakes business disputes, often involving fraud and racketeering (RICO) allegations, through trial and appeal.

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We have extensive experience handling complex civil litigation involving allegations of fraud, federal and state RICO violations, business ownership disputes between shareholders and LLC members, contentious fights for corporate control, significant breach of contract claims, and actions seeking the appointment of receivers and auditors.

We conduct internal investigations on behalf of companies, boards of directors, board committees, associations, non-profits, government entities, and other organizations to address potential misconduct and fast-moving corporate crises.

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Whether raised internally by company whistleblowers or externally by prosecutors or regulators, our expertise as former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors enables us to efficiently and discreetly cut to the heart of the matter to provide a credible, independent analysis to empower our clients to chart the best path forward. We have particular experience conducting internal investigations into potential management misconduct, financial crimes, and cybersecurity incidents.