Kamal Ghali is a former federal prosecutor and a top-ranked attorney recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business.
Over the last eighteen years, Mr. Ghali has handled some of the biggest criminal and civil cases in the country, including high-profile white collar criminal fraud investigations and trials; high-stakes business disputes involving civil racketeering (RICO) and fraud allegations (in courts and arbitration); a range of national security and cybersecurity matters; and fast-moving bribery and public corruption investigations.
He is described in Chambers USA as a “brilliant attorney,” a “great legal strategist who anticipates all sides of a case,” “an excellent trial lawyer” with a “commanding presence in the courtroom,” and an “excellent courtroom advocate, sharp and quick on his feet.” Chambers notes his “fantastic ability to explain complex legal and technology-related topics,” and his “particular expertise in matters concerning cybercrime.” He has received numerous awards and commendations for his trial and litigation skills, including praise from a federal judge who described his courtroom performance as “excellent,” “outstanding,” and as hitting a “home run” in the “bottom of the ninth.”
While his work runs the gamut from squaring off against federal prosecutors and regulators in court to conducting corporate internal investigations, he has also secured significant wins for clients facing major business disputes. He has helped businesses and executives settle contentious, bet-the-company cases, including the settlement of a multi-billion-dollar dispute over the ownership of two nuclear power plant units. And he recently secured a complete trial victory in a hotly-contested FINRA arbitration involving unauthorized trading allegations.
Before co-founding Chaiken Ghali LLP, he was a partner at a prominent Atlanta-based litigation firm where he led the white collar criminal defense practice, founded the cyber & digital litigation practice, and resolved numerous high-stakes business disputes. Prior to that, he served as a U.S. Department of Justice white collar and cybercrime prosecutor for over six years, including as a deputy chief at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Atlanta. As a federal prosecutor, he worked closely with the FBI, IRS, SEC, and other agencies on white collar criminal matters ranging from multi-week securities fraud trials to high-profile cybercrime prosecutions, including the prosecution of the developers of SpyEye—a notorious malware that caused over one billion dollars in losses worldwide.
He previously served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Thomas W. Thrash, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia and the Honorable Frank M. Hull, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
He serves on the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation.