Ethan A. Levin-Epstein

Ethan Levin-Epstein is a seasoned trial lawyer with over 45 years of experience in criminal law. He has tried more than 30 jury trials to verdict for the prosecution and the defense. He has been designated a Super Lawyer and has been listed since 1999 in the attorney peer-reviewed publication Best Lawyers in America. He is listed in the categories for Criminal Law, White Collar Criminal Defense, and the representation of individuals in Discrimination and Employment cases.

Prior to joining Garrison, Levin-Epstein in 1991, Ethan spent fourteen years as a federal and state prosecutor, ending that portion of his career as the First Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Connecticut. Before that, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York (in Brooklyn) and as an Assistant District Attorney in the Rackets Bureau of the New York District Attorney’s Office (in Manhattan). He also served as a Legal Advisor to the Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department.

In the criminal defense arena, Ethan has successfully tried cases and negotiated favorable dispositions in federal and state courts, resulting in outright declinations of criminal prosecution or agreements by the government to defer criminal prosecution for limited periods of time. In addition, he has represented numerous targets, subjects, and witnesses in federal grand jury and state investigations into such diverse allegations as mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, antitrust violations, health care fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, bribery, violation of the Hobbs Act (extortion under color of official right), Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO), false statements, perjury, obstruction of justice, violation of foreign export statutes, and conspiracy to commit these and numerous other offenses.

In his extensive work on behalf of employees, he has successfully negotiated numerous settlements for clients with claims for wrongful discharge; discrimination based on age, gender, pregnancy, disability and perceived disability, sexual orientation; sexual harassment; and benefits under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). He has also successfully prosecuted arbitrations for breach of employment contracts.

Ethan’s experience in criminal law has enhanced his ability to effectively represent individuals in their employment-related matters. There is significant overlap between the two fields and where clients face situations which have implications from both an employment and criminal perspective, Ethan’s experience in both areas has proven invaluable.

Ethan has been an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Brooklyn and University of Bridgeport (now Quinnipiac) Law Schools, where he taught advanced courses in Trial Advocacy and Federal Criminal Jurisprudence. He has been a Visiting Lecturer of Constitutional Law at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and has been a frequent speaker at professional and government-sponsored seminars and in-service training programs. Ethan has been invited to be a featured speaker and presenter at National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) Annual Conventions, the American Bar Association’s Section of Labor and Employment Law and at the F.B.I. Academy at Quantico, Virginia.

He is a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Connecticut Criminal Defense Lawyers Association, the Federal Bar Council (on which he served as a Trustee), and the Connecticut Bar Association (in which he served as a Co-Chair of its Federal Practice Section and continues to serve as an active member of its Executive Committee). Previously. he served as Chair of the Section’s Criminal Practice Sub-Committee. He is also a member of the CBA’s Criminal Practice Section, the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), and the Connecticut Employment Lawyers Association (CELA).

Ethan is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts in the District of Connecticut, the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the Northern District of Florida. He is a member of the Bar of the States of Connecticut and New York and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.