Rachel May Zysk

Rachel May Zysk is an accomplished lawyer and nationally published author with a wealth of experience in complex criminal and civil litigation. Ms. Zysk has represented defendants in several high profile criminal trials and civil matters. She has defended her clients against qui tam “whistleblower” suits and alleged False Claims Act violations; criminal fraud charges and other white collar crimes; and a gamut of traditional crimes including murder, sex, drug, terrorism, firearms, and computer offenses. She has tried federal cases to verdict, argued before the Eleventh Circuit, and successfully obtained both jury acquittals and bench-issued judgments of acquittal.

Ms. Zysk began her career at the Office of the Federal Defender for the Middle District of Florida in Tampa, where she interned her final semester in law school. Ms. Zysk was immediately assigned to a trial team that successfully defended a client in a highly publicized six-month terrorism trial. Ms. Zysk defended indigent individuals charged with federal crimes, both at the trial level and on appeal, until entering private practice with a national law firm. There, she began specializing in complex civil and criminal litigation, with a focus on highly regulated industries such as health care, banking, government contracting, environmental protections, employee identification theft, international business transactions, and anti-money laundering compliance. She represents individuals and businesses facing government investigations or charged with crimes; defends qui tam relator suits and False Claims Act violations; advises on compliance with federal and state regulations; conducts corporate internal investigations; and presents matters to prosecuting authorities on behalf of individual and corporate clients for the purpose of possible criminal prosecution. Ms. Zysk also defends the interests of corporations and individuals, including innocent third parties such as spouses, against government restitution and forfeiture actions.

Born and raised in the Thousand Islands region of New York, Ms. Zysk attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., graduating cum laude in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government. She attended Stetson University College of Law in St. Petersburg, FL where she was a member of the Stetson Law Review. In 2004, she graduated from Stetson Law a semester early and third in her class, receiving her Juris Doctorate cum laude with a Certificate of Concentration in International Law.