Best Lawyers Near You in Washington, District of Columbia for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Steven D. Gordon practices in the areas of white collar crime and complex civil litigation. He has been lead counsel in more than 100 trials, both jury and non-jury, in federal and state courts. He has argued appeals in most of the federal circuit courts and in the United States Supreme Court. White Collar Defense Mr. Gordon represents individual and corporate clients who are being investigated by inspector generals or other federal and state authorities. He defends clients who are under gran...
Bryan H. Parr is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Bryan H., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bryan H. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
John E. Kelly is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Health Care Law. John E., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
M. Kendall Day is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. M. Kendall, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which M. Kendall is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Roscoe C. Howard, Jr. is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Roscoe C., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2006. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Roscoe C. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Danny Onorato is a former federal prosecutor and experienced trial attorney. As a defense attorney, Mr. Onorato has successfully represented individuals in a wide variety of complex criminal and civil matters, including many high profile white collar criminal offenses. Mr. Onorato’s clients have included executives from high profile cases including HealthSouth, Enron, KPMG and Fannie Mae. Mr. Onorato has also represented clients in both civil and criminal securities fraud investigations...
Robert S. Litt is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Robert S., who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Robert S. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Seth Waxman is a former federal prosecutor and nationally recognized white collar criminal defense with more than two decades of experience handling high profile sensitive criminal and civil matters. Seth handles a wide array of challenging cases, ranging from the Flint water criminal investigation to complex internal investigations for Fortune 500 companies. Seth is a seasoned trial lawyer, having been lead counsel in more than sixty jury trials, thirty bench trials, and fifteen matters on a...
Having spent over a decade as a prosecutor in the criminal and civil divisions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Michelle Bradford uses her extensive knowledge and skill, coupled with her profound determination and sharp wit, to defend clients in white collar criminal and complex civil litigation matters. Michelle brings considerable value to clients facing complex litigation by thoroughly and efficiently reviewing issues, identifying the heart of a matter and ...
John Brownlee is chair of Holland & Knight's National White Collar Defense and Investigations Team and is a member of the firm's Directors Committee. Mr. Brownlee's areas of focus include white collar defense and securities enforcement — including Grand Jury and Inspector General investigations, and investigations involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), False Claims Act, Food and Drug Administration regulations, complianc...
David Schertler is widely recognized as one of the top white–collar criminal defense attorneys in the Washington area and nationwide. He founded Schertler & Onorato, LLP, in 1996 and has built the firm’s reputation as a premier litigation boutique through his broad experience with criminal and civil investigative and trial matters and the results that he has achieved for his clients. Mr. Schertler is known for his skilled and tenacious representation of individuals and entitie...
Michael Spafford is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice of Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Mr. Spafford’s practice focuses on white-collar criminal defense, government investigations, regulatory enforcement, internal investigations, and related litigation. He has represented financial institutions, funds and other companies, as well as individual clients in numerous high-profile government investigations and parallel li...
Howard Shapiro is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has more than 35 years of courtroom experience as a trial lawyer in civil and criminal matters, and has been repeatedly recognized as one of the nation’s leading litigators in high-stakes cases, ranging from bet-the-company contractual disputes to mass torts to white-collar litigation.
Amy Jeffress is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Amy, who practices law in Washington, District of Columbia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Amy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Having tried numerous high-profile fraud and corruption cases as a veteran prosecutor for the DOJ’s Criminal Division, Edward (Ted) Kang brings a thorough understanding of white collar defense and compliance to clients under investigation by federal agencies. He applies a pragmatic, business-oriented approach to the challenging issues that his clients confront in an increasingly complex regulatory environment. Ted is the co-leader of Alston & Bird’s White Collar, Government &a...
A former Assistant United States Attorney, Justin Dillon now uses his years of litigation and investigative experience to defend clients in complex, high-stakes white-collar criminal and campus discipline cases. Justin combines a meticulous approach to investigating the facts with a deep knowledge of criminal and administrative procedure to vigorously protect his clients’ futures and reputations. Justin represents people in some of the toughest situations they will ever face. He has gai...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.