Best Lawyers Near You in Chicago, Illinois for Criminal Defense: White-Collar
Asheesh Goel is a one of the leaders of Kirkland’s government & internal investigations practice and serves on the Firm’s Executive Committee. Asheesh advises clients on securities enforcement matters, including internal investigations, government investigations and enforcement actions. Asheesh has developed substantial depth on enforcement matters and transactional issues involving the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other related laws, financial statement and disclosu...
Joe Duffy is an accomplished and resourceful trial lawyer who focuses his national practice on white collar criminal defense and complex business litigation. He handles all aspects of federal and state criminal prosecutions through the investigative, prosecutive and appellate stages. He has extensive experience representing individuals and corporations in internal and government investigations as well as civil and criminal jury trials and appeals. Joe has successfully represented clients in c...
Drawing on nearly 40 years of combined experience as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney, Sheldon Zenner expertly navigates his clients through high-stakes matters, including government and internal investigations, regulatory proceedings, all phases of criminal matters and related civil litigation. Sheldon's diverse client base is made up of corporations, high-ranking executives and company owners across a wide range of industries, including financial services, health care and entertain...
Dan K. Webb is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Litigation - Antitrust, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants, Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants and Patent Law. Dan K., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 1987. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Dan K. is held by other...
John Lausch is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. John, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Brigid McCarthy is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Brigid, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brigid is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Denise Vaughn is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Denise, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Denise is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
A. Matthew Durkin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. A. Matthew, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which A. Matthew is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Mariah A. Whitner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Mariah A., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Mariah A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Alison Cooney is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions - Defendants and Product Liability Litigation - Defendants. Alison, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Alison is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Lauren Jaffe serves clients in matters from discreet internal investigations to large-scale class actions, leveraging experience as a paralegal for the Department of Justice, a student representing federal criminal defendants, a federal judicial law clerk, and an attorney working alongside an in-house compliance team. Lauren helps clients navigate a wide variety of matters, with a particular focus on commercial and white collar cases. She also handles class actions, internal and government in...
Spencer Gottlieb is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Spencer, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Spencer is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
When clients in highly regulated industries such as banking and health care are facing high-stakes government investigations, Adam Safer offers strategic counsel to address immediate needs and promote positive outcomes over the long term. Adam focuses his practice on defending businesses against allegations of fraud and corruption and has participated in investigations of False Claims Act (FCA) and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations. An experienced litigator with a passion for de...
Michael J. Stern is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White-Collar and Litigation - Securities. Michael J., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Michael J. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
A versatile commercial litigator with experience that ranges from counseling employers on policy matters to appellate advocacy work, Jasmine Morton brings an outstanding work ethic, skill, and commitment to team work to every client she serves. Jasmine focuses her practice on complex civil litigation, including False Claims Act cases, government enforcement inquiries, employment disputes, automobile liability, personal injury, general tort/negligence, and premises liability claims, and commer...
Anna Bninski is a litigation attorney with a focus on persuasive use of precedent. Anna develops approaches with the goal of effectively advancing client goals over the course of a case and is able to distill sprawling facts and complex law into summaries that are easily understood. With judicial clerkship experience, Anna offers clients a considerable understanding of the litigation process. She is a skilled researcher and writer and uses these skills to formulate an effective litigation str...
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.