Further bolstering its nationally recognized litigation practice, Mintz announced that former federal prosecutor David M. Siegal has joined the firm as a Member in the New York office. Mr. Siegal, who for nine years served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, joins Mintz from Haynes and Boone, where he co-chaired the firm’s Government Enforcement and Litigation Practice Group.

 

“David brings to our strong litigation group breadth and depth of expertise stemming not only from extensive courtroom experience, but first-hand knowledge of the workings of government prosecution and regulation,” said Bob Bodian, Managing Member of Mintz. “David is a top-notch litigator, with an outstanding reputation, who enhances our ability to serve our clients, particularly in investigations and government enforcement actions. We are delighted to welcome him to our firm.”

 

Mr. Siegal’s practice focuses on representing people and entities in government enforcement defense and internal investigations, typically during the stages prior to the filing of any charges, with an eye towards persuading authorities not to charge. His clients include executives and business leaders in a broad range of industries, including all varieties of financial services (securities and commodities trading and sales, banking, investment and hedge funds), automobile manufacturing and sales, professional sports agency, pharmaceuticals, and high technology. In more than 25 years of practice, he has tried 20 federal criminal and civil cases, almost all to juries that returned verdicts.

 

Mr. Siegal is perhaps best known for his victory in defense of high-profile private equity financier Benjamin Wey against federal criminal and civil securities fraud and money laundering charges. The Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission both voluntarily dismissed their cases against Mr. Wey after Mr. Siegal persuaded the trial court that the FBI had violated Mr. Wey’s Fourth Amendment rights when executing search warrants at his company’s office and his home, resulting in the suppression of all the evidence obtained from those warrants. Mr. Siegal’s other client successes include securing a 2016 trial victory in federal court defending Marvel Entertainment against a claim that it stole a patent-holder’s design for a Spiderman role play web-shooting toy, and numerous federal and state appellate arguments in criminal and civil matters.

 

During his tenure as Assistant United States Attorney in the criminal division of the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2009, Mr. Siegal acted as a lead prosecutor on numerous complex white collar investigations and prosecutions, federal criminal jury trials and Second Circuit appeals. As a member of that office’s Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, he investigated and prosecuted a wide variety of securities industry related matters, including accounting fraud schemes, market manipulation, insider trading and investment adviser fraud. He also served as a Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIPs) prosecutor in the Major Crimes Unit, handling complex fraud prosecutions involving computer technology attacks, data security and intellectual property theft, as well as crimes involving corporate insurance, bank, tax and investment fraud.

 

The Mintz litigation practice comprises more than 100 attorneys throughout the U.S., including numerous litigators who have worked in law enforcement agencies and regulatory bodies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice and offices of U.S. attorneys, state attorneys, and state attorneys general. The team also includes highly experienced trial attorneys with extensive experience in trial and appellate courts and arbitration proceedings, and veteran practitioners who regularly litigate high-stakes, “bet the company” matters.

Mintz recently announced its third consecutive year of record financial growth. The firm’s three-year profits and three-year revenue are up 35 and 30 percent, respectively, with three-year revenue per lawyer up 20 percent – percentage increases well outside current Big Law norms.