William M. Sullivan concentrates on corporate internal investigations, trial practice and white-collar criminal defense, as well as complex civil litigation, securities enforcement, antitrust cartel investigations and litigation, export control and other regulatory actions.
Bill, the co-leader of the firm’s Corporate Investigations and White Collar Defense team, has substantial experience in the courtroom, the boardroom and in between, representing public and private companies as well as key executives and public officials in global corporate regulatory and internal investigations, parallel proceedings, trial and grand jury matters, congressional and independent counsel inquiries, public corruption matters and white collar criminal defense, with a particular emphasis on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), antitrust and securities matters, international trade and export control, as well as the Foreign Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
Bill has been uniquely successful on behalf of both companies and individuals in persuading government regulatory authorities to decline to pursue criminal prosecution or other enforcement actions involving a diverse array of matters. In 2018, the National Law Journal recognized Bill as a White Collar, Regulatory & Compliance Trailblazer.
Bill honed his courtroom skills while serving for more than 10 years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. During his service, he tried several high-profile cases involving first-degree murder, perjury, fraud, obstruction of justice, money laundering, conspiracy, narcotics and criminal RICO charges.
He was the lead prosecutor in the first federal death penalty case to be tried in almost 50 years in the District of Columbia. He has won over 70 federal criminal jury cases and has argued, and prevailed, in over 20 appeals in both New York and the District of Columbia. He won numerous Department of Justice awards and commendations.
Bill frequently prepares and advises on compliance and business strategy programs for companies engaged in industries as diverse as manufacturing, defense, telecommunications, finance, energy, pharmaceuticals and aerospace.
Bill’s legal opinions and analysis are often sought by the national media regarding high-profile or sensational cases, and he has been consistently ranked as a superior practitioner by legal publications.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE :
- After an eight-day bench trial, successfully defended a Virginia non-profit devoted to environmental conservation and a related entity in a $67 million adversarial proceeding related to our clients’ acquisition of certain assets and liabilities from Patriot Coal Corporation.
- Represented a former Central American FIFA soccer officer in a widely publicized DOJ investigation involving allegations of money laundering and fraud related to the sale of TV and other media rights for World Cup soccer matches in Central America.
- Represent the President of a uranium transport company in a FCPA criminal indictment concerning the company’s contracts to transport uranium from Russia to the United States under the Megatons to Megawatts Program.
- Due to the nature of Bill’s practice, a large number of his most successful matters have resulted in public charges not being filed, and therefore remain confidential.
- Represent an NCAA Division 1 top ten men’s college basketball program in connection with the ongoing college basketball bribery investigation.
- Represented officers of a health care company in a Federal Election Commission investigation involving allegations of election campaign law violations.
- Represented a publicly traded manufacturing company and its CEO in an insider trading investigation; matter was closed without any charges.
- Represented a sovereign nation in connection with asset recovery and evaluation of international criminal violations as well as related interactions with U.S. law enforcement representatives.
- Represented over a dozen current and former officers and employees of a publicly traded investment firm under investigation by both the SEC and DOJ regarding purported securities and portfolio valuation fraud. No criminal or civil litigation ensued.
- Represented several officers and directors of a national financial institution regarding allegations of Bank Secrecy Act violations and money laundering.
Associations :
- American Bar Association and the ABA’s White Collar Crime Committee’s Upjohn Warnings Task Force and Parallel Proceedings Task Force
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York
- Bar Association of the District of Columbia
- Chairman Emeritus of the Steering Committee, Forum on Corporate Enforcement
- Faculty Member, University of Virginia’s Trial Advocacy Institute
EDUCATION :
- J.D., Cornell Law School, 1985
- M.A., Tufts University, 1981
- B.A., Tufts University
ADMISSIONS : District of Columbia, Connecticut, New York
COURTS :
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Second and Fourth Circuits
- U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, the Eastern District of Michigan, District of Connecticut, the District Court for the District of Columbia, and the Middle District of Florida
Cost
Rate : $$$