Arent Fox Adds White Collar Team in New York

Glenn C. Colton and Michelle J. Shapiro have joined Arent Fox LLP in its Government Enforcement & White Collar practice as partners.

The Government Enforcement & White Collar team is joining the firm a few months after the arrival of former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Robert L. Capers.

“Glenn and Michelle have distinguished themselves as one of the top white collar teams in the country,” said M. Scott Peeler, who co-leads the Government Enforcement & White Collar practice. “We are a destination for companies and individuals in need of representation in connection with government and internal investigations, compliance, and white collar litigation. Glenn and Michelle’s incredible insight and nearly 50 years of combined experience will bolster Arent Fox’s already impressive bench of counselors and litigators.”

“Glenn and Michelle are highly regarded by their peers,” said Capers, who co-leads the Government Enforcement & White Collar group. “Enforcement is on the rise and our clients need guidance on these increasingly complex issues. Glenn’s and Michelle’s wealth of experience is a great addition.”

In a release, the firm said Colton, a former federal prosecutor in New York City, counsels companies and individuals through all phases of government and internal investigations. During his career, he has advised on investigations conducted and actions brought by the US Department of Justice, US Attorneys’ offices, State Attorneys General, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service.

Colton, with nearly 10 years as an assistant US attorney in both the criminal and civil divisions of the Southern District of New York focuses on white collar criminal and complex civil litigation. In his white collar criminal practice, Colton advises Fortune 500 companies, small and midsize companies, and individuals on investigations ranging from insider trading, health care fraud, the foreign corrupt practices act, insurance fraud, and tax fraud. In civil litigation, Colton represents clients in constitutional, commercial, intellectual property, employment, and tort cases. Additionally, he has represented numerous clients in high-stakes securities, consumer, and privacy class actions.

The firm said Colton has handled numerous appeals in criminal, regulatory enforcement, and civil cases, as well as in an amicus capacity, in cases before the US Court of Appeals for the Second and Eighth Circuits, and state level appellate courts.

In addition to his litigation practice, Colton regularly advises companies in the burgeoning fantasy sports industry on a wide variety of issues including gambling law, compliance, and intellectual property. For his work on the successful landmark “bet the industry” litigation over the right to use player names in fantasy sports games, Colton was inducted as one of fewer than 20 members of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association Hall of Fame.

The firm said Shapiro is a career white collar criminal defense attorney. She has spent nearly 20 years representing individuals and companies in investigations and criminal proceedings by federal and state prosecutors and regulators, related to myriad high-stakes issues, such as alleged corruption; insider trading; money laundering; tax, health care, securities and accounting fraud; anti-trust violations; and cyber and other crimes. She also conducts internal investigations of potential misconduct by corporate officers, employees, and agents, including multifaceted transnational investigations for Fortune 500 companies.

Recently recognized by Crain’s New York Business as one of 2017’s “Leading Women Lawyers in New York City,” Shapiro counsels global companies on how to prevent and detect violations of the FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws. She helps organizations design, enhance and implement customized compliance programs to address their particular risk profiles, conducts compliance trainings, assists with third-party screenings, conducts pre- and post- acquisition anti-corruption due diligence and advises on remediation efforts and other ongoing compliance obligations.

Shapiro has worked with issues in more than 20 countries. The firm said she frequently tackles complex and often conflicting data privacy and attorney-client privilege regimes. Shapiro is a frequent speaker and author on white collar criminal issues, and serves as the Co-Chair of the Development Committee of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.