Matthew L. Levine, Top White Collar Defense and Regulatory Counsel, Joins Phillips Nizer’s New York Office

Formerly served as the first Executive Deputy Superintendent for Enforcement at NYDFS and the Acting Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section at EDNY

New York, NY (April 19, 2021) – Phillips Nizer LLP is pleased to announce that Matthew L. Levine, who has served in senior enforcement and regulatory roles on both the federal and state level, has joined the firm as a partner in its New York office.

Levine joins Phillips Nizer from Guidepost Solutions, a compliance and investigations consulting firm, where he served as President for the Financial and Regulatory Compliance Services practice.

Levine previously served as the first Executive Deputy Superintendent for Enforcement for the New York State Department of Financial Services. There he oversaw complex investigations involving money laundering, terrorist financing, cybercrime, virtual currency fraud, tax fraud, and consumer fraud. He also supervised major monitorships implemented by NYDFS at financial institutions, and served as the main point of contact for other criminal and civil governmental authorities. Additionally, Levine represented NYDFS in high impact litigation in both federal and state court.

Levine also served as a federal prosecutor for nearly a decade, first in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and later in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. In the Eastern District, Levine served as Acting Chief of the Business & Securities Fraud Section, supervising a group of federal prosecutors conducting major securities fraud, cybercrime, money laundering, health care fraud, tax fraud and other white-collar prosecutions.

Levine also assists companies in compliance matters and investigations, including risk assessments, strengthening risk management and compliance programs, remediation efforts, corporate monitorships, and internal investigations. Representative matters involve the financial markets, anti-bribery, cybercrime and intellectual property. Levine previously litigated on behalf of a wide range of clients, including Fortune 100 companies, high-tech startups, and individuals, at two major law firms and in his own practice. Representations include numerous intellectual property matters involving disputes involving trade secrets, copyrights, trademarks, patents and technology licensing.

At Phillips Nizer, Levine is rejoining colleagues who were veterans in enforcement and financial regulation. Levine worked with Phillips Nizer White Collar Criminal Defense Practice Chair Ilene Jaroslaw, who served as chief of the General Crimes Section at the EDNY.

He also worked with Data Technology & Cybersecurity Group Chair Patrick Burke at the NYS Department of Financial Services, where Burke served as a Deputy Superintendent.

All three of them, along with Phillips Nizer Litigation Chair Mark Elliott, previously worked at law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP.

Earlier in his career, Levine worked as Deputy Director in the US Department of Justice’s Office of Intergovernmental Affairs. He also clerked for Chief United States District Judge Barefoot Sanders. He began his career as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill to Representative Les Aspin, the former Secretary of Defense.

Levine received his J.D. from Columbia Law School and his B.A. from Lehigh University.