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June 10, 2019
New Washington, DC partner will expand the firm’s Global Litigation Group and the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice while advising clients on significant enforcement and regulatory matters.
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP today announced that Douglas F. Gansler, the former Attorney General of Maryland and President of the National Association of Attorneys General, has joined the firm as a partner in the Global Litigation Group and the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice in Washington, DC.
Gansler will head Cadwalader’s State Attorneys General practice and will work closely with litigators and other attorneys across the firm. He draws on more than 20 years of public advocacy and leadership in support of his practice, which focuses on advising businesses and individuals facing federal and state investigations and enforcement actions, as well as civil and criminal matters involving State Attorneys General, the Department of Justice, and other government agencies.
Gansler joins the firm from Buckley LLP, where he was a partner.
“Doug is a fantastic addition to our growing Global Litigation practice, coming just on the heels of the arrival of a market-leading trial team from Boies Schiller – Sean O’Shea, Michael Petrella and Amanda Devereux – and London disputes partner Melis Acuner,” said Pat Quinn, Cadwalader’s managing partner. “Doug is an exceptional trial lawyer with a deep understanding of the challenges facing today’s financial institutions and corporations. We know our clients will benefit greatly from his first-hand knowledge of state government enforcement and regulatory practices.”
“Doug’s arrival provides a significant and unique enhancement to our white collar investigations offering by providing us with a lawyer whose reputation and credibility among the many active Attorneys General across the country is unequaled,” added Jodi Avergun, chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. “We look forward to introducing him to our clients.”
Gansler is the most recent addition to the firm’s growing Global Litigation Group.
“Our group has never been stronger, and we continue to grow with great additions like Doug,” said Jason Halper, chair of the firm’s Global Litigation Group. “In Global Litigation alone, we have brought on nine lateral partners in the past 18 months across all of our offices, including alumni of the SEC, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and now the former Maryland Attorney General. We are pleased that our clients continue to benefit from these extremely talented and experienced litigators.”
Gansler’s practice will be dedicated to assisting clients in responding to and, when necessary, defending against AG inquiries from across the country, whether in civil lawsuits or regulatory investigations or both in matters involving financial services, health care, pharmaceutical, insurance, telecommunications and other consumer-centric industries. He also handles complex litigation cases involving data breaches, cybersecurity, and privacy matters and provides regulatory compliance advice.
Throughout his career, Gansler has handled civil and criminal cases involving public corruption, economic crimes, and other issues, most notably including: arguing and winning a unanimous decision before the U.S. Supreme Court in Maryland v. Shatzer; acting as first chair in more than 50 jury trials; and the prosecution of John Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo (“Beltway snipers”).
“I am thrilled to join such a highly respected firm as Cadwalader and a Global Litigation Group with so much depth and talent,” Gansler said. “Cadwalader has a reputation for excellence across practices and offices, and I am looking forward to working with new colleagues within and outside the Global Litigation and White Collar teams who will be instrumental in supporting my practice and my clients.”
In addition to serving as Attorney General of Maryland, Gansler was Montgomery County’s State’s Attorney and an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia. He received his JD from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. cum laude from Yale University, and he is an Adjunct Professor at American University’s Washington College of Law. He was a law clerk to Maryland Court of Appeals Judge John F. McAuliffe.
Gansler is the newest arrival in what has been a very active period at Cadwalader for lateral partner and senior lawyer additions. In addition to the new Global Litigation partners, other significant additions over the past 18 months include M&A partner Stephen Fraidin, real estate finance partner Duncan Hubbard, antitrust partner Joel Mitnick, as well as M&A special counsel Joanna Valentine and Nick Ramphal. In addition, M&A partner Chris Cox returned to the firm after several years in a senior corporate role and real estate partner Alan Lawrence rejoined Cadwalader from another major firm.
