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Gina Castellano is a partner in Cadwalader’s Global Litigation Group and a member of the firm’s Compliance, Investigations and Enforcement practice.
Gina has over 15 years of experience as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and in private practice. She represents corporations and individuals in internal investigations, complex criminal and regulatory enforcement actions, and compliance initiatives. Gina is frequently called upon by clients to handle their most sensitive matters before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with a focus on financial fraud and anti-corruption matters.
Her work in private practice has included numerous high-stakes investigations and enforcement defenses related to complex matters in the U.S. and around the world, much of which is not public. Notable highlights over the past two years include securing a declination for a global management consulting firm, ending multi-year investigations by the DOJ and SDNY regarding potential corruption, and conducting multiple internal investigations for a leading global biotechnology company in response to whistleblower allegations, and representing the client in related investigations by the DOJ and the SEC. Gina also regularly represents executives across various industries in white collar criminal defense matters.
Prior to joining Cadwalader in 2023, Gina served for eight years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in SDNY. During her time as a federal prosecutor, Gina led six criminal trials and briefed and argued multiple appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. As a senior member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, she led investigations and prosecutions of high-profile matters involving insider trading, accounting fraud, investment adviser fraud, cryptocurrency-related fraud, and money laundering. She also managed relationships with stakeholders at the SEC and CFTC, as well as federal law enforcement agencies. Gina also served as an acting Deputy Chief of the Violent & Organized Crime Unit, where she supervised over 20 Assistant U.S. Attorneys in various investigations and prosecutions.
Gina is consistently recognized for her leadership and expertise, earning distinctions from the press and often being sought after for her insights as a lecturer and author. Gina was included in Crain’s New York Business as a 2025 “Notable Litigator and Trial Attorney,” and Lawdragon has listed her in its “500 Leading Litigators in America” guide in 2024 and 2025. Gina is a member of the Federal Bar Council’s Federal Criminal Practice Committee and is a board member of the Volunteers of Legal Service. She also previously served as a Lecturer in Law at Columbia University School of Law, teaching the seminar component of the Federal Prosecution Externship.
Gina received her J.D., summa cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law, where she was Notes & Articles Editor of the Fordham Law Review and currently serves on the Board of the Fordham Law Alumni Association. She received her B.A. from Georgetown University. Gina clerked for the Honorable Denny Chin when he served on the U.S. District Court for the SDNY.
