Jonathan N. Halpern

Jonathan N. Halpern is a partner and experienced litigation attorney in the firm's White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice, based in New York.

Mr. Halpern is a seasoned litigator who draws on his extensive experience handling criminal defense and investigations and as a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) to counsel and represent clients facing internal or government investigations and prosecutions. A substantial portion of his defense practice entails interacting with government prosecutors and regulatory lawyers on behalf of his corporate and individual clients to resolve agency investigations, inquiries and disputes. He litigates complex criminal and civil matters, and, if necessary, defends clients at trial and in other court proceedings. A legal counselor, strategist and problem solver, Mr. Halpern is a skillful negotiator and forceful advocate both behind the scenes and in court. Prosecutors, clients and adversaries have credited him for his creativity in proposing resolutions to challenging issues.

Mr. Halpern represents corporate and individual clients in internal and government investigations in a wide array of criminal, cross-border and compliance issues. Business and educational institutions and individuals turn to Mr. Halpern to represent them in a broad array of matters encompassing financial services; cybersecurity; Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA); false claims and other healthcare matters; securities, commodities, and tax, among other issues. He also handles representation and defense in investigations and litigation involving allegations of sexual assault, harassment and workplace misconduct. Mr. Halpern represents clients in federal and state court, as well as in matters involving U.S. Attorney's Offices, New York State Attorney General's Office, New York County District Attorney's Office, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Department of the Treasury, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). His clients span diverse industries from cybersecurity, banking, investor funds, mortgage and other financial services to pharmaceutical and healthcare, media, energy services, manufacturing and retail.

In addition, Mr. Halpern handles substantial pro bono legal work, including immigration asylum cases, and he has successfully secured asylum for individuals seeking to escape persecution in their homelands. One escapee, who was arrested at the U.S. border and detained for approximately nine months, was granted asylum – and his freedom – after Mr. Halpern litigated his case and prevailed at trial. Mr. Halpern agreed to take the case after several lawyers had declined to do so. More recently, he succeeded in securing asylum for the client’s spouse and children, assisting them to be reunited after years apart. After extensive work by Mr. Halpern and a firm associate, another pro bono client recently was granted asylum for fear of being persecuted in a former Soviet republic because of his sexual orientation. For his commitment and achievements, Mr. Halpern was named a Holland & Knight Public & Charitable Service All Star in 2019 and has consistently been named a Pro Bono All Star.

Mr. Halpern's tenure as a federal prosecutor in the SDNY included service as chief of the Major Crimes Unit. In that position, he supervised approximately 25 experienced federal prosecutors in investigations and prosecutions of international bribery, money laundering, healthcare and tax fraud, computer crimes, Bank Secrecy Act violations and other complex, large-scale financial crimes. As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Halpern investigated and prosecuted white collar crimes involving public corruption, extortion, money laundering, federal tax violations, bank fraud and wire, mail and healthcare fraud. He served as lead prosecutor in several high-profile matters, including the investigation of the presidential pardon of Marc Rich, and supervised the investigation of corruption allegations in the United Nation's Oil for Food Program.