Patterson Belknap Bolsters White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice with the Addition of Former Federal Prosecutor Robert J. Cleary
January, 2024 - New York, New York
Cleary becomes seventh former federal prosecutor to join firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Team
Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP is pleased to announce the expansion of its White Collar Defense and Investigations practice with the arrival of Robert (“Bob”) Cleary, a distinguished practitioner and former federal prosecutor. Having served as the U.S. Attorney both in the District of New Jersey and in the Southern District of Illinois, Mr. Cleary’s addition to the firm brings its White Collar Defense and Investigations practice to a team that includes seven former federal prosecutors, a former Senior Counsel for the SEC Enforcement Division, and a former Attorney General of the State of New Jersey. Mr. Cleary joins Patterson Belknap as Of Counsel and will focus his practice on white-collar criminal defense, SEC and related enforcement matters, securities litigation, complex civil litigation, tax controversies, and internal investigations.
Mr. Cleary is recognized as a go-to attorney for individuals and corporate clients facing high-stakes criminal proceedings and complex regulatory investigations. He has over 30 years of courtroom experience as a trial lawyer and appellate advocate and has been retained in numerous high-profile corporate criminal matters. He is regularly featured as a leading practitioner in various publications, including Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Benchmark, among others.
In his capacity as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and the Southern District of Illinois, Mr. Cleary was the chief federal law enforcement officer in those districts, responsible for all federal prosecutions and lawsuits filed against the federal government. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, ultimately becoming the Chief of the Major Crimes Unit. During his tenure as First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey, he was appointed lead prosecutor in the Unabomber case, United States v. Theodore J. Kaczynski. Mr. Cleary began his prosecutorial career as a trial attorney for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prior to joining Patterson Belknap, Mr. Cleary spent two decades practicing in the private sector where he was retained in many high-profile corporate matters including, among others, the longest antitrust criminal trial in New York State history, the multi-billion dollar Petrobras matter in Brazil, the 1MDB international money laundering investigation, numerous civil lawsuits and government investigations relating to the demise of Lehman Brothers, and various criminal investigations relating to allegations of manipulation and collusion in the LIBOR market.
“Bob is an excellent addition to our White Collar Defense and Investigations practice and we are thrilled to welcome him to our firm,” said Patterson Belknap Co-Chair and Managing Partner, Dahlia Doumar. “His depth of experience will bolster our firm’s representation of high caliber clients in various industries and across the globe.”
Chair of Patterson’s Litigation Department and Co-Chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense and Investigations group, Josh Goldberg, added, “Bob is a stellar addition to our White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. His criminal and government investigations experience, as well as his courtroom experience in federal and state courts across the country, will provide great value to our clients.”
Mr. Cleary earned his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, and his B.B.A. from the College of William and Mary.
