ATLANTA, Feb. 21, 2023 — Top-ranked trial lawyers and former federal prosecutors David M. Chaiken and Kamal Ghali announced today the formation of Chaiken Ghali LLP, an elite white collar trial and investigations law firm based in Atlanta.
The firm represents companies, business executives, and other professionals in white collar criminal matters, civil and criminal government investigations and enforcement actions, complex business litigation, and corporate internal investigations across the country. The partners have significant expertise in matters involving securities and accounting fraud, insider trading, embezzlement, bank fraud, tax fraud, healthcare fraud, government contracting fraud, racketeering, cybercrimes, and bribery and honest services fraud.
The partners are recognized as leading white collar practitioners in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business and The Best Lawyers in America. Both have first-chaired a significant number of federal jury trials in complex white collar cases, handled hundreds of investigations in sophisticated financial fraud matters, and have extensive experience litigating complex criminal and civil matters in federal court.
In the last year alone, they achieved notable results in a variety of matters, including obtaining an order recommending dismissal of a high-profile federal computer hacking indictment brought by the U.S. Department of Justice; assisting one of the nation’s top power companies in securing a landmark settlement of a multi-billion-dollar dispute over a nuclear power plant project; successfully resolving an independent internal investigation on behalf of a start-up company into potential misconduct by company management; and obtaining a probationary sentence on behalf of the target of a U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division investigation into foreign funding disclosures in U.S. grant applications.
“We are thrilled to join forces with the shared vision of establishing one of the nation’s premier white collar litigation firms and delivering extraordinary results for our clients in their most challenging matters,” said Chaiken and Ghali in a joint statement.
Chaiken and Ghali’s collaboration dates back to 2016, when as federal prosecutors in Atlanta, they teamed up to try a high-profile, multi-defendant public corruption case involving bribes paid to obtain millions of dollars in government contracts. They won the trial and successfully defended the jury’s verdict on appeal.
Chaiken ran an Atlanta-based boutique white collar trial firm for the past two years, ChaikenLaw Ltd., after working as a white collar partner at the Troutman Pepper law firm. Prior to that, Chaiken served as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Economic Crimes section of the Atlanta U.S. Attorney’s Office for almost 10 years, practiced at elite global law firms in Atlanta and San Francisco, including King & Spalding LLP, and clerked for a federal trial judge. He obtained his law degree from Emory University School of Law, where he graduated with honors and was an editor on the law review. He earned his undergraduate degree from Colgate University.
Ghali joins the new firm after serving as a partner at one of Atlanta’s most prominent litigation firms, Bondurant, Mixson & Elmore LLP, where he led the white collar criminal defense practice, founded the cyber & digital litigation practice, and represented numerous businesses and executives in complex business disputes. Ghali previously served as a U.S. Department of Justice white collar and cybercrime prosecutor for over six years, including as a Deputy Chief at the Atlanta U.S. Attorney’s Office and clerked for a federal appellate judge and a federal trial judge. He obtained his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School, where he graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif and was an editor on the law review. He earned his undergraduate degree, magna cum laude, from Emory University.
About Chaiken Ghali LLP
Founded by former federal prosecutors David M. Chaiken and Kamal Ghali, Chaiken Ghali LLP is a white collar litigation and investigations law firm based in Atlanta with additional offices pending in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The firm represents companies, business executives, and other professionals in highly sensitive investigations being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), and other government and industry regulators; in corporate internal investigations; and in complex business litigation. See www.chaikenghali.com for more information.
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Hellerman Communications
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