Experience

- Sberbank in its successful challenge to the jurisdiction of the English High Court to hear a $300 million conspiracy claim brought by a subsidiary of Russian bank VTB.
- Petro Poroshenko, the fifth President of Ukraine, in his victory in the High Court of England & Wales, successfully challenging the jurisdiction of the English courts to hear a $250+ million conspiracy claim brought against him and the former head of the National Bank of Ukraine, related to the nationalization and bail-in of PrivatBank, Ukraine’s largest bank.
- Capital One in a resolution with FinCEN regarding its AML program, without criminal charges being filed.
- Société Générale in securing a deferred prosecution agreement and first coordinated resolution between the DOJ and France’s Parquet National Financier regarding claims of potential corruption of foreign officials in Libya.
- The Board of a major financial institution in responding to inquiries from the U.S. House Financial Services Committee.
- A leading financial institution in government investigations into Russian money laundering activity.
- Admirals Bank in restructuring operations in the face of complex bank regulatory and enforcement defense issues with the Office of Comptroller of the Currency.
- Bank Hapoalim in a cross-border tax investigation by the United States Department of Justice, Federal Reserve, and New York Department of Financial Services.
- Four separate Swiss banks in the DOJ’s program designed to encourage Swiss banks to cooperate in the DOJ’s investigations of the use of foreign bank accounts to commit tax evasion.
- The Board of Directors of Capital One Financial Corp. in obtaining dismissal with prejudice of a shareholder derivative action alleging that the board members breached their duty of loyalty by consciously disregarding their responsibility to oversee the company’s compliance with various anti-money laundering laws.
- Habib Bank in litigation and a negotiated settlement with the NYDFS relating to AML/BSA compliance and assisting Habib in winding down the business of their NY branch.
- A national bank in the successful dismissal of a False Claims Act case related to the servicing of mortgages.
- A global financial institution in a DOJ investigation of potential FCPA violations involving its private equity arm, resulting in the DOJ declining prosecution and closing its investigation.
- A major credit card company in responding to a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau investigation regarding consumer card account opening practices.

Debevoise & Plimpton’s Banking Enforcement & Litigation practice represents a diverse array of financial institutions on a comprehensive range of regulatory enforcement and related matters.For more than a decade, the banking and financial services industries have been the target of unprecedented investigation, litigation and enforcement activity by authorities across the globe, and with the recent change in administration in Washington, D.C., federal enforcement activity is only likely to increase. Debevoise stands ready to represent our clients in their most complex and consequential matters, including:

Banking Enforcement;

Broker-Dealer Enforcement;

Anti-Money Laundering;

Sanctions;

CFPB/Consumer Enforcement;

NYAG and NYDFS Enforcement; and

Resulting Civil Litigation, including Class Actions.

Our depth of experience carries a high degree of credibility with regulators, which in turn results in practical advice that aids in negotiations with state and federal regulators and other parties involved in contentious matters.We also have deep experience representing clients in their most high-stakes, high-profile Congressional investigations, including negotiating with committee staff to reduce our clients’ exposure, preparing witnesses to navigate difficult partisan hearings, and tailoring our clients’ messaging to the interests of individual members and the broader political landscape.Our collaborative, cross-departmental firm culture, supported by our lockstep compensation model, means there are no impediments to accessing the most qualified Debevoise lawyers, in any practice and office, to deliver the best advice possible to our clients. Clients value and praise the quality of our work, our responsiveness, and the commercial judgment we bring to every representation.