Debevoise & Plimpton LLP white collar partner Helen Cantwell has been named one of the “Litigators of the Year” by The American Lawyer for her exceptional litigation achievements for her clients over the last two years. Helen was one of only eight lawyers across the U.S. to receive this honor at this year’s annual awards dinner in New York on December 2.
Known for her strategy of investigating meticulously and fighting relentlessly, Ms. Cantwell has successfully represented numerous high-profile public companies facing complex government investigations with the potential for serious criminal and financial penalties. Among her key achievements, Ms. Cantwell led and completed a high-profile cyber incident investigation for Capital One which helped verify the strength of the bank’s cyber defense program; concluded a years-long Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) matter for the bank related to its now-defunct portfolio of check cashers; and negotiated a reduced civil penalty for Toyota involving allegations related to emissions reporting. In January, for achieving two major settlements in one week, she was named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer.
More recently, Ms. Cantwell supervised the trial team which secured a victory pro bono for a young man who had been swept up in a gang-related indictment and sentenced to 15 years in prison even though his trial involved serious juror misconduct. The Debevoise team won him a new trial, and successfully achieved an acquittal on all but one of his six charges. The client walked out of the courthouse a free man in late October.
Ms. Cantwell is a member of Debevoise’s award-winning White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group which is ranked as one of the world’s top practices by Global Investigations Review and as Band 1 by Chambers on both sides of the Atlantic for its complex representations of clients facing litigation and public policy crises. The Group has been involved in some of the most significant investigations and resolutions over the past few years, and offers international and domestic clients a depth of experience and global reach that allows for effective and strategic counsel, from defending against criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions, to conducting internal investigations, negotiating complex global settlements and facilitating cooperation with government regulators.