Winston M. Paes is a litigation partner and a member of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group. He is a seasoned trial lawyer and advises clients on complex matters concerning white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement, internal investigations and civil litigation. Mr. Paes also serves as Co-Chair of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at the firm.
Mr. Paes is ranked as a leading lawyer in Chambers USA (2021-2024), where he is said to be “absolutely skilled as a tactician and professional.” Clients have also reported that “He is excellent on both written work, in that he is a great persuasive writer, and also on his feet, in that he is an extremely experienced trial lawyer.” Other clients note that “He thoroughly grounds himself in the fundamentals of what his clients are talking about” and that he is “a brilliant, strategic lawyer who has tremendous respect from his time in the government.”
Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Paes served for nine years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, the final two years of which he spent as Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section. As Section Chief, Mr. Paes supervised a team of 20 experienced federal prosecutors focused on white collar matters. Under his leadership, the EDNY significantly expanded its white collar practice and prosecuted several of the Department of Justice’s most high-profile matters. Before his appointment as a Section Chief, Mr. Paes also served as the Deputy Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section and Supervisor of the Department of Justice’s Medicare Fraud Task Force.
During his tenure as a federal prosecutor, Mr. Paes investigated and prosecuted a number of notable criminal matters, primarily related to securities and accounting fraud, insider trading, cybercrime, kickback schemes, money laundering, and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Bank Secrecy Act and Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. In his leadership position, Mr. Paes worked closely with senior officials at the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and other foreign and local regulators. He successfully tried 10 jury trials, including six white collar trials, and argued 12 appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He is also a recipient of the Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance and the Inspectors General Council’s Excellence in Litigation Award.
From 2003 until 2008, Mr. Paes was a litigation associate for a major international law firm. Mr. Paes earned his J.D. magna cum laude from Brooklyn Law School in 2003, and received his B.A. magna cum laude from the State University of New York, Stony Brook in 1998.
Mr. Paes is a member of the New York City Bar Association’s White Collar Crime Committee and a member of Board of Directors of the Justice Resource Center and Brooklyn Law School’s Alumni Association. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Sonia & Celina Sotomayor Judicial Internship Program.