White Collar & Regulatory Defense in Europe

Debevoise Has Successfully Acted on Some of Europe Highest-Profile and Market-Shaping White Collar and Regulatory Defense Matters


Debevoise has one of the leading European White Collar & Regulatory Defense practices, advising on government investigations and enforcement actions, conducting internal investigations, leading white collar criminal defense representations of individuals, and providing compliance advice (including reviews and due diligence).

With capability in London, Paris and Frankfurt, the team is made up of multidisciplinary, multilingual lawyers with backgrounds practicing in the U.S., at the criminal bar, in government (including a former UK Attorney General) and in-house.

Such rounded experience is a significant differentiator of the team. It has an acute understanding of European regulators and enforcement agencies, as well as the impact of non-European agencies, especially from the U.S.

Debevoise’s European practice mirrors the approach of the wider firm in working strategically with clients. It applies its understanding of the enforcement landscape and client business issues to devise strategies that anticipate, identify and respond to the global risks clients face in today’s climate.

The European team is part of a global practice with strength across the U.S., Europe and Asia that few firms can match. This global strength is a key advantage of the practice given the often multijurisdictional nature of these matters. Many of the practice’s engagements have also seen it work in conjunction with local counsel to represent clients in front of many European government agencies.

The major legal directories continue to place the practice at the forefront of white collar and regulatory defense issues across Europe. Chambers Europe quotes clients as saying, “the group works to an extremely high level of expertise. We have used many members of the team in several countries, and there isn’t a weak link in the chain.” Chambers UK states simply that “Debevoise are experts and the quality shines through.”