Rachel Tennell is a litigation associate and a member of the firm’s White Collar and Regulatory Defense Group, as well as the Workplace Culture & Equity Reviews and Investigations Group. Her practice focuses on white collar criminal investigations, internal investigations, sensitive investigations, and employment law matters. Ms. Tennell defends corporate and individual clients in criminal and regulatory enforcement matters, including in matters before the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). She has represented high-profile clients, including global insurance companies, publicly traded companies, investment advisers, and senior executives in complex regulatory matters, including allegations of insider trading, accounting and corporate disclosure issues, Department of Justice (“DOJ”) investigations, and the distribution of life insurance products.
An important part of Ms. Tennell’s practice is also representing clients pro bono in criminal matters across the country. Ms. Tennell has argued for clients in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and has written amicus briefs on behalf of clients in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ms. Tennell is the author of “Achieving Sensible AI Regulation,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (July, 2023); “The Supreme Court’s Upcoming Affirmative Action Decision: Potential Implications for Private-Sector Employers,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (June, 2023); and “Complying with New York’s AI Employment Law and Similar Regulations,” NYU Compliance & Enforcement (July, 2022).
Ms. Tennell joined Debevoise in 2020. She received her J.D. from Howard University School of Law, cum laude, in 2020. While there she served as a senior articles editor for the Howard Law Journal and a student attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic. Ms. Tennell received her B.A. from University of California Riverside, magna cum laude, in 2015.
She is a member of the New York bar and is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.