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White Collar Defense & Investigations

High Stakes

White Collar investigations into suspected illegal corporate activity, whether initiated as an internal investigation or at the behest of a government or regulatory body, are “high-stakes” by their very nature. Individual and corporate reputations, stakeholder trust, and ongoing business viability all rest on an adept response.

The Murphy Pearson White Collar Defense team aggressively represents many corporate and individual clients from the start of a government investigation through informal inquiry, pre-indictment, grand jury, jury trial, and other subsequent proceedings. Often, these representations are coordinated with our defense of related or anticipated civil, regulatory, or administrative proceedings arising from the same circumstances.

In addition, the Murphy Pearson White Collar Defense team prepares and represents witnesses, subjects and targets throughout the government investigative process, including in responding to subpoenas and testifying in Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and various State Attorney General Offices’ investigations and proceedings.

We are experienced in matters involving securities fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, tax fraud and evasion, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), False Claims Act (FCA) and California False Claims Act (CFCA), honest services fraud, cryptocurrency disputes and investigations, theft of trade secrets, environmental law, import and export law, national security matters, and United States Sanctions compliance.

Murphy Pearson attorneys analyze witnesses’ files and situations and provide clients with assessments of potential liability and likely areas of investigation. Murphy Pearson attorneys also thoroughly prepare witnesses for their testimony before government agencies.

The Murphy Pearson team also conducts internal investigations, identifies and facilitates potential voluntary reporting mitigation opportunities, and advises companies in establishing compliance policies, programs, and training.

An Insider’s Perspective

Founded by a nine-year veteran of the United States Attorney’s Office, the Murphy Pearson team consists of lawyers who previously served in federal and state agencies that enforce the laws and regulations governing business practices today, along with attorneys who have handled administrative, civil, and regulatory investigations on behalf of business owners and professionals for more than 30 years. These perspectives provide unique and highly qualified insights into internal investigations, as well as preparing a defense when a company or its executives face governmental scrutiny.


Experience

More and more professional service providers and business owners find themselves subject to claims of criminal activity, rather than, as in the past, claims of negligence or malpractice.

We represent:


Our White Collar Defense & Investigations Attorneys


News + Events

New Associate Joins SF Office

Murphy Pearson is thrilled to welcome associate Nicholas Vardeh (B.A., University of California, Berkeley/J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law) to the San Francisco team. Nicholas’ practice areas are Professional Liability and Personal Injury law. He previously litigated matters involving negligence, dangerous condition of public property, and products liability....

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Attorneys Bryan L.P. Saalfeld and Gerald Kipper Successfully Defend Client in $18.5 Million Wrongful Death Claim

In November, MPBF attorneys Bryan L. P. Saalfeld, and Gerald Kipper successfully defended their client from wrongful death claims during a 3-week jury trial.  After a half day of deliberation, the jury rejected Plaintiffs’ claims for $ 18.5 M in damages at trial, finding that MPBF’s client did not...

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2024 Wraps Up with 5 New Associates Joining Firm

Murphy Pearson is pleased to welcome five new associates to our San Francisco and Sacramento teams. After passing the bar in November, law clerks Isabella S. Strimling, Gianna Taormina, and Linda S. Tauscher officially joined the firm as associates this month. Practice areas include Professional Liability, Business, Sports &...

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