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- Home
- Professionals
- Bruce A. Baird
Bruce Baird, one of the country’s leading white collar defense and securities enforcement attorneys, recommended by Chambers, Best Lawyers, Legal 500 and others, has successfully avoided, resolved, or fought hundreds of securities, antitrust, international trade controls, and other criminal and regulatory enforcement cases over a 40-year career.
He is a skilled trial lawyer, negotiator, investigator and a trusted advisor to senior management and Boards of Directors faced with government or internal investigations.
- In February 2017, obtained a sweeping jury verdict for client Efans Trading Corporation against the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office in a landmark federal civil forfeiture case.
- Obtained withdrawal of charges and satisfactory settlements on behalf of multiple financial institutions in SEC and DOJ investigations.
- Persuaded DOJ to drop charges or suspend investigations in numerous criminal cartel investigations.
- Persuaded SEC to end lengthy investigation against a major U.S. exporter of equipment in an FCPA case.
- Conducted major financial and fraud investigations on behalf of Board Committees and senior management.
- Representing JPMorgan Chase in an SEC investigation.
- Representing Jefferies & Company, Inc. in SEC and NASD investigations.
- Representing the Securities Industry Association on securities enforcement aspects of the Sarbanes-Oxley legislation.
- Representing numerous NASDAQ and New York Stock Exchange companies and executives in DOJ and SEC investigations of insider trading and financial fraud and related civil securities actions.
- Representing U.S. and foreign companies and individuals in criminal antitrust investigations into price fixing and customer allocation.
- Representing pharmaceutical and medical device companies as well as hospitals and medical practices in DOJ and FDA investigations of kickbacks, false claims and other fraud.
- Representing foreign and domestic companies in international trade controls and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cases.
- Representing government contractors in criminal false claims act cases and associated qui tam cases.
- Testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee on criminal enforcement aspects of pending press shield legislation.
Pro Bono
- Testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on pending press shield legislation.
- Led a team in presenting a prosecutorial misconduct motion in a pending death penalty case.
- Supervise criminal trials and appeal.
Memberships and Affiliations
- ABA Section on Criminal Justice White Collar Crime Committee, past Chair of Subcommittee on Securities and Commodities Fraud
- ABA Section on Litigation Criminal Litigation Committee
- ABA Section on Business Law Complex Crimes Committee
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York
- Federal Bar Council
Previous Experience
- Mr. Baird’s experience includes a year as Special Assistant to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States and nine years as an Assistant United States Attorney in Manhattan, where he was Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force. In this latter role, he was responsible for all criminal securities cases, including those against Michael Milken and Drexel Burnham Lambert, as described in the book “Den of Thieves” by James B. Stewart.
April 26, 2013, Covington E-Alert
Summer 2009, Antitrust
January 20, 2021, Covington Alert
Based on the top-line numbers, 2020 was a banner year for U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) enforcement. We saw several record-setting fines as U.S.-recovered penalties from corporate resolutions totaled more than $2.75 billion—the highest on record; and a new company entered the all-time U.S. recoveries Top 10 resolutions list. While some commentators ...
January 30, 2020, Covington Alert
It has been another strong year in anti-corruption enforcement, with 2019 meeting or beating the high-water mark for enforcement across a number of measurements.
2020, 8 Va. J. Crim. L. 1
Q1 2019, Covington Alert
It was business as usual for FCPA enforcement in 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) collected a total of $1 billion from seventeen corporate defendants, including through their share of two high-value, multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions. DOJ also announced thirteen new FCPA prosecutions ...
Winter 2019, Covington Alert
It was business as usual for FCPA enforcement in 2018. The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) collected a total of $1 billion from seventeen corporate defendants, including through their share of two high-value, multi-jurisdictional enforcement actions. DOJ also announced thirteen new FCPA prosecutions ...
January 25, 2018, Covington Advisory
Our message this year is simple: FCPA enforcement is here to stay. Despite pre-election statements to the contrary, various senior officials in the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) have, over the past year, consistently reaffirmed DOJ’s and the SEC’s commitment to FCPA enforcement.
June 7, 2017, Covington Alert
On Monday, in Kokesh v. SEC, the Supreme Court handed a major loss to the Securities and Exchange Commission, unanimously holding that SEC claims for disgorgement of ill-gotten gains are subject to a five-year statute of limitations. The Kokesh decision also calls into question the proper measure of disgorgement (e.g., gross versus net profits) and even whether ...
June 7, 2017, Covington Alert
On Monday, in Kokesh v. SEC,1 the Supreme Court handed a major loss to the Securities and Exchange Commission, unanimously holding that SEC claims for disgorgement of ill-gotten gains are subject to a five-year statute of limitations. For decades, the SEC had taken the position that its disgorgement claims could reach back indefinitely, and recently obtained a ...
February 24, 2017, Law360
Law360 highlights Covington’s successful representation of Efans Trading Corporation in a civil forfeiture case against the U.S. Government. “Justice took a long time here, but it was finally done,” says Bruce Baird. “The government should never have brought a case like this and the jury essentially told them so.” The Covington team was led by partners Ben Razi ...
Jury Rejects U.S. Seizure of Luxury Cars From Exporters
February 23, 2017, The New York Times
The New York Times highlights Covington’s successful representation of Efans Trading Corporation in a civil forfeiture case against the U.S. Government in a “rare courtroom defeat.” “We are grateful that the jury saw this case for the government overreach that it was,” says Ben Razi. “Even with the victory they deserved, this case took a tremendous toll on our ...
February 23, 2017, The Litigation Daily
Ben Razi and Bruce Baird were named “Litigators of the Week” by The Litigation Daily for successfully representing Efans Trading Corporation in a civil forfeiture case against the U.S. Government. Following a seven-day trial before U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Polk Failla in the Southern District of New York, the Covington team persuaded the jury that the ...
January 4, 2017, Covington Alert
One piece of the ongoing debate over the Securities and Exchange Commission’s use of Administrative Law Judges to adjudicate enforcement actions may be heading to the U.S. Supreme Court. On December 27, 2016, in Bandimere v. SEC, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit invalidated SEC sanctions against an individual on the ground that the ALJ who ...
September 2014, Financial Fraud Law Report
August 18, 2014
WASHINGTON, DC, August 18, 2014 — Best Lawyers named Covington & Burling’s Stuart Eizenstat and Gregg Levy each a 2015 “Lawyer of the Year” in international trade and sports law, respectively, citing their “abilities, professionalism and integrity.” Overall, Covington lawyers received 217 individual mentions in 58 areas of law in the newly released annual survey ...
June 25, 2014, Covington E-Alert
United States v. Esquenazi - U.S. Court of Appeals Clarifies FCPA's 'Foreign Official' Standard
May 23, 2014, Covington Advisory
November 21, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC, November 21, 2013 — Washingtonian magazine has named 34 Covington & Burling attorneys as “Best Lawyers” in its December issue. The biennial list, compiled by the magazine’s editorial staff, identifies leading lawyers in the Washington area. Of the hundreds of “Best Lawyers” identified in the issue, Washingtonian spotlights 14 leading Washington ...
October 14, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC, October 14, 2013 — Covington & Burling partners Bruce Baird and David Bayless were named to Securities Docket’s inaugural “Enforcement 40,” the publication’s list of the “40 best and brightest securities enforcement defense lawyers in the business.” The names were announced at the conclusion of this year’s Securities Enforcement Forum, held ...
Fall 2013, 20th Annual Securities Litigation and Regulatory Practice Seminar
June 24, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC, June 24, 2013 — The National Law Journal named Covington & Burling today as the winner of its Washington Litigation Department of the Year contest in the white collar defense practice category. “We are honored that the National Law Journal has recognized the many strengths of Covington’s white collar and investigations practice,” said Timothy ...
August 27, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC, August 27, 2012 — Covington & Burling LLP lawyers received 196 individual mentions in 57 areas of law in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top U.S. lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as ...
January 20, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC, January 20, 2012 — Law360 named Covington & Burling’s white collar defense and investigations practice as of one of the top five “White Collar Practice Groups of the Year.” In a profile about the firm’s practice published on Jan. 19th, Law360 noted the breadth of Covington’s clients and matters in the white collar practice area as a key reason ...
September 7, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC, September 7, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP lawyers received 184 individual mentions in 56 areas of law in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: ...
June 10, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC, June 10, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP received 123 individual mentions and 45 practice mentions in Chambers USA 2011. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...
June 9, 2011
WASHINGTON, DC, June 10, 2011 — Covington & Burling LLP received 92 individual mentions and 32 practice mentions in the Legal 500 US 2011 edition. Legal 500 reviews the strengths and strategies of law firms in more than 90 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...
January 2011, Covington E-Alert
December 7, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, December 7, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Edward Yingling, President and CEO of the American Bankers Association (ABA), will be joining the firm as a partner. His practice will focus on advising financial institutions on regulatory, transactional, enforcement, and legislative matters, with particular emphasis on ...
September 23, 2010, Covington E-Alert
August 6, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, August 6, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 138 individual mentions in 40 areas of law in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...
June 23, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, June 23, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 85 individual mentions and 23 practice mentions in the Legal 500 US 2010 edition. Legal 500 reviews the strengths and strategies of law firms in more than 90 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, North and South America, and the Caribbean. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...
June 16, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, June 16, 2010 — Covington & Burling LLP received 112 individual mentions and 44 practice mentions in Chambers USA 2010. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...
April 29, 2010, Covington E-Alert
March 18, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC, March 18, 2010 — Forty-five Covington & Burling LLP lawyers are recognized in the 2010 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers. The annual list by Super Lawyers selects only five percent of the total lawyers who practice in Washington based on peer review and the publication’s independent research. In addition, partners Deborah Garza and Robert Long have ...
January 14, 2010, Covington E-Alert
August 7, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC, August 7, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP received 131 individual mentions in 38 areas of law in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...
June 12, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC, June 12, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP received 100 individual mentions and 40 practice mentions in Chambers USA 2009. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington lawyers and practices ...
May 26, 2009, Covington E-Alert
Former Secretary Chertoff Joins Covington
3/26/2009
WASHINGTON, DC, March 26, 2009 — Covington & Burling LLP is pleased to announce that Michael Chertoff, most recently Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has joined the firm as senior of counsel. Mr. Chertoff previously served as a federal appeals court judge, as head of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, and as U.S. Attorney ...
September 29, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC, September 29, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received 124 individual mentions in 40 areas of law in the 2009 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The Covington lawyers recognized are as follows: Administrative: ...
June 16, 2008
WASHINGTON, DC, June 16, 2008 — Covington & Burling LLP received 81 individual mentions and 45 practice mentions in the newly released 2008 Chambers USA. The guidebook, which ranks lawyers by state and national practice area, is designed to identify the most skilled legal practitioners based on the qualities most valued by clients. Here are the Covington ...
September 6, 2007
WASHINGTON, DC, September 6, 2007 — Covington & Burling LLP received 115 individual mentions in 38 areas of law in the 2008 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. This annual compilation of top US lawyers is based on peer-review surveys and is used as a referral guide in the legal profession. The recipients are as follows: Administrative: E. Edward Bruce and ...
- Recognized by The Am Law Litigation Daily as a “Litigator of the Week” (2/23/2017).
- Named by Chambers USA as a Nationwide Leader in Securities Regulation (2009-2019).
- The Best Lawyers in America, White Collar Criminal Defense, Corporate Compliance, and Regulatory Enforcement Litigation (2005-2019)
- Recommended by the Legal 500 US for Antitrust (2014-2017), Securities Litigation (2014-2017), White Collar Criminal Defense (2008-2013).
- Benchmark Litigation, National Practice Area Star and Local Litigation Star (2020)
- Recognized by Securities Docket in its inaugural "Enforcement 40" list (2013).
- Washingtonian, Securities (2013)
- Endorsed by PLC, Which Lawyer? for White Collar Investigations (USA) (2010-2011).
- Washington DC Super Lawyers, Criminal Defense: White Collar (2007-2011, 2013-2019)
- Euromoney, Benchmark: Expert Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms and Attorneys, White Collar Litigation Star, National (2013-2016)
- Expert Guide to the World’s Leading White Collar Crime Lawyers (2010-2016)
- Global Competition Review, Who’s Who Legal: Competition (2013-2016)
- Global Investigation Review, Who’s Who Legal: Investigations (2013-2017)
- Who's Who in America, in the East, and in American Law (2007-present)