Lauren E. Briggerman
Member
VICE CHAIR, LITIGATION | PRACTICE CO-LEAD, CARTEL INVESTIGATION & LITIGATION
Lauren Briggerman serves as Vice Chair of Miller & Chevalier's Litigation Department and Practice Co-Lead of the firm's Cartel Investigation & Litigation Practice. She focuses her practice on white collar criminal defense and related civil litigation. She represents corporations and executives in government investigations, including in the areas of criminal antitrust, financial services/securities fraud, government contracts fraud, among others. She also represents clients in white collar-related civil litigation with a focus on complex and cross-border civil litigation, including Racketeer Influenced and Corruption Organizations Act (RICO), trade secrets misappropriation, and computer hacking, foreign discovery cases under 28 U.S.C. § 1782, and sanctions enforcement cases.
In particular, she has developed expertise in global cartel investigations and follow-on civil class actions and serves as co-lead of the firm's Cartel Investigation & Litigation practice. Recognized by Legal 500 as "highly talented, experienced, and committed" litigator who "brings a lot of experience to the table," she has a successful track record in defending companies and executives in some of the most notable international and complex cartel investigations in recent years, including those involving the auto parts, air cargo, freight forwarding, pharmaceutical, and poultry production industries. She also has experience in Department of Justice's (DOJ's) recent criminal "no-poach" investigations into alleged collusion in the labor market.
In addition, Ms. Briggerman specializes in representing executives in financial services and securities-related investigations, including before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), DOJ, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). She successfully defended against prosecution numerous executives in the DOJ, SEC, and OCC investigations into improper sales practices at Wells Fargo. She also has represented executives in follow-on securities class actions.
Ms. Briggerman writes and speaks frequently on white collar issues. She is the co-executive editor of the firm's Executives at Risk newsletter, a quarterly publication that reports on the most noteworthy cases and investigations implicating corporate executives. She is also a founding member of the Women's Antitrust Forum, a Washington, DC-based organization that brings together women antitrust practitioners for professional development purposes. In addition, she holds leadership positions in the Women's White Collar Defense Association and American Bar Association's (ABA's) International Cartel Task Force and serves as Vice Chair of the Compliance & Ethics Committee in the ABA's Antitrust Law Section.
She previously clerked for the Honorable Thomas C. Wheeler of the United States Court of Federal Claims.
Representative Engagements
Criminal Antitrust & Related Civil Litigation
- Defended a poultry producer from indictment in DOJ's investigation into price-fixing and bid-rigging in the broiler chicken industry, which is DOJ's largest, current cartel investigation and has resulted in charges against two other companies and at least 10 executives.
- Representing a foreign executive who was indicted for allegedly participating in a scheme to rig bids and fix prices for fuel supply contracts with the U.S. military.
- Represented a former executive of a defense contractor staffing company in DOJ's investigation into alleged labor market collusion.
- Representing numerous pharmaceutical executives in the DOJ's investigation into price-fixing in the generic drug industry and the follow-on multi-district civil litigation.
- Defended numerous corporate executives against prosecution in the DOJ's investigation into alleged cartel conduct in the auto parts industry, the Department's largest antitrust investigation in history. As a result, none of them has been prosecuted by the DOJ.
- Successfully defended from prosecution the CEO of a public company that manufactures construction materials in a price-fixing investigation by the DOJ's Antitrust Division.
- Obtained a rare nolo contendere ("no contest") plea for a U.S.-based cargo airline in a criminal case in U.S. District Court in Miami involving alleged antitrust violations in the air cargo industry. As a result, the company did not have to plead guilty to a federal crime.
- Defended a public company against allegations of price-fixing in the freight forwarding industry in at least eight countries, including the U.S. As a result of these efforts, our team has convinced all but one of the jurisdictions to drop their investigations into the company.
Financial Services/Securities Enforcement & Related Civil Litigation
- Successfully defended numerous executives of Wells Fargo in investigations by the SEC, DOJ, and OCC into improper sales practices by the Community Bank and in related civil litigation.
- Successfully defended executives of Wells Fargo in SEC and Southern District of New York (SDNY) investigations into allegations concerning the bank's diversity hiring practices.
- Defended two former executives of a U.S. bank against the FDIC in a five-week federal jury trial involving the bank's failure.
Civil and Criminal Fraud Investigations and Litigation
- Lead and coordinating global counsel to U.S. companies and company executives who were victims of a multi-year international hacking effort. We developed and implemented a global strategy to hold the hackers accountable, which included lawsuits in multiple jurisdictions:
- Defended the business owner and managed the U.K. legal team in a breach of contract suit brought in London by an emirate of the United Arab Emirates, which was resolved in our client's favor and with a large judgement awarded to him.
- Brought a RICO suit in the SDNY against a global law firm and multiple co-conspirators for a multi-year scheme to harm our client by initiating fraudulent litigation, unfounded law enforcement investigations, and a deceptive media campaign. We obtained a settlement from three of the defendants and are continuing to litigate against eight others.
- Litigating a federal lawsuit for trade secrets misappropriation in the Middle District of North Carolina against a private investigator and his company, who were involved in the hacking ring.
- Defended one of the top 200 largest construction companies in the United States in a joint investigation by DOJ's Antitrust Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office in DC for alleged anti-competitive fraud in performing small business set-aside contracts with the government.
Anti-Bribery, Anti-Corruption, and Anti-Money Laundering Investigations
- Represented the audit committee of a multi-national food processing company in connection with government allegations into improper interactions with government officials in Latin America and EMEA.
- Represented a manufacturing company in an FCPA-related internal and government investigation, which resulted in DOJ's decision not to prosecute the company.
- Represented a financial technology company in money laundering allegations in the U.K., which involved overseeing a broad-based team of local counsel, private investigators, and public relations experts in order to investigate the allegations and ultimately secure return of our client's funds.
- Successfully defended from prosecution the former CEO of a publicly-traded, multinational company in a DOJ/SEC investigation into allegations that company employees in China bribed Chinese public officials.
- Obtained an extremely favorable sentence for an Afghan construction company and a senior executive in criminal cases in U.S. District Courts in Chicago and Honolulu involving alleged bribery of U.S. military officials located in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Government Experience
- Legal Intern, United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, 2006
- Legislative Assistant, Congressman Marty Meehan, United States House of Representatives, 2003 - 2005
- Legislative Correspondent, Senator Paul Sarbanes, United States Senate, 2001 - 2003
Rankings and Recognition
- Who's Who Legal: Investigations - Future Leaders: Partners, 2019 - 2020, 2022, 2024
- Legal 500: Antitrust: Cartel, 2017 - 2023
- Legal 500: Dispute Resolution: Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense, 2023
- Washington, DC Super Lawyers®: Rising Star, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2018 - 2019
- DC Bar Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2015, 2017 - 2018, 2020
- DC Bar Capital Pro Bono High Honor Roll, 2016
- Client Service Excellence Award, Paul Hastings LLP, 2013
- George Washington University Law School Community Legal Clinics Volunteer Service Award, 2008
Affiliations
- Member, International Cartel Task Force, Antitrust Law Section, American Bar Association
- Founding Member, Women's Antitrust Forum
- Member, American Bar Association Cartel & Criminal Practice Committee
- Member, Litigation Section, American Bar Association
- Member, Antitrust Section, American Bar Association
- Member, Development Committee, Women's White Collar Defense Association
Admissions
State Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
Court Admissions
- United States Court of Federal Claims
Clerkships
- Clerk, The Honorable Thomas C. Wheeler, United States Court of Federal Claims
News and Events
Events
Speaking Engagement
Artificial Intelligence Under the Antitrust Radar
Speaking Engagement
2024 International Cartel Workshop
Speaking Engagement
2023 ASA Staffing Law Conference
Publications
Internal Publication
Executives at Risk: Summer 2024
Internal Publication
Executives at Risk: Winter 2023-2024
External Publication
DOJ's New Safe Harbor Policy Raises Stakes on M&A Due Diligence
External Publication
DOJ's M&A Safe Harbor Policy Raises Stakes on Due Diligence and Compliance Programs
Internal Publication