Sound Bar: A Goodwin Podcast on White Collar Defense

Miranda Hooker, formerly AUSA for the District of Massachusetts and now a White Collar Partner at Pepper Hamilton, joins Sound Bar to discuss how the journey between federal government and private practice has shaped her as a lawyer today. Miranda reflects on her experience as a white collar defense lawyer both before and after being a prosecutor, and why AUSAs should never say that they represent the United States.

Brackett Denniston, senior counsel at Goodwin, joins Sound Bar to discuss his perspective on white collar defense based on his years as General Counsel at GE. Brackett shares his thoughts about DOJ policies and GE’s culture of compliance.

Josh Levy, partner at law firm Ropes & Gray, joins Sound Bar to discuss the ins and outs of representing organizations in criminal investigations. Is cooperating with the government the only option? Can corporations ever escape the shadow of the Arthur Andersen prosecution and (therefore) destruction?

Jeremy Sternberg, partner at law firm Holland & Knight, joins Sound Bar to take a behind-the-scenes look at the federal jury in theory and practice. Is the grand jury just the tool of the prosecutor? You bet, and you’ll find out why.

Guest Jody Godoy, Senior White Collar Reporter at Law360, joins Sound Bar to discuss how prosecutors, white collar defense lawyers and judges are being forced to pivot in their roles while dealing with courthouse closures, investigations and other effects from the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. How do lawyers approach the bench while social distancing? What happens to grand jury proceedings? Is COVID-19 the new “get out of jail free” card?

Guest David Pitofsky, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Newscorp, joins Sound Bar to discuss David’s prosecution of a company called Computer Associates when he was an Assistant United States Attorney in Brooklyn. The case had many interesting angles, and is a virtual primer on corporate obstruction.

Guest Michelle Peirce, co-chair of law firm Barrett & Singal’s Litigation practice, joins Sound Bar and we discuss the role of Upjohn warnings in internal investigations, including in the famous Broadcom case. Does anyone really understand Upjohn warnings? Does it matter?

Guest Mark Pearlstein, partner at law firm McDermott, Will & Emery, joins Sound Bar to discuss with Jim how reports of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball turned into a high priority yet controversial federal criminal investigation. We take a swing at analyzing “The BALCO Scandal” and how it ultimately led to BALCO’s demise as well as the investigation, prosecution and ultimate vindication of San Francisco Giants star Barry Bonds.

What do you know about white collar crime? Welcome to Sound Bar with your host Jim Rehnquist. Sound Bar offers fresh insights on significant cases, institutions and trends from players who together shape the legal developments and trends in the high-stakes world of white collar criminal defense.