Three Former Federal Prosecutors Join Faegre Drinker’s White Collar Team

Faegre Drinker announced today that three powerhouse female former federal prosecutors, partners Carolyn McNiven and Jessica Natali and associate Brittany Fisher, joined the firm’s litigation group in San Francisco and Philadelphia. With a national white collar defense practice spanning both the East and West Coasts, the trio moved as a team from another large international law firm where they defended a variety of private and public companies and individuals primarily in the health care, life sciences, and financial services sectors in government enforcement matters.

The three draw on their collective 60+ year experience in handling federal criminal and civil enforcement cases to advise clients on issues of strategy and exposure, vigorously defend clients at trial and pre-trial hearings, and navigate optimal resolutions in highly sensitive (often bet-the-company) matters. McNiven and Natali are both ranked by Chambers as Band 2 for White Collar Criminal Defense in their respective states. 

McNiven was the criminal health care fraud coordinator and Deputy Chief of the Complex Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago). In that capacity she established that office’s HEAT Strike Force and lead a team of 20+ prosecutors conducting health care fraud investigations and prosecutions. Since leaving the government in 2010 and returning to her roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, she has become nationally known for her representation of health care sector defendants including manufacturers, providers, executives, and licensed professionals in criminal investigations, prosecutions, and False Claims Act cases (federal and state). McNiven also routinely represents non-health sector clients, including those accused of committing financial crimes or otherwise violating federal or state law. McNiven is known for zeroing in on key facts, assessing evidence and exposure, formulating creative legal arguments, and negotiating optimal results for clients.

Although a skilled defense attorney, McNiven leans into compliance; among other things, she has designed compliance programs and trainings, performed compliance assessments, and spent two years overseeing on-the-ground anti-corruption compliance in India for a Fortune 50 company. McNiven serves as Faegre Drinker’s West Coast white collar team leader.

Natali, a Philadelphia native with deep connections to the region, handled numerous high-profile matters as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for over a decade, including a wide variety of complex investigations and prosecutions including a much-publicized prosecution of a medical doctor accused of heinous crimes. Natali led the federal investigation of Dr. Kermit Gosnell, who plead guilty to operating a massive pill-mill in West Philadelphia. Since joining private practice, she has become one of Philadelphia’s “go to” white collar defense attorneys in the region. As a Chambers USA ranked attorney for Pennsylvania White Collar matters, she is known as an aggressive advocate on behalf of clients who knows how to deliver outstanding results. She has represented public officials, health care entities including large medical device companies, financial services entities, and individuals in a variety of enforcement matters including qui tam False Claims Act cases, criminal prosecutions, state grand jury matters and internal investigations. Natali routinely counsels clients in the financial services industry, and she also advises on civil litigation strategy, risk mitigation, and compliance. 

Natali is considered a thought leader in the area of health care fraud and is a frequent speaker on topics involving civil and criminal health care enforcement. Natali served as Chair of the Federal Criminal Law Committee for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in 2022-23. 

Fisher is both an experienced former criminal prosecutor (Eastern District of Virginia) and an e-discovery subject matter authority. A strong writer with a stellar academic background, Fisher has been an important addition to trial teams since re-joining private practice after her government service. Earlier in her career, as a judicial clerk for the Western District of Virginia and a staff attorney for the Fourth Circuit, Fisher conducted comprehensive research regarding tax, bankruptcy, white collar crime, and various aspects of the federal sentencing guidelines. She received her B.A. from University of Virginia, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.

“Carolyn, Jessica and Brittany bring an impressive track record of successful defense practice to our team,” said Erica MacDonald and Henry Van Dyck, co-leaders of Faegre Drinker’s white collar defense and investigations team. “We bring clients creativity, tenacity and most importantly, results. These three display excellence in and out of the courtroom, and we are thrilled they are joining the firm.”  

“I’m excited to lead the firm’s West Coast white collar team and can’t wait to bring all the strengths Faegre Drinker has to offer to clients,” said McNiven.

“Carolyn and I have known and admired our counterparts at Faegre Drinker for years and are excited to join forces with them to service clients across the United States. The bench strength of the Faegre Drinker team – particularly in the health care enforcement defense practice space – is really second to none,” said Natali.

Their arrivals follow 14 other partners and counsel who have joined Faegre Drinker’s litigation group in the past 12 months including a trial team that joined in Philadelphia last September and Josh Anderson in Los Angeles, leader of the West Coast class actions team for the business litigation group, who joined the firm in May.

With its team of litigators, Faegre Drinker’s litigation group is equipped to provide comprehensive on-the-ground litigation support wherever disputes involving clients may arise.

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