A partner and co-chair of the Litigation Department, Theodore V. Wells, Jr. has extensive litigation experience in white-collar criminal defense, complex civil and corporate litigation, SEC regulatory work, FCPA investigations, environmental matters and class action litigation.

In 2010 The National Law Journal named Mr. Wells one of "The Decade's Most Influential Lawyers" and over the years has repeatedly selected him as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. Mr. Wells also has been recognized as one of the outstanding jury trial lawyers in the United States by numerous publications including Chambers USA 2006 which noted he “is recognized by many as ‘the greatest trial lawyer of our generation.’” Chambers has named him a Star Performer for nationwide trial litigation since 2010, for New York general commercial litigation since 2009 and for New York white-collar crime and government investigations since 2009. He was described in the 2011 edition as “a charismatic litigator with exceptional trial experience and excellent judgment." In addition, he was recently recognized by the 2011 Legal 500 as a “leading trial lawyer” and a “remarkably successful” white-collar criminal defense lawyer.

In 2010, Mr. Wells successfully defended Citigroup in a three-week jury trial where the plaintiff, the London-based private equity firm Terra Firma, claimed it was defrauded in connection with its purchase of the music company EMI, and claimed over $7 billion in damages.

In 2008, Mr. Wells successfully defended Citigroup in a five-month civil jury trial where the plaintiff alleged that Citigroup aided and abetted in the massive fraud at Parmalat, the Italian dairy and food corporation. The jury totally rejected the $2 billion claim for damages against Citigroup and also awarded Citigroup $364 million on Citigroup’s counterclaim.

Some of Mr. Wells’ significant and publicly reported representations include:

• the successful defense of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Michael Espy in U.S. v. Espy;
  
  
• the successful defense of U.S. Secretary of Labor Raymond Donovan and other corporate executives in State v. Schiavone;
  
  
• the successful defense of U.S. Senator Robert Torricelli in the Department of Justice’s three-year campaign finance investigation;
  
  
• the successful defense of investment banker Frank Quattrone for obstruction of justice charges;
  
  
• defense of I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, chief of staff to former Vice President Dick Cheney, on perjury charges in U.S. v. Libby;
  
  
• the successful defense of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer for possible violations of federal statutes;
  
  
• the successful defense of Margaret Flake and U.S. Congressman Floyd Flake in U.S. v. Flake;
  
  
• the successful defense of Tennessee financier Franklin L. Haney, accused of campaign contribution law violations in connection with the Clinton/Gore 1996 Presidential campaign in U.S. v. Haney; and
  
  
• the successful defense of San Francisco investment banker Calvin Grigsby of fraud charges involving the Port of Miami and Dade County, Florida in U.S. v. Grigsby.

In addition to defending a number of political figures, Mr. Wells has also represented numerous corporate executives and corporations in jury trials, grand jury investigations and before the SEC. Mr. Wells also has extensive experience in representing major pharmaceutical companies in criminal and civil matters involving off-label marketing issues. 

More specifically, he has defended:

• financier Michael Milken in various criminal and civil securities litigations;
  
  
• financier Michael Steinhardt in the Salomon Brothers Treasury Investigation;
  
  
• hedge fund manager James Regan in the first Wall Street RICO prosecution in U.S. v. Regan;
  
  
• Carnival Corporation in U.S. v. Carnival Corporation (environmental prosecution); and
  
  
• Exxon Mobil Corporation in U.S. v. Exxon (environmental prosecution).

Mr. Wells also has extensive experience in representing major corporations in massive class action litigations, including Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Mitsubishi Corporation, Carnival Corporation and Philip Morris Corporation.

In addition, Mr. Wells has successfully defended major law firms in malpractice actions.

With extensive experience in corporate governance issues, Mr. Wells previously served on the Board of Directors of CIT Corporation, a New York Stock Exchange company, where he was a member of CIT’s audit committee. Mr. Wells is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. He has served as co-chair of the White-Collar Criminal Section of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He has been a faculty member of the Practising Law Institute Trial Advocacy Program, a teaching team member of the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Workshop and a lecturer at the Securities Regulation Institute. He has lectured on the use and scope of the RICO statute, the defense of securities and environmental criminal and civil matters, federal grand jury procedures and federal sentencing guidelines.

Active in social, political and community affairs, Mr. Wells served as national treasurer for Senator Bill Bradley’s presidential campaign and is the chairman emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund Board of Directors. He previously served, on a pro bono basis, as general counsel to the New Jersey NAACP, New Jersey co-chairperson of the United Negro College Fund and general counsel to the New Jersey Democratic Party.

Mr. Wells served as an editor of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review.