Lorin L. Reisner is a partner in the litigation department, Co-Chair of the White Collar and Regulatory Defense Practice and a member of the firm’s management committee. He has more than twenty-five years of experience representing companies, boards of directors and senior executives in a broad range of litigation and related matters. He previously served as a federal prosecutor and senior Securities and Exchange Commission enforcement official. Lorin’s practice emphasizes white collar matters, government investigations and complex business litigation.
From January 2012 through June 2014, Lorin served as Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he supervised the investigation and prosecution of federal crimes by a team of more than 160 Assistant U.S. Attorneys. The areas under his supervision included securities and commodities fraud, complex fraud and cybercrime, public corruption, terrorism and violent crime.
From 2009 until his appointment as Chief of the Criminal Division, Lorin served as the Deputy Director of the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In that position, he helped set enforcement priorities, supervised the work of the Division’s more than 900 investigative professionals nationwide, made enforcement recommendations to the Commission and oversaw the trial and related litigation activity of the Enforcement Division. While at the SEC, Lorin helped oversee and implement the most significant reorganization of the Enforcement Division in more than thirty years and helped lead the Commission’s most significant enforcement matters.
Lorin is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading lawyers in connection with government investigations and white collar matters. His earlier government service also included serving as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York from 1990-1994, where he investigated and prosecuted financial crimes, public corruption and racketeering crimes. As an AUSA, Lorin received the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney.
Some of Lorin’s significant and publicly reported representations have included:
- Successfully represented Bloomberg L.P. in a trial victory, following a nine-day bench trial in the Southern District of New York, involving termination of a licensing agreement with an overseas broadcasting company. The court rejected all claims against Bloomberg and ruled for Bloomberg on its counterclaims, awarding it damages, costs and attorneys’ fees;
- Successfully represented one of the world’s largest technology companies in connection with an SEC investigation relating to accounting and financial reporting issues – the investigation was terminated without any enforcement action;
- Successfully represented the founder and CEO of Under Armour, Inc. in connection with an SEC investigation involving financial reporting issues that was terminated without any enforcement action against our client, and subsequently served as trial counsel in a civil securities class action that settled shortly before trial;
- Successfully represented the former CEO of a public company, at a four week criminal trial that concluded in November 2021 with an acquittal on two counts (including the top count) and a hung jury on the remaining counts, all involving financial reporting issues, as well as in related civil litigation;
- Successfully represented a leading securities industry association in an SEC administrative proceeding challenging liability limitations and defeating a related SRO rule proposed by national securities exchanges;
- Successfully represented the former Chairman and CEO of one of the nation’s largest publicly-traded REIT companies in connection with various government investigations and civil litigation relating to certain financial reporting issues;
- Successfully represented a leading private equity firm in connection with two SEC investigations relating to certain trading activities – the investigations were both terminated without any enforcement action;
- Successfully represented a leading financial services company in connection with an SEC investigation relating to certain trading and reporting issues – the investigation was terminated without any enforcement action;
- Successfully represented the parent company of a leading U.S. communications technology firm in connection with a Department of Justice investigation that concluded with a non-prosecution agreement and no financial penalty;
- Successfully represented a leading U.S. pharmaceutical company in parallel Department of Justice and SEC investigations involving financial reporting, resulting in a landmark deferred prosecution agreement;
- Successfully represented a leading U.S. retailer in parallel Department of Justice and SEC investigations into financial reporting and accounting issues;
- Successfully represented a major U.S. manufacturing and financial services company in parallel Department of Justice and SEC investigations into various securities trading activities by employees and others;
- Successfully represented a leading NYSE specialist firm in parallel Department of Justice and SEC investigations into various securities trading activities;
- Successfully represented a financial services company in defeating purported class action litigation challenging a substantial corporate transaction. (Gayman v. Principal Financial Services, Inc., 311 F.3d 851 (7th Cir. 2002));
- Successfully represented a financial services company in successfully defeating a purported class action challenge to a major corporate transaction (Kertesz v. The Phoenix Companies, Inc., Index No. 01/601887 (N.Y. Sup. Ct. 2002));
- Successfully represented the National Hockey League in various litigation matters, including defending use of the “Minnesota Wild” trademark by the NHL’s Minnesota franchise (Minnesota Specialty Crops, Inc. v. Minnesota Wild Hockey Club, LP, 2002 WL 17639999 (D. Minn. 2002));
- Successfully represented American Lawyer Media in various litigation matters, including defeating defamation claims on motions for summary judgment that strengthened First Amendment protections for the media. (Burton v. American Lawyer Media, 847 A.2d 1115 (Conn. App. 2004); Fowler v. American Lawyer Media, Inc., 282 A.2d 1 (N.Y. App. Div. 2000));
- Successfully represented Gap Inc. in various litigation matters, including copyright litigation that resolved important issues of copyright law and resulted in the successful dismissal of substantially all claims. (On Davis v. Gap Inc., 246 F.3d 152 (2d Cir. 2001));
- Successfully represented entertainer Mariah Carey and others in defeating an attempt to re-litigate in state court alleged claims previously rejected in federal court. (Selletti v. Carey, 2003 WL 21744245 (2d Cir. 2003));
- Successfully represented the Washington Post Company in obtaining access to sealed court files in matters of substantial public interest. (Danco Laboratories, Ltd. v. Chemical Works of Gedeon Richter, Ltd., 274 A.D. 2d 1 (N.Y. App. Div. 2000));
- Successfully represented the National Football League in various matters, including a high-profile internal investigation in 2015 and winning an injunction against an ambush marketing campaign that infringed NFL trademarks. (National Football League v. Coors Brewing Company, et al., 99 Civ. 4627 (DC), aff’d, 1999 U.S. App. Lexis 32547 (2d Cir. 1999)); and
- Successfully represented a leading U.S. radio broadcast company in obtaining the dismissal of copyright and other claims arising from a broadcast of the “Howard Stern Show.” (Personal Publications, Inc. v. Sagittarius Broadcasting Corp., 42 U.S.P.Q. 2d 1089 (S.D.N.Y. 1996)).
Lorin has been recognized as a leader in White Collar Crime & Government Investigations, Securities Regulation: Enforcement, and Media & Entertainment Litigation by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business. He also is recognized by The Legal 500 as one of the nation’s leading White-Collar Defense lawyers. Lorin also was named as one of the country’s top enforcement lawyers by Securities Docket in 2024 and prior years.
