James Gatta > Goodwin > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

James Gatta is a partner in Goodwin’s Government Investigations and Enforcement and White Collar Defense practices and co-chair of the firm’s Healthcare practice. His practice focuses on representing US and multinational companies and individuals with respect to government and internal corporate investigations, white collar criminal defense, regulatory compliance and related civil litigation, and complex commercial litigation.

James is ranked by Chambers USA among the leading white collar defense and government investigations attorneys in New York, and as someone who “brings enormous credibility with the US government, and is an expert in helping clients navigate complex investigations.” James is also recommended by The Legal 500 US in corporate investigations and white collar criminal defense.

Before joining the firm, James served as the Chief of the Criminal Division at the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY). In that role, James oversaw all of the EDNY’s criminal investigations and prosecutions, including some of the nation’s most significant corporate, securities and healthcare fraud, public corruption, foreign bribery, cybercrime, sanctions and export enforcement, international terrorism and organized and violent crimes cases. James served as an Assistant US Attorney in the EDNY for over a decade, where he held a number of leadership positions and handled a range of cases. As Chief of the EDNY’s Public Integrity Section, James led a team of experienced federal prosecutors in investigations, prosecutions and trials involving corruption and white collar offenses, including those involving elected and appointed government officials, such as bribery and embezzlement as well as financial, honest services, campaign finance and tax fraud. Among other cases, he managed and led investigations that resulted in the convictions of New York State legislators and a sitting US congressman.

James is an experienced courtroom advocate and has successfully tried several federal criminal trials and argued numerous federal criminal appeals. He also earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor. In 2017, he received an Executive Office of United States Attorneys Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant US Attorney, and was named a “Prosecutor of the Year” by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation in 2011.

James previously served as a Lecturer in Law at Columbia University School of Law, where he co-taught a seminar on federal litigation. Before his tenure at the EDNY, James was an associate at Goodwin and represented individuals and entities in white collar criminal and regulatory matters. Earlier in his career, he was a law clerk to the Honorable Frank Maas in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prior to law school, James was a New York City Urban Fellow.