Cohen & Gresser LLP

White Collar Defense & Regulation

Partner

Jonathan S. Abernethy represents clients in white collar criminal and regulatory investigations, internal investigations, and complex commercial litigation. He has handled significant matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), both in the private sector and as a federal prosecutor.

Jon also represents companies and individuals in investigations and prosecutions involving securities fraud, money laundering, wire and mail fraud, public corruption, antitrust, commodities fraud, health care fraud, and other white collar matters. He has extensive experience with various U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Department of Justice, the SEC, the CFTC, the New York Attorney General’s Office, and the Manhattan D.A.’s Office.

Jon has been recognized in Chambers USA‘s white collar crime and government investigations category each year since 2015. Clients describe Jon as a “zealous advocate,” “an excellent and devoted lawyer who puts his all into his cases and gets excellent results,” and a “personable, engaging, and tough lawyer” who “has a great approach with clients.” He has also been described as having “excellent judgment” and “a really nice mix of individual and corporate experience which allows him to be really flexible depending on the engagement.” In addition, Jon is recognized in The Legal 500‘s U.S. coverage for corporate investigations and white collar criminal defense, as well as securities litigation, and has been described as “very sharp” and a “top-tier advocate.” Jon is recognized by Super Lawyers as one of the top 100 lawyers in the New York metropolitan area and has been named to the New York Metro Super Lawyers list for white collar criminal defense each year since 2010. He has been recognized in the Best Lawyers in America guide since 2021 for white collar criminal defense in New York.

Prior to joining the firm, Jon served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he was a lead prosecutor on FCPA, money laundering, and financial fraud cases, and practiced at Fulbright & Jaworski.

Jon is a graduate of Stanford University and Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He served as a Law Clerk to the Honorable Ronald L. Buckwalter of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Jon is a frequent lecturer and has written articles for the New York Law Journal, the ABA Securities Litigation Journal, and other publications.

Columbia Law School (J.D., 1996)

Stanford University (B.A., with highest honors, 1991)