The corporate investigations and white-collar investigations team at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP caters to a range of clients such as companies, banks, board members, athletes, and executives. Located in Washington DC, William Sullivan focuses on securities enforcement and FCPA matters. Also based in Washington DC, Tom Hill has broad capabilities advising clients on white-collar matters with his experience extending to false claims, tax offences, and environmental crimes. Aaron Dyer and Ronald Cheng are based in Los Angeles. Dyer is recommended for fraud cases, while Cheng is a seasoned trial lawyer who handles complex cases involving money laundering, racketeering, and immigration fraud. Described as ‘an exceptional lawyer’, Richard Donoghue practices in New York, and is skilled at conducting internal investigations as well as advising on government investigations.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The Pillsbury team is keenly focused on understanding the client's needs, pressure points, challenges and goals. These are the guys you want when you have a bet the company case.’

  • ‘Aaron Dyer and Derek Mayor are always available and very responsive. The depth of their experience and willingness to bring in colleagues as needed makes these two gentlemen effective, collaborative, and very trustworthy.’

  • ‘Rich Donoghue is among the best and most respected white-collar and trial lawyers in the US.’

  • ‘Rich Donoghue is an exceptional lawyer. If I ever had problem, he is the first person I would call.’

  • ‘David Oliwenstein is terrific. He's incredibly knowledgably and has a great way with clients. He is also a great tactician when dealing with the SEC.’

  • 'William Sullivan is a really strong strategic thinker and strong advocate.'

  • ‘Rich Donoghue is extraordinary.’

Key clients

  • The University of Kansas
  • Board of Trustees of the Public-School Employees’ Retirement System
  • Special Committee of Suffolk County
  • Precision Metals, Inc.
  • National Collegiate Athletic Association

Work highlights

  • Acted for the University of Kansas and the men’s basketball coach, concerning allegations of severe NCAA rules violations.
  • Acting for the Special Committee of Suffolk County in investigating a large-scale ransomware attack.
  • Assisting multiple companies in responding to an industry sweep by the SEC in relation to the SolarWinds cyberattacks.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

William Sullivan, Aaron Dyer

Other key lawyers

Tom Hill, Ronald Cheng, Richard Donoghue, Kimberly Jaimez, David Oliwenstein, Derek Mayor