Geoffrey S. Berman

Geoffrey Berman is the Global Chair of the Litigation Department and the head of our White Collar Defense, Regulatory Enforcement and Investigations Practice.
Geoff was previously the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he oversaw the investigation and litigation of all criminal and civil cases. He supervised about 230 Assistant US Attorneys on significant cases including domestic and international terrorism, international sanctions violations, national security threats, white-collar crime, healthcare fraud, securities and commodities fraud, public corruption, cybercrime, money laundering, sex trafficking, narcotics and arms trafficking, gang violence, organized crime, and civil rights violations. During Geoff’s tenure, his office coordinated with dozens of domestic and international law enforcement and regulatory entities, including agencies in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Middle East. In partnership with the US DOJ’s Antitrust Division, Geoff was a member of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF) with a primary focus on deterring, detecting, investigating, and prosecuting antitrust crimes such as bid-rigging conspiracies and related fraudulent schemes.
Prior to becoming US Attorney, Geoff was a partner at an international law firm, where he handled white-collar matters, internal investigations and complex commercial litigations. He previously served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1990 to 1994, where he prosecuted complex frauds, including tax, securities, and computer hacking violations. Before joining the US Attorney’s Office, he was an Associate Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel for the Iran-Contra matter, where he successfully prosecuted a former CIA employee for tax fraud.
Chambers USA has repeatedly recognized Geoff in the category of White Collar Crime & Government Investigations. Sources note that “he has a razor-sharp mind and is an excellent writer,” and “he is a very experienced private practitioner who has a depth of experience on both sides and is very smart, strategic and thoughtful.” Legal 500 has also recognized Geoff in the category of Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense, where sources note, “Geoff Berman [has] unparalleled legitimacy and institutional access.” Geoff is also the author of a New York Times best-selling memoir.
Geoff is a visiting professor at Stanford Law School and a visiting fellow at the Stanford Rock Center for Corporate Governance. He clerked for the Honorable Judge Leonard Garth of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He received his JD from Stanford Law School in 1984, where he was note editor of the Stanford Law Review. He received his BA, magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania, and his BS, beta gamma sigma, from The Wharton School in 1981.