Lance Wade is Co-Chair of Williams & Connolly’s Criminal Defense and Government Investigations practice group. His practice focuses on high-stakes criminal trials, government investigations, and civil litigation. He has guided major corporations, senior corporate executives, and public officials through intense and highly sensitive matters, in and out of the courtroom. Chambers USA has described him as “terrific, tenacious and fearless, doing an outstanding job in high-profile and controversial matters . . . able to withstand scrutiny under pressure while remaining down to earth…a great trial lawyer... exceptionally smart and talented.” Business Insider described him as “a graceful, plain-spoken storyteller” who is “open and natural and easygoing” in the courtroom. He has been recognized for excellence in the practice of law by a wide variety of publications. Those recognitions include:
- Washingtonian Magazine, which named him one of the top white collar criminal defense lawyers in Washington, D.C.;
- Chambers USA, which named him among the leading lawyers in Washington, D.C. in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations;
- BTI, which named him a Client Service All-Star;
- Benchmark Litigation, which named him a Litigation Star and National Practice Area Star in the area of white collar crime;
- Euromoney's Expert Guide, which named him one of the "World's Leading White Collar Crime Lawyers";
- Super Lawyers magazine, which named him a Super Lawyer in the area of white collar crime; and
- Best Lawyers in America, which ranked him as one of the Best Lawyers for Criminal Defense: While Collar.
Lance’s corporate clients have included numerous Fortune 500 public companies, large private companies, pension funds, and audit and law firms. His individual clients have included over a dozen current or former CEOs of some of the world’s largest public and private corporations (including two in the Fortune 25, and three more in the Fortune 500), as well as numerous other senior corporate officers and directors, high-level government officials, and candidates for federal office. He was trial counsel for Elizabeth Holmes, in one of the most closely watched criminal trials of the last decade. Though all cases vary and none is predictive, Lance's representative experience includes:
- the CEO of a Fortune 500 technology company in an indicted securities fraud case (case dismissed post-indictment)
- the CEO of a telecommunications company in the first indicted criminal case involving alleged fraud in the FCC Lifeline program (charges dismissed the day before trial);
- a candidate for President of the United States in a public corruption investigation (no charges brought)
- the CEO of a Fortune 25 company in a joint DOJ-SEC FCPA investigation (no charges brought)
- the CEO of a Fortune 25 company in a joint DOJ-SEC securities and accounting fraud investigation (no charges brought);
- a federally regulated financial institution in an indicted securities and bank fraud matter (criminal charges dismissed post-indictment with only a modest civil resolution).
Lance frequently handles matters that are international in focus, including cases originating from or connected to Japan, China, Brazil, Germany, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Russia, South Korea, Mexico, Canada, UAE, Uzbekistan, Spain, Panama, El Salvador, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Nigeria, and South Africa. He has represented clients before an array of investigating authorities, including United States Attorneys’ offices in 21 different districts; Department of Justice (aka Main Justice) divisions and branches, including Antitrust, Criminal Fraud, Consumer Protection, Civil Fraud, Public Integrity, and Environmental and Natural Resources; Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC); Federal Trade Commission (FTC); Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB); Federal Inspectors General offices for numerous federal agencies; and state attorneys general.
His matters have involved a wide array of substantive allegations, including securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, sanctions evasion, antitrust crimes, insider trading, insurance fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, public corruption, cyber-crimes, embezzlement, tax fraud, false claims, sanctions evasion, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, health care fraud, environmental crimes, and numerous civil violations. His clients have come from many different industries, including pharmaceutics, medical devices, software technology, hardware technology, banking, telecommunications, investment banking, auditing, cryptocurrency, agriculture, manufacturing, transportation, automotive, retail, fashion, media, and government, among others.
Lance is a Co-Chair of Corporate Criminal Liability Committee of the ABA’s White Collar Crime Committee, and is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. He is frequently called on to speak or lecture at law schools and professional conferences on matters including trial practice, jury selection, health care fraud, general white collar crime, and sanctions and money laundering.
Lance was born and raised near the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, where his defense career began as an ice hockey goalie. He graduated from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he played hockey. He then went on to Law School at Boston College Law School, where he was the Managing Editor of the Boston College Law Review. After law school, he clerked for Judge Harris L Hartz on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit before joining the firm. Lance lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland with his wife and the one of his three children who has not yet fled the nest. Representative Experience
- a senior white house official in an Independent Counsel investigation (no charges sought)
- one of the wealthiest men in the world in a criminal sanctions investigation (no charges sought)
- one of the largest agricultural companies in the world in a criminal sanctions matter (no charges sought)
- the CEO of a Fortune 500 company in a public corruption investigation (no charges brought)
- a Fortune 500 technology company in a securities and accounting fraud investigation (no charges brought)
- the president of an international fashion company in a public corruption investigation (no charges brought)
- a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company in a healthcare fraud investigation (no charges brought)
- a Fortune 100 public company in a fraud and embezzlement investigation (no charges brought)
- a major audit firm in a criminal investigation (no charges brought)
- a Fortune 500 conglomerate in an SEC insider trading investigation (no charges brought)
- a Fortune 100 public company in a joint CFTC-DOJ fraud investigation (no charges brought)
- a national medical device company in a healthcare fraud investigation (no charges brought)
- a multi-billion-dollar pension fund in a public corruption investigation (no charges brought)
- a senior executive of a Japanese auto-parts supplier in a criminal antitrust investigation (no charges brought)
- a Fortune 100 transportation company in a DOJ fraud investigation (civil resolution after lengthy criminal investigation)
- a major public company in multiple CFPB investigation (civil resolution pre-complaint)
- a multi-national auto-parts supplier in a criminal antitrust investigation
Recognitions“Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (D.C.),” Chambers USA, 2015-2024 "Litigation Star" in the category of White Collar Crime, Benchmark Litigation, 2021-2024 "National Litigation Star," Benchmark Litigation, 2021-2024 “Washington’s Top Lawyers,” in the category of Criminal Defense & White Collar, Washingtonian magazine, 2013, 2015, 2017-2018 BTI Client Service All-Star, 2018 "World's Leading White Collar Crime Lawyers," Euromoney's Expert Guide, 2016, 2018, 2020 Selected to Super Lawyers, 2014-2021 Recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America ® for Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2021 |
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