Overview
Tobin Romero is Co-Chair of Williams & Connolly’s Criminal Defense and Government Investigations practice group. Toby has more than 25 years of experience defending white-collar criminal cases. He has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation, Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal, Washingtonian magazine, and Super Lawyers. Clients and peers have described him as “a fierce trial lawyer and a relentless advocate” (The Legal 500 (2021)) with a “well deserved reputation for excellence and quality” (Chambers USA (2023)).
Toby has served as lead defense counsel for Fortune 500 companies, CEOs, company founders, elected officials, and other entities and individuals in a wide range of investigations, prosecutions, and trials. His representations have involved various substantive areas of law, including securities fraud, money laundering, public corruption, commercial bribery, tax, export controls, antitrust, and environmental; and various industry sectors, including financial services, healthcare, professional services, aerospace, technology, mining, and media.
Toby’s civil practice focuses on government investigations and enforcement matters involving federal and state regulators. Toby previously supervised the firm’s pro bono criminal defense program for indigent citizens and tried and argued the appeal for an embezzlement case in which the court dismissed the charges on remand. Toby continues to supervise pro bono criminal appeals.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Toby grew up in Lexington, Massachusetts. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University in 1993 and received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was Order of the Coif and Primary Editor, Criminal Procedure Project, Georgetown Law Journal. He spent a year clerking for Judge Peter K. Leisure of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York before joining Williams & Connolly in 1997.