Practice Areas
Admissions
- Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Indiana
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court, District of Delaware
- U.S. District Court, District of New Mexico
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
Education
J.D., New York University School of Law, 1982
B.S. with highest honors, Illinois State University, 1978
Profile
As a former federal prosecutor and longtime white-collar defense attorney, Patrick Cotter knows the ins and outs of government investigations. In his role as leader of the firm’s Government Interaction practice group, he assists clients dealing with an array of government agencies, including the FBI, EPA, IRS, FTC and Department of Justice.
Pat’s approach focuses on prevention, identifying potential risks for clients subject to government oversight and making plans to address those risks before problems arise. He reviews and drafts policies in areas including ethics and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and also has trained executives on business ethics and government regulations.
For clients already involved in a government investigation or facing indictment, Pat’s extensive trial experience gives him the skills to guide them through the process. He has represented clients in matters including financial, environmental, antitrust, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and cyber-crime issues. He is also experienced in representing businesses and individuals who have been the victims of crime, and in connection with whistleblower actions, internal corporate investigations, appellate matters and international criminal law issues.
In 2012, Pat was one of the lead defense attorneys in U.S. v. United Water, Inc., et al., a rare and legally significant trial victory over the EPA in a criminal case. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in New York, he was one of the trial prosecutors in U.S. v. John Gotti, et al. He received the U.S. Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award for his work on the Gotti case.
Pat was a consultant to the U.N. Special Rapporteur investigating allegations of war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and was appointed by the International Tribunal to its Panel of Appointed Counsel. He has appeared as a legal commentator on television and radio, including on “Nightline,” National Public Radio, Court TV and A&E's “American Justice.” His legal commentary has appeared in newspapers in Chicago and around the country, and he has taught criminal law-related courses at universities in the U.S. and Ireland.
Professional Affiliations
- National Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys
- American Bar Association, White Collar Crime Section; Criminal Law Section; International Criminal Law Section
- Association of Federal Defense Attorneys
Honors & Awards
Honors & Awards
- The Best Lawyers in America, Criminal Defense: White Collar, 2016-2023
- Illinois Super Lawyers, Criminal Defense: White Collar, Tax, Appellate, 2005-2008, 2011-2020, 2022-2023
- Illinois Leading Lawyers, 2022
- Irish Voice, Sixth Annual Legal 100, 2013
News & Insights
News
- August 18, 2022
- January 28, 2022
- August 19, 2021
- USA Today, April 3, 2021
- August 20, 2020
- Law360, April 8, 2020
- Law360, March 18, 2020
- The Guardian, February 21, 2020
- USA Today, January 14, 2020
- Law360, January 1, 2020
- Politico , November 5, 2019
- Business Insider, October 3, 2019
- Business Insider, September 30, 2019
- USA Today, September 27, 2019
- Bloomberg, September 25, 2019
- Law360, September 16, 2019
- August 15, 2019
- July 26, 2019
- USA Today, July 22, 2019
- NPR, June 12, 2019
- Vice News, May 29, 2019
- Vice News, May 17, 2019
- USA Today, May 3, 2019
- The Washington Post, April 30, 2019
- Financial Times, April 19, 2019
- Bloomberg, April 19, 2019
- Vice News, April 18, 2019
- WTTW Chicago Tonight, April 18, 2019
- Vanity Fair, April 17, 2019
- WTTW, April 15, 2019
- POLITICO, April 15, 2019
- USA Today, March 24, 2019
- Bloomberg, March 21, 2019
- The Washington Post, March 20, 2019
- Politico, March 16, 2019
- The Atlantic, March 15, 2019
- USA Today, March 13, 2019
- The Washington Post, February 25, 2019
- The Guardian, February 24, 2019
- Washingtonian, February 8, 2019
- The Washington Post, February 8, 2019
- WLS Radio Connected to Chicago, February 3, 2019
- WGN's Legal Face-Off with Rich Lenkov & Christina Martini, February 1, 2019
- USA Today, January 23, 2019
- The Washington Post, January 17, 2019
- January 4, 2019
- The Washington Post, December 19, 2018
- Vanity Fair, December 18, 2018
- Vanity Fair, December 12, 2018
- The Washington Post, December 12, 2018
- The Guardian, December 8, 2018
- USA Today, November 27, 2018
- Talking Points Memo, November 27, 2018
- The Washington Post, November 27, 2018
- Reuters, November 26, 2018
- Bloomberg , November 15, 2018
- The Washington Post, October 19, 2018
- Business Insider, September 18, 2018
- Business Insider, September 16, 2018
- MSNBC The Beat With Ari Melber, September 14, 2018
- The Atlantic , September 13, 2018
- Bloomberg, September 7, 2018
- Bloomberg, August 29, 2018
- Interview with Patrick Cotter, "New York Prosecutors May Pose a Bigger Threat to Trump Than Mueller"The Atlantic, August 24, 2018
- WTTW Chicago Tonight, August 22, 2018
- Business Insider, August 22, 2018
- Vox, August 19, 2018
- USA Today, August 16, 2018
- Associated Press, August 16, 2018
- August 2018
- The Washington Post, August 14, 2018
- Mic, August 1, 2018
- Talking Points Memo, July 31, 2018
- Law360, July 20, 2018
- USA Today, January 26, 2018
- Law360, January 2, 2018
- Bloomberg, December 21, 2017
- Interview with Patrick Cotter, "Mueller Probe Intensifies as Former Trump Campaign Manager Targeted""Chicago Tonight", September 20, 2017
- Texas Lawyer, September 15, 2017
- Mic, September 13, 2017
- Corporate Counsel, September 7, 2017
- Interview with Patrick Cotter, "Feds Crack Down on Health Care"Corporate Counsel magazine, September 2017
- Cook County Record, August 19, 2017
- Law360, August 7, 2017
- Courthouse News Service, July 28, 2017
- Interview with Patrick Cotter, "Federal Prosecutor in Chicago Dedicates 5 Attorneys to Health Care Fraud"Corporate Counsel, July 24, 2017
- "Chicago Tonight", July 24, 2017
- Kaiser Health News and Los Angeles Times, December 19, 2016
- Law 360, September 7, 2016
- Law360, July 26, 2016
- Bloomberg Businessweek, July 1, 2016
- Wolters Kluwer Health Law Daily, June 23, 2016
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, March 28, 2016
- Interview with Patrick Cotter, “Valeant Ex-CFO’s Trip From Goldman Sachs to Drugmaker’s Target”Bloomberg Business, March 21, 2016
- Law360, January 8, 2016
- Interview with Patrick Cotter, "Swift guilty verdict in spoofing trial may fuel new prosecutions in U.S."Bloomberg Business, November 4, 2015
- Law360, October 19, 2015
- Law 360, September 3, 2015
- Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, July 22, 2015
Seminars & Speaking Engagements
- Corporate Counsel Institute - St. Louis, MO, April 29, 2015
- "Strategies for Combating Organized Crime: The International Issues"Northwestern University School of Law, November 2014
Blog Posts
- Impact | Business Risk Management Blog, June 22, 2016
- Impact | Business Risk Management Blog, April 19, 2016
- Impact | Business Risk Management Blog, September 11, 2015
- Impact | Business Risk Management Blog, May 13, 2015
- Impact | Business Risk Management Blog, February 11, 2015
- Impact | Business Risk Management Blog, October 10, 2014