Criminal and Securities Enforcement Matters

• The CEO of a pharmaceutical company in investigations involving the U.S. Department of Justice and certain U.S. Attorney’s Offices, lawsuits brought by certain state Attorneys General, and related civil litigations, and in testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
• A senior trader at a major broker-dealer in connection with investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).
• A former hedge fund analyst at a large international bank in an insider trading prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
• A former employee of a ratings agency in investigations by the SEC and the New York Attorney General’s Office.
• An employee of an information infrastructure solutions company in an insider trading investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
• A sales representative of an international pharmaceuticals company in an internal investigation regarding sales practices.
• An attorney at a large international bank in a cross-border tax investigation by the SEC.
• A former director at a major accounting and consulting firm in a tax shelter investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.
• The former head of the lending desk of a large international bank in an investigation by the SEC.
• A former investment management and wealth management firm investment banker in a federal criminal conspiracy and wire fraud case brought by the Enron Task Force; the trial court’s denial of defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal was reversed on appeal.

Civil Matters

• A large international investment bank named as a defendant in multiple cases in federal and state courts, in which the plaintiffs sought billions of dollars in damages in connection with the offering and sale of residential mortgage-backed securities.
• A group of hedge funds as plaintiffs in a civil action in the Southern District of New York against several individuals and entities, alleging a fraudulent scheme in violation of federal securities laws and state law.
• A group of hedge funds as plaintiffs in a civil action in the Middle District of Florida, asserting an unjust enrichment claim against the former wife of the primary architect of a penny stock manipulation scheme.
• A group of foreign and domestic financial institutions in a six-week jury trial in the Southern District of New York against a major investment bank to recover large losses related to the sale of asset-backed securities. The jury returned a verdict for the firm’s clients, resulting in a judgment of $144 million, which was one of the largest jury awards in the United States that year. The trial judgment was affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
• A French-based multinational financial services company in a contract action in the Southern District of New York.
• A private equity fund sued in a contract action; the fund’s motion to dismiss was granted.

Pro Bono

Chris is also committed to pro bono work. He acted as co-counsel in federal habeas corpus proceedings brought by two prisoners in military custody at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; both men have now been released to their respective countries of citizenship. Among other matters, he has also represented a prisoner in a criminal appeal before the Appellate Division, First Department; assisted in the drafting of an amicus brief in a disability rights case before the Second Circuit; and assisted in the 

• Press Release

  Blank Rome Welcomes Prominent White Collar and Complex Litigation Team in New York

  January 8, 2024

  David Spears, Linda Imes, Christopher W. Dysard, Michael E. Donohue, Rebecca L. Orel

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Memberships

• Association of the Bar of the City of New York
• Federal Bar Council

Chris is a member of the Federal Bar Council, the Civil Rights Committee of the Federal Bar Council, and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He served on the City Bar’s Committee on Professional Ethics from 2014 to 2017 and the City Bar’s Pro Bono and Legal Services Committee from 2009 to 2011. He was an Adjunct Legal Writing Professor at Fordham University School of Law in 2011–2012.

Admissions

• New York
• U.S. District Court - Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court - Southern District of New York
• United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Education

• Harvard University, BA, magna cum laude
• University of Virginia School of Law, JD