Derrelle M. Janey
Of Counsel
Bio
Mr. Janey is Of Counsel at Gottlieb Townsend where he advises on complex civil and white-collar defense litigation matters. He was formerly a named partner of the predecessor firm, Gottlieb & Janey, where he was employed for nine years. Mr. Janey is currently the managing partner at The Janey Law Firm PC.
Mr. Janey's litigation experience ranges across a broad spectrum including securities litigation, financial services litigation, healthcare litigation and bankruptcy litigation in federal and state courts across the United States. He has considerable experience litigating securities matters, regulatory defense actions (e.g., actions commenced by the SEC), and complex healthcare matters (particularly those involving medical products distributors). In addition to New York State and Federal courts within the Second Circuit, Mr. Janey has appeared on many occasions in federal courts in Michigan where he is admitted to practice, as well as federal courts in Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Alabama, and state courts in California and Nevada.
In addition, Mr. Janey has substantial experience, including trial experience, in the area of white collar criminal defense, and in particular where the defendant is charged with securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud or violations under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. In fact, Mr. Janey has been involved in some of the leading white collar defense and investigative matters of the past several years. In 2018, Mr. Janey co-led with his former partner Robert Gottlieb the Ponzi Scheme trial of sports-radio talk show host, Craig Carton, resulting in a substantially reduced sentence from the Government's recommendation to the court.
In 2017, related to his representation of Michael Klein, the former town attorney for Ramapo, New York, in a SEC enforcement action alleging, inter alia, fraud, Mr. Janey successfully resolved the litigation prior to trial. In 2015, Mr. Janey and his former partner, Robert Gottlieb, represented Galen Marsh, the Morgan Stanley financial adviser accused of stealing large portions of his employer's wealth management client data. Mr. Marsh received probation.
Some of Mr. Janey's recent non-criminal representations include defending medical products distributors from trade mark infringement and civil RICO claims, where Mr. Janey defeated RICO and fraud claims. Notably, in 2014, Mr. Janey commenced an action in federal district court against the SEC challenging the constitutionality of trying his client, Jordan Peixoto, for insider trading in the SEC's administrative hearing forum. The SEC dismissed the charges against Mr. Peixoto. In the area of bankruptcy litigation, recently, Mr. Janey (and the predecessor firm, Gottlieb & Janey) was retained by a bankruptcy trustee to serve as outside general counsel to the trustee in 15 bankruptcy matters. Separately, in 2018, Mr. Janey was the trial lawyer representing a trustee on behalf of a bankruptcy estate in a fraudulent conveyance case against multiple defendants. Further, unrelated, in 2018, Mr. Janey successfully settled a bankruptcy matter at the door step of trial, generating millions in recovery for the debtor estate.
In 2017, the New York Law Journal named Mr. Janey as among 22 "Distinguished Leaders" in the New York legal industry.
Education
- University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1996
- Kenyon College, B.A., Political Science, 1993
Bar Memberships
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
- United States District court for the Western District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
- New York
Representative Matters
Representative matters at the firm where Mr. Janey has either led or co-led include the following:
- Federal criminal trial of high-profile white collar defendant charged with securities fraud and operating a Ponzi scheme;
- Federal trial representing a bankruptcy trustee on behalf of a broker-dealer against the BDs former officers and managers on claims of fraudulent conveyance;
- Represented a bankruptcy trustee on behalf of a broker-dealer against the BDs former law firm alleging aiding and abetting criminal fraud and legal malpractice;
- Represented a municipal government official in a SEC enforcement action alleging fraud;
- Served as US counsel to an international company under investigation by the Department of Justice Division of Antitrust;
- Represented a broker-dealer in a parallel Department of Justice and SEC Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violation case and led the internal investigation on behalf of the broker-dealer;
- Represented former chief executive officer of national drug distributor in defamation and breach of contract action against former employer; and
- Represented foreign exchange trader in a global rate fixing probe investigation.
Recognitions
- 2022, 2023, 2024 Super Lawyer
- 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Rising Star NY Metro Super Lawyers
- Distinguished Leadership Honoree 2017
- Top 100 – National Black Lawyers 2015
Affiliations
- Federal Bar Council
- Member, National Black Trial Lawyers Association
Education
- University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1996
- Kenyon College, B.A., Political Science, 1993
Bar Memberships
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
- United States District court for the Western District of New York
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Michigan
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
- New York
Representative Matters
Representative matters at the firm where Mr. Janey has either led or co-led include the following:
- Federal criminal trial of high-profile white collar defendant charged with securities fraud and operating a Ponzi scheme;
- Federal trial representing a bankruptcy trustee on behalf of a broker-dealer against the BDs former officers and managers on claims of fraudulent conveyance;
- Represented a bankruptcy trustee on behalf of a broker-dealer against the BDs former law firm alleging aiding and abetting criminal fraud and legal malpractice;
- Represented a municipal government official in a SEC enforcement action alleging fraud;
- Served as US counsel to an international company under investigation by the Department of Justice Division of Antitrust;
- Represented a broker-dealer in a parallel Department of Justice and SEC Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violation case and led the internal investigation on behalf of the broker-dealer;
- Represented former chief executive officer of national drug distributor in defamation and breach of contract action against former employer; and
- Represented foreign exchange trader in a global rate fixing probe investigation.
Recognitions
- 2022, 2023, 2024 Super Lawyer
- 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Rising Star NY Metro Super Lawyers
- Distinguished Leadership Honoree 2017
- Top 100 – National Black Lawyers 2015
Affiliations
- Federal Bar Council
- Member, National Black Trial Lawyers Association