Chicago, IL. Continuing a string of recent high-profile hires, Nixon Peabody is again expanding its Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice with the arrival of Christopher P. Hotaling as partner in the firm’s Chicago office.
Chris is the former chief of the Narcotics and Money Laundering Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois and brings extensive experience investigating and trying matters related to the Bank Secrecy Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).
“Chris understands how enforcement and regulatory agencies build their cases, and we look forward to him bringing his extensive experience to our most sophisticated and complex commercial litigation, government investigations, and white collar matters,” said David R. Brown, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s Chicago office.
Chris focuses his practice on representing entities and individuals in all types of government investigations and complex commercial litigation. He has extensive experience investigating and litigating a wide range of criminal and regulatory matters including bank, securities, bankruptcy, insurance, health care, and tax fraud, money laundering, racketeering, and public corruption.
The addition of Chris to Nixon Peabody’s Chicago office follows two recent hires in Washington DC, as part of the firm’s strategic plan to expand its Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice. Former acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and former acting general counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, John Sandweg, and his team joined Nixon Peabody in September. Former U.S. Department of Justice attorney Adam Tarosky, who has extensive experience with the False Claims Act, joined the firm in July.
“Chris was highly sought after for his deep courtroom experience arguing complex fraud and financial matters before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit,” said Ethan Trull, vice-chair of Nixon Peabody’s Litigation Department. “Chris joins a cadre of high-profile prosecutors who recently joined our Government Investigations and White Collar Defense practice, and we’re excited to introduce him to our clients.”
Through more than 16 years of practice, Chris has worked with senior-level regulators within the IRS, DEA, SEC, and OFAC, among other regulatory agencies.
Chris attended the University of Virginia School of Law and earned an A.B. in Political Science, cum laude, from Duke University. Outside his legal practice, Chris serves as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and volunteers as a basketball coach at Orrington Elementary School.
