Nicole Friedlander Joins Sullivan & Cromwell as Special Counsel

New York – Sullivan & Cromwell LLP announced today that Nicole Friedlander, Chief of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, has joined the Firm’s New York office as Special Counsel in the Litigation Group, where her practice will focus on criminal defense, government investigations, and cybersecurity.

“We are delighted Nicole will be joining us,” said Joseph C. Shenker, Chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell.  “Her experience across a range of complex white-collar investigations, particularly in the financial services industry, will further deepen our leading criminal defense and investigations capabilities, and her experience in cybercrime investigations and prosecutions will enhance the strategic advice we offer clients and their boards of directors with respect to cybersecurity threats and cybercrime.”

Ms. Friedlander served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York for nearly nine years, most recently as Chief of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, where she oversaw the investigation and prosecution of sophisticated financial frauds, cybercrimes, money laundering and Bank Secrecy Act cases, FCPA violations, international tax offenses, and health care fraud.  Most recently, Ms. Friedlander led the investigation of the largest-ever cyber theft of data from a U.S. financial institution, resulting in a landmark identification and indictment of the perpetrators for computer hacking, securities fraud, money laundering, and other white-collar crimes.  Ms. Friedlander also oversaw numerous investigations against offshore banks for assisting U.S. taxpayers in hiding billions of dollars from the IRS; the indictment of seven Iranians for conducting a coordinated campaign of cyberattacks against 46 financial institutions on behalf of groups sponsored by the Government of Iran; and the RICO indictment of the owner of multibillion-dollar internet payday lending companies for usurious lending practices.

Ms. Friedlander received numerous honors for her service in the Southern District, including the National Association of Former U.S. Attorneys’ Exceptional Service Award and the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation’s “Prosecutor of the Year” award.  This year, the New York Law Journal named Ms. Friedlander a “Rising Star.”

Ms. Friedlander is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., cum laude, 1998) and New York University Law School (J.D., 2001), where she was editor-in-chief of the Annual Survey of American Law.

About Sullivan & Cromwell’s Criminal Defense and Investigations and Cybersecurity Groups

Sullivan & Cromwell’s Criminal Defense and Investigations Group has extensive experience guiding companies and their senior executives through multifaceted, enterprise-level crises that demand a combination of rapid reaction and strategic thinking.  The Group’s lawyers—many of whom have held senior positions in government—are positioned to serve clients during challenging times. The Firm regularly advises clients in criminal investigations and regulatory enforcement actions, as well as collateral litigation. This breadth of practice—the insights and knowledge developed from the volume and variety of matters the Firm has handled—has made it a one-stop shop for clients. Sullivan & Cromwell is widely recognized as a leader in advising on matters affecting financial institutions and their systems and data, as well as the governance considerations in structuring and implementing complex and mission-critical compliance programs.

The Firm’s Cybersecurity Group consists of seasoned practitioners who approach clients’ cybersecurity matters from an interdisciplinary perspective.  The Group assists clients with implementing compliance measures to protect from cybersecurity risks and in responding to systems or data breaches when they materialize. The scope of our practice covers a wide array of governance, regulatory, technology, investigations, risk management, and communications considerations.  The Group’s leading practitioners seamlessly integrate their expertise from different practices to provide a cohesive and evolving strategy and action plan. The Group includes former senior government officials from the White House, U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, including those who regularly worked on cybersecurity, cybercrime, and regulatory enforcement issues in those roles. 

About Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

Sullivan & Cromwell LLP is a global law firm that advises on significant litigation and corporate investigations, major domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, finance, corporate and restructuring transactions, and complex regulatory, tax, and estate planning matters.  Founded in 1879, Sullivan & Cromwell has approximately 800 lawyers located in offices in New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Palo Alto, London, Frankfurt, Paris, Hong Kong, Beijing, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Sydney.