Alicia N. Washington

Partner | Litigation

About

Alicia is a former senior government official, trusted advisor and experienced litigator who represents companies, boards, and individuals in government and internal investigations and complex commercial disputes. She leverages her government and private practice experiences to help her clients navigate challenging and evolving legal issues. A demonstrated problem solver, she tailors her clients’ legal strategies based on their specific circumstances and goals.

  • Alicia focuses her practice on representing clients in connection with government inquiries and investigations brought by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other federal agencies. She regularly conducts internal investigations in response to crisis situations. A generalist litigator, she also handles a range of litigation matters, including False Claims Act litigation, civil rights and anti-discrimination litigation, securities litigation, and general commercial business disputes. Alicia specializes in cross-border investigations and disputes.

    Alicia most recently served as Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland and Chief of the Criminal Division for the District of Maryland from 2024 to 2025. As Special Counsel, she regularly advised the U.S. Attorney on high-profile and sensitive matters, institutional reforms, and challenging legal issues. She also developed and led the Office’s Artificial Intelligence Working Group. As Chief of the Criminal Division, she oversaw investigations and prosecutions involving fraud and public corruption, asset forfeiture and money laundering, national security and cybercrime, civil rights, and transnational criminal organizations. Alicia also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York (EDNY), from 2015 to 2021, where she served in the Public Integrity and International Narcotics and Money Laundering Sections. While at EDNY, she served as lead counsel for the government at trial and hearings, argued before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, investigated and prosecuted a variety of criminal offenses, including financial fraud, bribery, obstruction of justice, money laundering, and civil rights violations, and conducted significant cross-border investigations.

    Alicia was also a Partner at an international law firm where she represented private equity firms, public companies, banks, media companies and insurers and reinsurers in government and internal investigations and high-profile disputes.

    Alicia serves on the Board of Governors for the New York State Attorney Client Fee Dispute Resolution Program and is a Board Trustee for the John Jay College Foundation. She also maintains a pro bono practice.


Practices

  • Arbitration and Mediation

  • Civil Pretrial and Trial Services

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Cyber, Privacy & Technology

  • Government and Government Affairs

  • International Disputes

  • Litigation and Risk Management

  • Securities and Derivative Litigation

  • White Collar Defense & Investigations

Admissions

  • New York

  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit


Education

  • Columbia Law School, J.D., 2009

    • Executive Editor, Columbia Human Rights Law Review

  • Yale University, B.A., May 2005


Clerkship

  • The Honorable Barbara M. G. Lynn, United States District Judge, Northern District of Texas, August 2011-August 2012


Recognitions

  • The National Black Lawyers, “Top 40 Under 40” in New York (2022, 2023)

  • Lawyers of Color “Wonderful Women” 2023 Honoree (Inaugural List)

  • U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Outstanding Performance Assisting Foreign Authorities (2016)

Experience

  • Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

  • Davis & Gilbert LLP


Select Representations

  • Public company in connection with SEC inquiry into public offering

  • Individuals in connection with DOJ tax fraud investigation

  • Global investment firm in internal investigation

  • Special committee of board of global technology company in internal investigation

  • Media company and certain of its current and former officers in putative securities class action

  • Insurers in multi-defendant False Claims Act litigation alleging scheme to defraud federal healthcare programs

  • International bank in Ponzi fraud scheme litigation

  • Individual in mediation involving claims of workplace harassment and discrimination

  • Individual at trial alleging Section 1983 violations

Publications

  • LexisNexis Practice Note on Conducting Witness Interviews for Internal Investigations, September 2023

  • InDepth Corporate Fraud & Corruption 2023, Financier Worldwide, March 2023

  • “Justice Department Lays Foundation for More Vigorous Enforcement of Contractor Cybersecurity Requirements Under the False Claims Act”, Pratt’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Law Report, September 2022

  • “In the Wake of Successful Prosecution, DOJ May Ramp Up Anti-Corruption Efforts by Pursuing Foreign Executives”, New York Law Journal, July 6, 2022