Ralph M. Levene joined Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz in 1988 and has been a partner in the Litigation Department since 1994. His practice includes the representation of major U.S. and foreign financial institutions and multinational companies in connection with the defense of complex and high-profile white-collar criminal, and regulatory enforcement matters and related civil litigation proceedings. He also advises clients on the development and implementation of compliance programs and the conduct of internal investigations. His extensive experience includes major investigations concerning accounting fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, commodities fraud and manipulation, transfer pricing, criminal cross-border tax, criminal antitrust, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, health care fraud and the Economic Espionage Act.

Mr. Levene received his bachelor’s degree in Philosophy magna cum laude from Duke University in 1983.  He received his law degree magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an associate editor and articles editor for the University of Pennsylvania Law Review.  Following law school, Mr. Levene served as a law clerk to the Honorable James Dickson Phillips, Jr. of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Levene is a frequent writer and speaker on white-collar and regulatory enforcement topics.  Recent publications include: White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement: What to Expect in 2017 (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance, January 24, 2017); FCPA and Compliance: A Board and Senior Management Perspective (NYSE Corporate Governance Guide 2014); The Long Arm of Cooperation: U.S. Enforcement Policy and Foreign Corporations (Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation, September 2015).  Recent programs include: Multi-Jurisdictional Issues in Handling White-Collar Criminal and Regulatory Investigations (ABA Section of International Law 2013 Spring Meeting); Assessing the Risk: Closing the Deal in the Face of Compliance Issues or Uncertainties (ABA Section of International Law 2014 Spring Meeting); Tax Offenses, Money Laundering and International Exchange of Information: Multijurisdictional Highlights and Perspectives (ABA Section of International Law 2014 Spring Meeting); and What’s New/What’s Next: An Update on the U.S. Government’s Criminal and Civil Offshore Tax and Related Enforcement Efforts (The 29th Annual Forum on International Tax Withholding and Information Reporting, June 2017).

Mr. Levene is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, a member of the American Bar Association and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Levene has been listed as one of the 500 leading lawyers in the United States and as one of the 500 leading global litigators by Lawdragon.  He has also been recognized as one of the leading practitioners in the field of Business Crime Defence by Who’s Who Legal.  He served as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s International Criminal Law Committee (2012-2014).