Profile: Michael J Shepard

Business Crime

Biography: Business Crime

Michael Shepard spearheads the white-collar criminal defence practice of Heller Ehrman, which he joined in 1994, and practises litigation, focusing on trials, white-collar criminal defence and related civil litigation, and internal corporate investigations.

Mr Shepard represents individuals and Fortune 50 companies in cases expected to go to trial. He led a team that won a defence verdict for the former CEO of JDS Uniphase in a securities fraud class action in which the damage claim was US$20 billion.

Mr Shepard represents executives and corporations in complex criminal investigations and related civil and administrative proceedings. He has had success both in convincing the government not to bring cases and in defending cases at trial, including as co-counsel for the former CEO of HBOC & Co in a criminal securities fraud prosecution.

Mr Shepard originally joined Heller Ehrman in 1980, focusing on antitrust and securities fraud cases. He left Heller Ehrman in 1984 to serve as an assistant US attorney in Chicago, trying 30 criminal cases, many of which were very high-profile corruption and white-collar fraud cases. In 1993, he served as the interim United States attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) by appointment of Attorney General Janet Reno.

Mr Shepard graduated from Princeton University (AB, magna cum laude, 1974; Phi Beta Kappa); and received his JD from Stanford Law School (1977; order of the coif; and senior articles editor of the Stanford Law Review).

Mr Shepard is a member of the American Bar Association, the state Bar of California and Illinois State Bar Association, and is admitted to practise before numerous federal courts.