Rob Cary is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, who has successfully tried criminal and civil cases across the country. Chambers USA has described Rob as an “absolutely brilliant” lawyer, who “encompasses all of Williams & Connolly’s best attributes. He’s aggressive, he brings the fight, and he is really, really smart.” The National Law Journal has recognized Rob as a “Trailblazer” and one of the country’s “Most Influential Lawyers.”
With client permission and encouragement, Rob wrote a book about one of his trials. Bob Woodward of The Washington Post describes the book “Not Guilty: The Unlawful Prosecution of U.S. Senator Ted Stevens” as a “public service…a shocking, deeply sobering tale that every American worried about the concentration of power in the federal government should read and study.” Barry Scheck, co-founder of the Innocence Project, describes it as a “riveting account from one of our country’s great lawyers.” Retired federal judge Nancy Gertner describes it as “an extraordinarily important book, a must read not only for lawyers, but federal judges.”
In addition to trying cases, Rob has litigated and settled class actions, represented companies and citizens in government investigations, and led investigations for audit committees of publicly traded companies. Rob has also represented clients in a number of high-stakes appeals, including two that have gone to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Rob has been recognized as a leading lawyer in white collar crime and government investigations in the 2013-2024 editions of Chambers USA, as a commercial litigation local "Litigation Star" in the 2012-2024 editions of Benchmark Litigation; as a “National Star” in the 2015 and 2021-2024 editions of Benchmark Litigation; as a leading lawyer in white collar criminal defense in the 2010-21 editions of The Best Lawyers in America; and as the Bet-the-Company Litigation Lawyer of the Year for Washington, D.C. in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.
Rob has co-taught “Defending a Criminal Case” at Vanderbilt Law School with the Honorable Amul Thapar of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and “Federal White-Collar Crime” and “Trial Advocacy” at Georgetown University Law Center. Rob is a frequent speaker on criminal law, legal ethics, and professional responsibility. His speaking engagements have included appearances at the Sixth Circuit, Seventh Circuit, Tenth Circuit, and the District of Columbia Judicial Conferences. Rob was appointed by the Virginia Supreme Court to its faculty to teach professionalism to new lawyers.
Updated Sep 2023
