Ronald Machen, a member of the firm's global Management Committee and Chair of the Firm’s Litigation and Controversy Department is one of the nation's leading trial and white-collar defense lawyers. An experienced litigator who has tried more than 35 cases to verdict, Machen specializes in litigating complex criminal and civil actions. He also routinely helps clients navigate high-stakes, crisis situations that garner the attention of multiple regulators, enforcement authorities, Congress and private litigants.
Prior to rejoining the firm in 2015, Machen served for over five years as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, leading the nation's largest US Attorney's Office with more than 600 attorneys and support staff. He oversaw the investigation and litigation of major criminal and civil matters concerning government procurement, healthcare fraud, securities fraud, national security, international corruption, economic sanctions, money laundering and structuring, and cybersecurity. Machen was frequently responsible for representing the United States in matters of great significance to the entire country, including the successful prosecution of the largest domestic bribery and bid-rigging scheme in the history of federal contracting and a number of landmark settlements in False Claims Act cases against government contractors, healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies. He secured numerous convictions in terrorism cases and more than 160 convictions in public corruption matters. He also defended the United States in a wide range of civil matters involving alleged age, race and sex discrimination, torts, and medical malpractice.
Prior to his appointment as US Attorney, Machen was a partner in WilmerHale's White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice, where he represented individual and corporate clients in the areas of white-collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement, corporate compliance and complex civil litigation. Machen also served as an Assistant US Attorney in the US Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia from 1997 to 2001.
During his career, Machen has been repeatedly recognized for his professional accomplishments. In 2020, Machen was identified as a Criminal Law Trailblazer by the National Law Journal and he has consistently been recognized by Chambers USA for his white-collar crime and government investigations practice and selected by his peers as one of the Best Lawyers in America. From 2015 to the present, he has been identified as one of DC's “Top Criminal Defense Lawyers” by Washingtonian magazine and in 2015 he was honored as one of the "100 Most Outstanding African American Leaders" for his contributions in the field of law by African Leadership Magazine. In 2013, he received the Equal Justice Award from the National Bar Association. In 2012, he was recognized as a “Visionary” by Legal Times for helping to advance the practice of law during his tenure as US Attorney.
Updated Sep 2024
