Timothy J. Treanor

Managing Principal

ttreanor@treanor-law.com    (212) 858-9080

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Timothy J. Treanor

TIM TREANOR is Managing Principal of the Treanor Law Firm. He founded the firm after 17 years as a partner of Sidley Austin LLP where he served for more than ten years as Global Co-Leader of the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice (ranked #2 in the world by Global Investigations Review in 2024 and 2025) until his departure from the firm at the end of 2024. Before Sidley, Tim served for nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor and senior unit supervisor in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

“Tim’s judgment is unassailable and impeccable.” Chambers USA

Tim has been recognized by numerous industry publications, including Law360’s national list of five White Collar MVPs. He is ranked by Chambers Global for FCPA and Chambers USA for both New York White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations and for Nationwide FCPA. In Chambers Global, he was described as a “very capable lawyer who is very responsive in terms of client demands. He is very experienced in interacting with authorities as well as able to handle the pressure that comes from high-stakes investigations.” Clients remarked to Martindale-Hubbell that “Tim is a first-rate lawyer. Very fine legal mind and very ethical.” Tim has been recognized since 2015 in Who’s Who Legal for Investigations and Business Crime Defence of Individuals and Corporates and since 2020 in The Best Lawyers in America for Criminal Defense: White-Collar Law. He has been listed in The Legal 500 US for Compliance and Investigations in Latin America; in Ethisphere among its “Attorneys Who Matter;” in Latinvex as an “FCPA and Fraud Leader” for Latin America; in the Irish Legal 100 as a leading lawyer of Irish heritage; and in Super Lawyers as a top-rated white collar crimes lawyer in New York.

Tim brings a thoughtful and tailored approach to his representations of clients. He is a forceful advocate who can fight tenaciously for his clients in court proceedings and before his adversaries, but when appropriate, can employ a practical, problem-solving approach.  Tim regularly represents companies and executives before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), including its various U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and other federal civil enforcement agencies (FinCEN, OFAC, and BIS), banking regulators (Federal Reserve, OCC, and NYDFS), and state attorneys general. He has represented clients in a variety of industries, including financial services, insurance, life sciences, energy, and technology, and often has managed parallel criminal and civil proceedings and multi-jurisdictional matters involving foreign government agencies. Tim has helped many clients avoid adverse consequences in enforcement actions and has negotiated favorable dispositions with a range of agencies. He also has advised companies on the development of internal compliance programs and counseled clients in connection with potential compliance violations, particularly in the financial services industry or where there are national security implications, including in the areas of anti-money laundering (AML), including the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), and anti-corruption (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)). Tim also has significant experience managing civil litigation under RICO, the Anti-Terrorism Act, and the False Claims Act.

Tim “rolls up his sleeves and gets to the facts.  He is also a tough and very effective leader”
– Chambers Global

Prior to joining Sidley in 2008, Tim was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) for nine years, serving as Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime Unit, and at times, as Acting Chief of the Violent Crimes and Narcotics Units. For several years, he was a member of the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit, and in that capacity, helped to execute the DOJ’s response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Tim also worked closely with other prosecutors’ offices in New York, serving as Special Assistant Deputy Attorney General for the State of New York and earlier as a student prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

During his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Tim established himself as one of the government’s most experienced and successful trial lawyers. He tried a dozen criminal cases and led the government teams in three major multi-month, multi-defendant trials. Tim also briefed and argued numerous cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Tim was a founding partner of Law Preview LLC, an educational services company, which he operated for 15 years before selling it to a portfolio company of a private equity firm.

Education

  • Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1995 (cum laude, Order of the Coif, Notes and Articles Editor, Fordham Law Review)
  • College of the Holy Cross, B.A., 1989 (Sanctae Crucis award for Outstanding Young Alumnus, 2007)

Admissions

  • New York
  • Massachusetts
  • U.S. District Court for the S.D.N.Y.
  • U.S. District Court for the E.D.N.Y.
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Clerkships

  • Hon. W. Harold Albritton, III, M.D. Ala., 1995-96

Representations of Corporate Clients

AML and Economic Sanctions

  • Defended a prominent, global U.S. financial institution before the DOJ in an investigation of potential BSA/AML violations involving offshore bank transactions.
  • Advised and represented one of the world’s largest banks in connection with the imposition by the NYDFS of a compliance monitor to address deficient AML and sanctions compliance controls and facilitated controls enhancements that led to an on-time discharge of the monitor.
  • Served for a five-year term as lead counsel to the corporate compliance monitor of HSBC Holdings plc and its subsidiaries appointed by the DOJ, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in connection with HSBC’s US$1.9 billion resolution of money laundering and sanctions violations.
  • Served as lead prosecutor of NETELLER PLC, a U.S. publicly traded payment transmitter, and its founders, for some of the most substantial money laundering offenses in history and negotiated deferred-prosecution and non-prosecution agreements with corporate defendants in the matter, including appointing and managing one of the earliest corporate compliance monitors.

Securities Enforcement and Financial Services

  • Representing an asset manager before the USAO for the SDNY in an investigation of potential disclosure fraud by a U.S. public company.
  • Conducting an internal investigation for a prominent U.S. public, health services company into allegations of accelerated revenue recognition and accounting fraud.
  • Represented prominent investment firms and commodities traders in connection with the DOJ’s investigation and prosecution of manipulative spoofing in precious metals trading.
  • Represented a federal government–sponsored enterprise (GSE) in connection with allegations of manipulative pricing in GSE bond offerings.
  • Defended a global bank in foreign currency exchange trading investigations being conducted by numerous enforcement agencies around the world and negotiated a US$40 million consent order with NYDFS.
  • Defended a LIBOR panel bank in investigations by the DOJ, the New York Attorney General (NYAG), and numerous other U.S. enforcement agencies into the potential manipulation of LIBOR rates, and represented the bank before other enforcement agencies around the world, with no enforcement action taken.
  • Served as lead counsel to an asset management firm in connection with investigations of potential fraud in the setting of foreign currency exchange rates.
  • Served as lead counsel to a bank in connection with investigations of a rogue trader conducted by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.
  • Was retained during the financial crisis to advise the FRBNY on fraud risk issues and to conduct a fraud risk assessment in connection with the US$250 billion Term Asset-Backed Securities Lending Facility, one of the federal government’s most important and successful economic recovery programs.
  • Defended an inter-dealer brokerage firm in investigations by the SDNY, the NYAG, and the SEC into potentially manipulative credit default swaps trading, with no enforcement action taken.

Anti-Corruption and FCPA

  • Defended soccer confederation CONCACAF in the DOJ’s investigation of corruption in world football, conducted internal investigations of multiple CONCACAF leadership administrations, and (with co-counsel) recovered in restitution over US$200 million for the world’s leading football organizations.
  • Led the defense of a U.S. public company in the life sciences industry in a highly publicized FCPA enforcement action arising from allegations of bribery in Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina and negotiated resolutions with the DOJ, SEC, and Brazilian authorities, totaling approximately US$90 million.
  • Defended oil field services company PetroTiger in an investigation of FCPA violations in Colombia and obtained from the DOJ a groundbreaking declination of prosecution.
  • Representing a U.S. public medical device company before the SEC in an investigation involving alleged bribe payments to customs officials.
  • Secured a declination of prosecution from the DOJ and the SEC for a U.S. publicly traded life sciences company in an investigation of business practices in the Middle East.
  • Secured a declination of prosecution from the DOJ for an international commodities trading firm, and a favorable settlement in parallel federal civil litigation, in connection with bribery allegations related to the development of an aluminum smelter in Bahrain.
  • Represented a Fortune 100 company before the DOJ and the SEC in connection with the assessment and enhancement of the company’s global corporate compliance program, which led to a declination of prosecution.
  • Represented a leading pharmaceutical company before the DOJ and the SEC in connection with the post-acquisition due diligence review of an acquired company’s operations in Indonesia, the Philippines, Colombia, and Poland, leading to resolutions with the DOJ and FCPA for conduct in Indonesia, and conducted investigations and compliance reviews in multiple countries, including China, Singapore, and Australia.
  • Helped to secure a declination of prosecution for an international oil and gas company in an investigation of potential corruption in connection with oilfield rights in Libya, Angola, and Iraq.

National Security and International Trade

  • Negotiated, for a leading U.S. financial institution, the favorable resolution of a civil suit for treble damages brought under the Anti-Terrorism Act arising from the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014 by the Russian military in eastern Ukraine.
  • Advised a foreign sovereign in connection with allegations of computer hacking, corruption, and fraud in the U.S. and other jurisdictions.
  • Defended a major foreign bank before the DOJ in an investigation of companies and individuals financing the development of weapons of mass destruction by North Korea, with no enforcement action taken.
  • Represented a foreign bank before the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in the investigation of individuals who were indicted for selling missile-related products and technology to entities involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Antitrust Enforcement

  • Represented a leading U.S. insurance company before the NYAG in an investigation of no-poach agreements and anti-competitive employment practices, including negotiating an assurance of discontinuance to resolve any potential exposure to liability.
  • Defended corporate clients against enforcement actions by the DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), including a six-week preliminary injunction hearing against the FTC in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to enjoin a merger of pharmaceutical wholesalers.

Other Matters

  • Represented a victim technology company in connection with the prosecution and trial in the SDNY of individuals who defrauded the company and in efforts to recover assets.
  • Participated in negotiating a civil resolution under the Controlled Substances Act for a private equity-owned hospital chain that experienced instances of employee drug diversion.
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Representations of Individual Clients

  • Represented a digital asset manager in an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY of the collapse of a crypto hedge fund.
  • Represented the CFO of a major U.S. public company in an internal investigation and a related investigation by the DOJ’s Antitrust Division into potential price fixing offenses by the company.
  • Representing members of the board of directors of a major international payments company before the DOJ in a BSA, money laundering, and Food and Drug Act investigation.
  • Defended commodities traders before the DOJ in connection with the investigation of manipulative spoofing trades in the precious metals markets, with no enforcement action taken.
  • Defended the “Bitcoin King” before the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY in connection with the prosecution of money laundering offenses involving the Silk Road website.
  • Defended multiple hedge fund executives, and advised hedge funds, in insider trading investigations related to expert consultant networks conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY and the SEC, with no enforcement action taken.
  • Represented a former senior manager of S.A.C. Capital Advisors, L.P. (S.A.C.) in connection with insider trading investigations of various employees of S.A.C.
  • Defended the former controller of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities in connection with the investigation and prosecution of individuals associated with Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.
  • Represented an executive of a U.S. insurance company in connection with efforts to reverse a criminal conviction in Kuwait.
  • Represented employees/witnesses at the trial of a victim company’s former CEO.
  • Defended an employee of a major investment bank in connection with the investigation of bid-rigging in municipal tax lien auctions conducted by the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, with no enforcement action taken.
  • Represented senior partners of prominent lawyer Marc Dreier in connection with the investigation of his well-publicized fraud scheme and the recovery of assets.
  • Served for six years as a member of the Criminal Justice Act panel for the SDNY representing indigent defendants as court-appointed counsel.
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Media

Events

  • Speaker, “Anti-Money Laundering, OFAC, and FCPA Compliance,” 2022 U.S. Regulatory and Compliance Orientation Program, Institute of International Bankers, New York, January 2022.
  • Speaker, “Anti-Money Laundering, OFAC, and FCPA Compliance,” 2023 U.S. Regulatory and Compliance Orientation Program, Institute of International Bankers, New York, January 2023.

News

Tim Treanor Opens Law Firm