Ryan Hartman

Ryan Hartman represents clients in civil litigation, criminal investigations, and regulatory enforcement actions, and advises companies on strategic transactions, risk management, and compliance. He has represented companies and executives in more than 100 lawsuits, arbitrations, government and internal investigations, regulatory proceedings, and disputes, defeating tens of billions of dollars in potential liability. His experience includes litigating cases before federal, state, territorial, bankruptcy, and appellate courts, defending companies facing investigation by enforcement agencies around the world, and working in 40+ countries with clients in energy, technology, financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, and numerous other industries. He has also represented clients in a range of significant global transactions.

With extensive experience in private practice and as a lawyer and executive at one of the world's largest energy companies, Mr. Hartman combines robust advocacy for clients with a pragmatic approach to managing risk, satisfying regulatory expectations, enabling transactions, and protecting individuals.

White collar investigations and defense: Mr. Hartman has represented companies and executives, and advised boards and audit committees, in government, regulatory, and internal investigations into areas such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and UK Bribery Act, trade sanctions and export controls, data privacy and breaches, antitrust and competition law, money laundering, whistleblower claims, fraud and accounting irregularities, financial disclosures, securities regulations, insider trading, commodities trading, environmental laws, foreign investment, and campaign finance. These investigations have spanned dozens of countries and involved the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Department of the Interior (DOI), Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO), UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), and other regulatory and enforcement agencies around the world.

Civil litigation: Mr. Hartman has defended companies, officers, and directors in complex civil litigation, including securities, shareholder, and M&A litigation, class actions, and cases alleging tortious interference, antitrust violations, misappropriation of trade secrets, non-compete and employment issues, breach of contract and fiduciary duty, and RICO violations. He has obtained injunctive relief and financial recoveries on behalf of corporate plaintiffs, and has represented creditors in bankruptcy cases and adversary proceedings regarding fraudulent transfers, asset sales, and other contested matters.

Governance, compliance, risk management, and transactions: Informed by his extensive experience defending clients and first-hand knowledge of the risks and realities faced by companies, in-house counsel, compliance officers, and business leaders, Mr. Hartman has helped clients design and execute strategic transactions, advised clients on governance, compliance, and risk management, created and led pragmatic corporate compliance programs, and managed a U.S. monitorship.

Focus Areas

Experience

Obtained summary judgment for a leading international shipbuilder dismissing civil RICO and fraud litigation brought by a state-owned multinational energy company that claimed over $2 billion in damages.
Obtained dismissal for a major lending institution of a federal lawsuit challenging sales of its securities and the U.S. government’s guaranty of those securities.
Obtained rescission of an agreement and dismissal of all counterclaims on behalf of investors.
Represented a major lending institution as trial counsel in obtaining bankruptcy court approval of its $400 million purchase of a telecommunications enterprise in a 363 sale and litigating related claims.
Represented a large healthcare system in a commercial dispute that was favorably resolved after the court granted partial summary judgment and awarded litigation costs for the client.

Represented a private equity-backed company as trial counsel in obtaining injunctive relief against a competitor and enforcing noncompete agreements in an arbitration against former executives.
Represented a high net worth individual and his companies in challenging defamatory allegations by two media companies. The companies retracted the allegations.
Represented a professional services firm in obtaining dismissal of a civil RICO lawsuit.
Represented a global technology services firm in obtaining injunctive relief against a competitor and former employees.
Represented a large healthcare provider as trial counsel in suing a competitor and former employees for misappropriating trade secrets, and defending against antitrust claims the suit resulted in temporary and permanent injunctions, a financial settlement for the client, and dismissal of all counterclaims.
Represented a Fortune 500 company and its officers and directors defending against direct and derivative shareholder suits and a suit by an unsuccessful bidder in connection with a $1 billion merger; after two courts denied the plaintiffs' requested injunctions, the merger was consummated.
Represented major lending institutions and their officers in lawsuits to collect several hundred million dollars and defend against counterclaims; the suits resulted in judgments for the client and dismissal with prejudice of all counterclaims.
Represented a leading investment management firm in defeating class certification in an Investment Advisers Act lawsuit that sought more than $1 billion in damages.
Represented one of the world's largest energy services companies in a suit against a competitor and former employees for misappropriating trade secrets; the suit resulted in a significant financial recovery and an award of temporary and permanent injunctive relief for the client.

Obtained a declination for a multinational company in a DOJ and SEC investigation of a multibillion-dollar transaction that had sought one of the largest ever disgorgement awards.
Defended a publicly traded company in an SEC investigation regarding claims made by nationally recognized whistleblower counsel under the Dodd-Frank whistleblower program; the SEC declined to pursue the allegations.
Defended a multinational company in an SFO investigation regarding business in West Africa; successfully resolved the matter without action against the client.
Defended a petroleum distributor in a DOJ investigation into alleged fraud; successfully resolved the matter without any action against the client.
Represented a multinational company responding to a potential data breach and related investigations in several countries; the investigations were closed without action against the client.

Worked with a UK company and its U.S. subsidiaries to successfully manage a five-year monitorship by the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Represented a multinational company in inquiries by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and UK Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) into compliance with trade sanctions and export controls; the matters were resolved without action against the client.
Represented a multinational company in a putative whistleblower investigation by the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) that was successfully resolved without action.
Represented a publicly traded company in a multijurisdictional investigation into its compliance with antitrust and competition laws; the matter was resolved without action.
Represented a multinational company in an investigation by the DOJ, SEC, OFAC, and BIS into alleged violations of the FCPA, trade sanctions, export controls, and accounting requirements.
Defended a Fortune 200 company executive in a high-profile criminal investigation into alleged violations of campaign finance law that was resolved without action against the client.
Represented a publicly traded company in an SEC and FINRA insider trading investigation.
Represented a technology company in identifying and bringing civil claims against a former employee who was responsible for a data breach, and in working with the DOJ to cooperate in his prosecution.
Represented multinational companies in internal investigations into a wide range of regulatory, criminal, employment and financial matters, and in structuring pragmatic remedial measures and compliance programs in response.

Represented global energy company in all aspects of its $100+ million acquisition of a U.S. engineering and technical services company.
Represented global energy company in regulatory aspects of a $10+ billion acquisition that created one of Europe's largest independent oil and gas companies.
Represented multinational companies in structuring and negotiating joint ventures, new market entries, mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, and other strategic transactions that have generated billions of dollars in revenue.
Represented a private equity-backed technology company in negotiating a significant joint venture with one of the world's largest chemical companies.

Designed, led, and advised clients on global compliance programs, strategies and processes (e.g., anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, antitrust and competition, trade sanctions, export controls, securities, internal investigations) that measurably improved risk management and business engagement.
Served as the chief compliance officer for the exploration and production, refining and marketing, and alternative energy divisions of one of the world's largest energy companies, leading 300 professionals responsible for 70,000 employees in 79 countries.
Leveraged technology to help companies implement systematic risk assessments, testing of controls, counterparty due diligence, and other risk management and compliance processes, decreasing cycle times up to 80% and improving the quality of risk decisions.

Perspectives

April 24, 2024

FTC Releases Final Rule Prohibiting Non-Competes

Advisory

April 3, 2024

U.S. Commerce Department Announces New Export Enforcement Programs

Enforcement Edge: Shining Light on Government Enforcement

March 20, 2024

CERAWeek 2024: U.S. Energy Secretary Discusses Investments in Clean Energy, Economic Revitalization, and Permitting

Environmental Edge: Climate Change & Regulatory Insights

January 25, 2024

Measuring Success: How to Determine Compliance Program Effectiveness

Speaker, American Conference Institute's 17th Forum on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Houston, TX

December 2023

Deskbook on Internal Investigations, Corporate Compliance, and White Collar Issues (2nd ed.)

Practising Law Institute

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Recognition

The Legal 500 US

International Litigation (2022)
Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense (2022)

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Perspectives

Recognition

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Admissions