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Christopher L. Nasson
Christopher L. Nasson

Christopher L. Nasson

Managing Partner, Boston Office
Boston
+1.617.261.3135
New York
+1.212.536.3900
Email Christopher L. Nasson @ Christopher.Nasson@klgates.com
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Chris Nasson is the managing partner of the firm's Boston office. An experienced litigator and former federal prosecutor, Chris's practice focuses on regulatory enforcement, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, and related business and securities litigation.

Chris represents corporations and individuals in criminal and civil matters brought by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, and other federal, state, and foreign enforcement agencies. An accomplished trial and appellate attorney, Chris has had considerable success dissuading governmental agencies from pursuing any enforcement or criminal action against his clients. He also counsels clients on risk mitigation strategies with respect to anti-corruption, sanctions, cybersecurity, and anti-money laundering issues.

Chris is nationally recognized as a leading practitioner in the area of internal investigations and white collar criminal defense. Chambers USA has hailed the “expertise” he offers “to individual and corporate clients involved in high-stakes criminal investigations and related proceedings” and noted “Chris's knowledge, guidance, and professionalism have instilled confidence” in his clients when facing their most sensitive matters. According to Chambers, clients describe Chris as “pragmatic and business-oriented.” Boston Magazine awarded Chris “Top Lawyer: White Collar Defense,” Business Today named Chris one of the “Top 10 White Collar Attorneys in Massachusetts,” The Best Lawyers in America® ranked Chris one of the top white collar lawyers in Massachusetts, The Legal 500 United States honored Chris as a top lawyer for corporate investigations, and Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly recognized Chris as “Lawyer of the Year” for his pro bono work securing the release of Fred Weichel, who was wrongfully imprisoned for more than 36 years for a crime he did not commit. Major news publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Reuters, Bloomberg, and National Law Review have featured his cases, commentary, and scholarship.

Chris also is a leader in the community. He serves on the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce's Board of Directors, the Chamber's Public Policy and Government Relations Leadership Council, and the Boston Bar Association's Criminal Law Section. In his free time, Chris volunteers coaching girls' youth sports in Winchester.

Prior to joining the firm, Chris served as an Assistant US Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and Eastern District of Kentucky, where he investigated and prosecuted financial and corporate crime. As a federal prosecutor, Chris led investigations involving securities fraud, health care fraud, cybercrime, corporate and bank fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, and espionage, as well as violations of the False Claims Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Export Administration Regulations, and International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Chris worked closely with various federal agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and led a multi-district, multi-agency investigation of a global insider trading ring, the first criminal prosecution in the US involving trading on inside information obtained through hacking. He tried numerous cases to verdict — all resulting in convictions — in addition to successfully arguing appeals before the US Courts of Appeals for the Second and Sixth Circuits.

REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE

Before his service with the Department of Justice, Chris was a litigation attorney at a prominent Boston law firm, where he worked on matters involving healthcare fraud, public corruption, and corporate embezzlement, as well as complex commercial litigation and arbitration.

  • Recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® for Criminal Defense: White-Collar in Boston, 2025
  • Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a Recommended Lawyer for Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to individuals and Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to corporates, 2024
  • Recognized by Chambers USA for Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations in Massachusetts, 2020-2024
  • Listed in Boston Magazine as a Top Lawyer in White Collar Defense
  • Recognized by Business Today as a Top 10 White Collar Attorney in Massachusetts
  • Named Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly "Lawyer of the Year"
  • Department of Justice Special Act Award in connection with the successful prosecution of corporate and individual tax evasion
  • Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Board of Directors
  • Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, Public Policy & Government Relations Leadership Council
  • American Bar Association, Criminal Justice Section - Securities Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, and Corporate Criminal Liability Subcommittees
  • Boston Bar Association, Criminal Law Section
  • Boston Bar Foundation, Adams Benefit Pro Bono Steering Committee
  • University of Virginia School of Law, Public Service Mentor
  • Eastern District Association
  • K&L Gates - Boston Inclusion & Diversity Committee, Member
  • Winchester Girls Youth Basketball, Coach
  • Speaker, “New M&A Safe Harbor Policy for Voluntary Self-Disclosures: Weighing the Risks vs. Potential Benefits,” Stafford Publications webinar, 8 May 2024
  • Christopher Nasson, Neil Smith, Pablo Man, SEC Exams & Enforcement, Boston Asset Management and Investment Funds Conference, Boston, MA 2022.
  • Christopher Nasson, David Rybicki, David Peet, Rebecca Schaefer, Emerging National Security Considerations for AMCs and Research Universities: Foreign Influence Oversight and Enforcement Trends (March 16, 2021).
  • Christopher Nasson, David Rybicki, Neil Smith, Hayley Trahan-Liptak, Phase 2 of the U.S. Government’s Response to the Paycheck Protection Program, Voluntary Disclosure Podcast (March 8, 2021).
  • Christopher Nasson, David Rybicki, Neil Smith, Hayley Trahan-Liptak, Phase 1 of the U.S. Government’s Response to the Paycheck Protection Program, Voluntary Disclosure Podcast (February 23, 2021).
  • Christopher Nasson, David Peet, Deep Dive - The DOJ on Campus, Voluntary Disclosure Podcast (September 9, 2020).
  • Christopher Nasson, David Peet, Christopher Warner, When DOJ’s China Initiative Entangles US Research Orgs, Law360: Expert Analysis (March 11, 2020).
  • Christopher Nasson et al., SEC Examinations, Enforcement Actions, and Litigation Developments, 2019 Boston Investment Management Conference, Boston, MA, November 2019.
  • Christopher Nasson, Steven Wright, Gregory Wright, Insurance Coverage for Government Proceedings, Investigations, and Subpoenas, Continuing Legal Education Program, Boston, MA, November 2019.
  • Christopher Nasson, A Practical Guide to Conducting Witness Interviews in Government Investigations, Continuing Legal Education Program, Boston, MA, March 2019.
  • Christopher Nasson and Neil Smith, Global Corruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, ESADE Global Governance and Law Program, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Boston, MA, June 2018.
  • Christopher Nasson and Neil Smith, Developments in SEC Enforcement and Examinations, 2017 Boston Investment Management Conference, Boston, MA, November 2017.
  • Christopher Nasson et al., Legal in Transformation: How Legal Functions Are Adapting to People, Process, and Technology Changes, Thompson Reuters, Boston, MA, September 2017.
  • Christopher Nasson et al., Best Practices in Parallel Criminal and Civil Investigations and Proceedings, U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, New York, NY, July 2016.
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