Josh Levine is a Partner in Simpson Thacher’s Litigation Department and Head of the Firm’s Crisis Management Practice. He represents multinational companies, boards, committees, directors and executives in white collar criminal and regulatory matters, as well as sensitive internal investigations. Prior to joining Simpson Thacher in 2007, Josh served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he was a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, and the Chief of the International Narcotics Trafficking Unit. Josh received the Director’s Award from the Justice Department for Superior Performance and has been recognized by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation as a leading lawyer in his field. For nearly a decade, Josh served as a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Southern District of New York, where he represented indigent defendants charged with federal criminal offenses. Josh also serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee.
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Work Highlights
- Global financial institution in an SEC investigation related to its mortgage-backed securities business
- Multinational manufacturing company in a Department of Justice criminal antitrust investigation
- Energy trading firm in DOJ and CFTC investigations related to alleged violations of the FCPA and Commodity Exchange Act
- Audit Committee of global consumer goods company in internal investigation of whistleblower allegations concerning potential corruption and accounting fraud
- Special committee of the board of a technology company in an internal investigation of tax fraud allegations
- European hedge fund in a CFTC investigation of trading activity
- Multinational healthcare company in an internal investigation into allegations of FCPA violations in the company's Indian operations
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A large technology company in successfully resolving DOJ and SEC investigations regarding allegations of FCPA violations
- Multiple directors and executives in federal and state government investigations concerning the federal securities and commodities laws, FCPA, criminal antitrust and public corruption
Accolades
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Justice Department's Director's Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant U.S. Attorney
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Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
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The Legal 500 United States
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Euromoney's Benchmark Litigation, National and New York "Litigation Star"
Education
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University of Michigan Law School, 1995 J.D.
cum laude, Order of the Coif
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Cornell University, 1991 A.B.
Distinction in All Subjects
Clerkships
- Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York 1995–1996
Admissions
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 2021
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit 2009
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U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit 2008
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U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit 2003
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U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York 1997
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U.S. District Court Southern District of New York 1997
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New York 1996
A Partner in the Firm’s New York office and Head of the Firm’s Crisis Management Practice, Josh Levine regularly represents corporations, their boards, and executives in investigations by United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the New York Attorney General, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Antitrust Division and Fraud Section of the Department of Justice. Josh has also conducted internal investigations for companies across a variety of industries, including financial services, biotechnology, energy and pharmaceuticals.
Prior to joining the Firm, Josh served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1999 to 2007, where he was a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, as well as the Chief of the International Narcotics Trafficking Unit. As a federal prosecutor, Josh handled a wide array of criminal investigations and prosecutions including securities fraud cases involving market manipulation, accounting fraud, mail and wire fraud, and deceptive practices in connection with mutual fund trading. He also conducted numerous jury trials and briefed and argued appeals before the Second Circuit. Josh was a recipient of the Justice Department’s Director’s Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant United States Attorney.
Josh is consistently recognized as a leading lawyer in white-collar crime and government investigations by Chambers USA, where he was praised as a “really strategic lawyer” who “has terrific judgment and an even-keeled demeanor which you want by your side in stressful situations.” Another source notes: “he has the intellectual capacity to understand the very technical securities matters.” He has also been recognized as a leader in his field by both The Legal 500 and Euromoney’s Benchmark Litigation, where he is recognized as a National and New York “Litigation Star” for white collar. For nearly a decade, Josh served as a member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Southern District of New York, where he represented indigent defendants charged with federal criminal offenses. Josh also serves as Co-Chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee.
Josh is admitted to the bar in New York and to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He received his A.B., with distinction in all subjects, from Cornell University in 1991, and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif. After law school, Josh served as a law clerk to the Hon. Shira A. Scheindlin of the Southern District of New York. Prior to law school, he served as Special Assistant to United States Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.