Profile
Michael R. Sklaire is the Co-Managing Shareholder of the Northern Virginia Office and focuses his practice on government investigations, business crimes, and financial litigation and regulation. He has wide-ranging experience as a trial lawyer, including more than 11 years with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He handles jury trials, non-jury trials, class action litigation and arbitrations, both domestic and international. Michael represents corporations and executives before federal agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). He also provides corporate compliance advice and conducts internal investigations in matters relating to procurement fraud and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). Michael is frequently quoted in national publications as having wide-ranging experience handling public corruption, securities fraud and parallel civil and criminal investigations. He has published numerous articles and frequently lectures on a variety of legal issues.
Michael’s commercial litigation practice focuses primarily on assisting clients in the financial services industry including local and national banks, consumer finance companies and mortgage bankers. He represents large private and public companies in complex litigation matters in federal and appellate courts around the country.
Concentrations
- Government investigations - civil and criminal
- Financial crimes
- CFPB enforcement and examinations
- Securities fraud
- Consumer fraud
Capabilities
Experience
- Represented large privately-held company and CEO in SEC enforcement action
- Defended large federal government contractor in multimillion-dollar commercial dispute filed in federal court.
- Defended large, privately-held federal and state government contractor in consolidated class action litigation
- Defended government contractor against allegations of copyright infringement related to creation and use of software by subcontractor filed in federal court.
- Defended federal government contractor and executives in multi-agency criminal and civil investigation resulting in no charges brought or fines levied in agency Inspector General investigation.
- Defended technology company in Department of Commerce investigation of alleged export control violations.
- Conducted internal investigation of large private company related to allegations of theft of trade secrets.
- Conducted extensive internal investigation of large private company related to workplace enforcement and immigration issues.
- Represented large telecommunications company in a nationwide three-year investigation by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) relating to consumer privacy issues.
- Represented UK business owner indicted in large high profile multi-national FCPA investigation. All charges dismissed against client.
- Represented chief accountant for large publicly traded company in an investigation relating to alleged violations of Sarbanes-Oxley before the DOJ and the SEC.
- Represented member of Congress in long-term federal investigation before the DOJ and congressional investigators. No charges brought against client.
- Represented lobbyist in ongoing DOJ public corruption investigation. No charges brought against client.
- Assistant U.S. Attorney, District of Connecticut Organized Crime Task Force, 1998-2003
- Special Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of California, 1997-98
- Special Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Texas, 1996-97
- Trial Attorney, Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, 1992-96
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2023-2025
- Selected, Virginia Business, “Virginia 500 Power List,” 2022-2023
- "Legal Elite," Virginia Business magazine
- Team Member, U.S. News - Best Lawyers®, Best Law Firms Edition, "Law Firm of the Year," Banking & Finance - Litigation, 2017
- Board of Directors and Past President Federal Bar Association Criminal Law Section, 2017-Present
- Board of Directors, Ayuda
- Member, District of Columbia Bar Association, Member, Virginia Bar Association
Credentials
- J.D., American University Washington College of Law, 1992
- B.A., University of Vermont, 1989
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Virginia
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
News, Insights & Events
Michael is a contributor to the Consumer Products Counselor Blog 