Michael Shepard joined the firm in 1994 and practices litigation, focusing on trials, white collar criminal defense and related civil litigation, and internal corporate investigations.

Experience

Mr. Shepard’s practice is focused on three types of engagements:

• He represents individuals and Fortune 50 companies in cases expected to go to trial. Most recently, he led a team that won a defense verdict for the former CEO of JDS Uniphase Co. in a securities fraud class action in which the damage claim was $20 billion.
• He spearheads the firm’s white collar criminal defense practice, and represents executives and corporations in complex criminal investigations and related civil and administrative proceedings. He has had success both in convincing the government not to bring cases and in defending cases at trial, including as co-counsel for the former CEO of HBOC & Co. in a criminal securities fraud prosecution.
• He leads high-stakes internal investigations for corporations and professional firms. Among his recent public investigations was one for New Century Financial Corp., a leading subprime mortgage firm.

Mr. Shepard originally joined Heller Ehrman in 1980, and specialized in complex civil litigation, focusing on antitrust and securities fraud cases. After becoming a shareholder, he left Heller Ehrman in 1984 to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago. While trying 30 criminal cases (many of which were very high-profile corruption and white collar fraud cases), he was promoted to positions of increased authority within the Department of Justice, including service as Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago, and Chief of the Public Integrity Section of the Criminal Division in Washington, D.C. In 1993, he served as the interim United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago) by appointment of Attorney General Janet Reno.