Andrew C. Porter

Andrew C. Porter is a Chambers-recognized trial lawyer, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and a former federal prosecutor. Andrew focuses his practice on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, complex commercial litigation, and high-stakes employment matters involving trade secrets, fraud, breach of contract, and director and officer liability in the health care, education, banking, manufacturing, and intellectual property sectors. Andrew’s clients range from indigent criminal defendants to senior executives, public institutions, and businesses.  Andrew has tried almost 35 federal and state jury trials, and he brings an aggressive, high-energy approach to his preparation—from the beginning of the investigation to the closing argument.

Criminal Defense & Investigations

Andrew’s experience as an Assistant United States Attorney informs his defense strategies and is invaluable to his work conducting internal investigations. He is meticulous in getting ahead of the prosecution by learning all the relevant facts about clients’ business, associates, and issues and then successfully advocating for his client at every stage of the proceeding. Andrew has recently represented individual executives and companies in matters including Department of Justice investigations and internal investigations on issues such as education fraud, tax fraud, health-care fraud, bankruptcy fraud, ERISA fraud, environmental crimes, and immigration fraud.  Since returning to private practice in 2014, some of Andrew’s representative matters include:

• Convinced the Department of Justice to forego prosecution in a tax-fraud investigation involving claimed unreported income of over $1,000,000.
• Convinced the Department of Justice to forego prosecution of an attorney in a wide-ranging fraud investigation.
• Successfully navigated multiple Department of Justice investigations without charges brought against dozens of individuals, including executives of a large speech, physical, and occupational therapy company investigated for health-care fraud; employees of a large private physicians’ office in Illinois; and a senior automotive engineer embroiled in the VW emissions scandal.
• Successfully represented a woman indicted on bank-fraud charges in the Eastern District of Wisconsin who faced trial in a matter that generated substantial media attention in Wisconsin. In the weeks before trial, the government agreed to dismiss all charges against Andrew’s client.
• Prevailed on all counts in a week-long bench trial representing a defendant facing multiple felonies.
• Served as a special prosecutor in the successful trial of an individual charged with conspiring to murder a state-court judge and a state prosecutor.
• Conducted multiple internal investigations for public and private entities, including for one of the largest food service companies in the world, a for-profit educational institution, and one of the largest community colleges in the country.

Civil Litigation Experience

Andrew represents companies and individuals in complex litigation matters throughout the country.  Since returning to private practice in 2014, some of Andrew’s matters include:

• Served as lead trial lawyer in a more than $10M fraud action that settled immediately prior to trial.
• Served as lead trial lawyer in multiple trade secret, non-compete, breach of contract, and civil fraud actions across the United States, including an intellectual-property ownership case pending in the Eastern District of Michigan for a Fortune 500 company; a breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty action against a former College President in the Northern District of Illinois; a breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty action against senior executives of an educational institution; a breach of contract action against a global financial services and insurance firm in the Northern District of Illinois; a theft of trade secret / breach of non-compete action in New York state court; a breach of fiduciary duty and civil fraud action in the Northern District of Iowa; and a breach of fiduciary duty action against a privately held company and its high net worth owner in the Northern District of Illinois.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Experience

As an assistant U.S. attorney, Andrew investigated, prosecuted and supervised federal criminal cases, including racketeering, securities fraud, money laundering, health care fraud and violent crime. Andrew’s understanding of how the government builds its cases gives him the best possible insight to prepare a successful defense.

Andrew oversaw and trained dozens of assistant U.S. attorneys on the successful investigation and prosecution of more than 1,000 defendants. He also served as the U.S. attorney’s office gang coordinator, overseeing gang investigations and collaborating with state and federal law enforcement partners to tackle gang-related crime. This work required leadership skills, sensitive communication, thorough investigations, and the cultivation of relationships with people from all walks of life.

Teaching / Speaking

• Northwestern University School of Law, Guest Lecturer
• National Advocacy Center at the Department of Justice, Instructor, Trial Advocacy
• Deposition Training, Pincus Professional Education, Lecturer
• “FCPA Disclosures Under the New DOJ Policy” 9th Midwest Anti-Corruption Forum, Lecturer
• “What to do when the Government comes knocking,” Drinker Biddle & Reath panelist
• Chicago Inn of Court panelist on perspectives in handling crisis communications

Education

• Northwestern University School of Law, J.D. cum laude, Order of the Coif
• Northwestern University Law Review – Editor-in-Chief
• Illinois Wesleyan University, B.A., summa cum laude

Honors

• Best Lawyers – Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2021
• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, 2020
• Best Lawyers in America – Illinois, 2020
• Chambers USA, Recognised Practitioner, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2019
• Served as Special Assistant State’s Attorney, 2019
• United States Department of Justice Director’s Award, Superior Work by a Litigation Team, 2015
• Chicago Crime Commission’s Star of Distinction Criminal Justice Award, 2010
• Prosecutor of the Year, International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators, 2000

Bar Admissions

Andrew is a member of the Illinois Bar, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Illinois trial bar, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Iowa, Western District of Texas, and Eastern District of Wisconsin.