Jack McNeily is a trial lawyer who represents clients in litigation and white collar defense and investigations, particularly in the financial institutions, fintech, and cryptocurrency spaces.

Mr. McNeily brings a trial-ready posture and a dedication to partnering with his clients to understand their business and market and to achieve their objectives.

He has deep experience and a track record of success representing public companies and their officers, fund managers, investment advisers, and financial services firms in litigation, investigations, and regulatory enforcement in subject matters including:

  • Securities and corporate fraud
  • Complex commercial litigation
  • Market manipulation
  • Accounting fraud
  • Insider trading
  • Money laundering

Mr. McNeily also maintains a robust pro bono practice and has obtained numerous notable victories, including securing a landmark restitution award for a victim of sex trafficking, as well as prevailing on Americans with Disabilities Act claims in federal court against New York City on behalf of two classes of disabled city residents, constitutional rights claims in federal court on behalf of a class of prisoners, a wrongful conviction claim in state court, and several contract disputes in state family courts.

Prior to joining Latham, Mr. McNeily was an associate at a major law firm based in New York.

Mr. McNeily’s experience includes representing:

Cryptocurrency

  • A high-frequency trading firm and cryptocurrency market-maker in parallel Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) investigations
  • A DeFi protocol governance key holder in a first-of-its-kind private civil litigation alleging RICO and tort claims arising from the hack of the DeFi protocol
  • A leading cryptocurrency exchange in parallel DOJ, SEC, and CFTC investigations
  • A DeFi protocol offering cryptocurrency derivatives in a CFTC investigation
  • A leading cryptocurrency exchange in internal investigations relating to alleged insider trading by a former rogue employee which led to the first insider trading case involving cryptocurrencies
  • A leading cryptocurrency platform and staking business in more than 25 criminal and regulatory investigations relating to the platform’s business model and registration status
  • A co-founder and former CTO of a cryptocurrency exchange in a first-of-its-kind DOJ prosecution for registration violations, and a parallel CFTC enforcement action
  • Various token issuers, traders, investors, and DeFi protocols in compliance and pre-litigation advice

White Collar and Regulatory Enforcement

  • A CEO of a public company in a federal criminal investigation of improper lobbying practices
  • A financial services firm in a SEC investigation into allegedly improper wash trading
  • An operator of real estate investment funds in connection with a SEC investigation into the funds’ accounting practices
  • A leading investment adviser in a SEC investigation into allegedly undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • A public company in a SEC investigation into alleged improper accounting practices

Complex Commercial Litigation

  • A public company in a bellwether products liability action tried to favorable jury verdict in state court*
  • A public financial services firm in a bankruptcy adversary action against a defunct major financial institution relating to the firm’s derivatives trading with the defunct entity*
  • A public company in two Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 actions in federal court*
  • A public company in a complex contract dispute with its supplier in federal court*

Securities and Corporate Fraud

  • A former CEO of a public company charged in parallel US DOJ and SEC actions alleging accounting fraud and in which Mr. McNeily and the Latham team tried the criminal case and obtained a full acquittal for the client in the criminal action
  • Public companies in shareholder derivative suits related to accounting fraud allegations
  • Public companies in shareholder class action suits alleging misleading and inadequate disclosures
  • A public financial services firm in more than 40 related securities and contracts lawsuits brought by private plaintiffs, federal agencies, and state attorneys general in federal and state court relating to the issuance of mortgage-backed securities*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois
  • New York

Education

  • JD, University of Chicago Law School, 2013
  • BA, Dartmouth College, 2010

Languages Spoken

  • English