Christopher D. Frey, a former federal prosecutor, experienced trial attorney, and partner in the firm's San Francisco office, focuses his practice on white-collar and regulatory defense, government and internal investigations, and high-stakes civil litigation.
Christopher regularly advises major global companies and leading financial institutions, individual executives, and Boards of Directors in highly sensitive and confidential matters. He routinely provides counsel to clients facing investigations involving the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and other federal and state regulatory bodies, and has amassed significant experience in matters related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), anti-money laundering, economic sanctions, securities fraud, and cryptocurrency. Christopher also conducts internal investigations and reviews for clients involving a range of intricate matters, including those related to equity and DEI issues. In addition, Christopher routinely provides strategic counseling on compliance issues and crisis management.
Before joining Latham, Christopher was a partner in the Tokyo office of another global law firm, where he advised clients based in Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Singapore, and elsewhere in Asia. Christopher also served as the head of that office for approximately two and a half years.
Earlier in his career, Christopher served for over six and a half years as an Assistant US Attorney in the Criminal Division of the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. As a member of the Securities & Commodities Fraud Task Force as well as the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit, he investigated and prosecuted a wide array of complex white-collar matters, including FCPA violations, insider trading, accounting fraud, market manipulation, investment fraud, money laundering, intellectual property, cybercrimes, and criminal tax offenses.
During his tenure as a prosecutor, Christopher was the lead trial lawyer in numerous jury trials, and he has substantial appellate experience, having briefed and/or argued over a dozen appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Christopher is a recipient of the US Department of Justice’s John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement.
From 2014 to 2015, Christopher served as Associate Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel under President Barack Obama. In that capacity, Christopher helped develop and execute the White House’s response to various Congressional investigations and related hearings and provided legal and strategic advice to White House staff and Executive Branch officials on compliance, oversight, and risk management issues.
Christopher also maintains an active pro bono practice, which focuses on LGBTQ rights and the representation of indigent criminal defendants, among other matters.
Christopher has previously served on both the New York City Bar Association’s Criminal Advocacy Committee and its Judiciary Committee, which reviews and evaluates all judicial candidates for the federal and state courts in New York City. Christopher is currently a member of BALIF (the Bay Area’s LGBTQ Bar Association) and LeGal (the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York).
Christopher's experience includes advising:
Bay Area partner honored as a leading white collar lawyer in California for advising clients in their most sensitive and confidential matters.