Jan Nielsen Little

Little has worked for over 30 years in high-stakes criminal investigations and complex civil litigation for publicly traded corporations, rendering her one of the top white collar criminal defense lawyers.

Recently, she has represented venture capitalist Vinod Khosla, who backed a biofuel startup to support clean energy technology. The company, KiOR, declared bankruptcy, and Khosla was sued for fraud. Berry et al. v. Cannon et al., 4:15-CV-00012 (S.D. Tex., filed Aug. 20, 2013).

Little moved to dismiss related claims against Khosla in Texas, wherein the judge dismissed the claims without leave to amend. A concurrent case in Mississippi is pending.

She cited her work in a case for Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits as one of the most gratifying in the past year.

“Last summer, in a multimillion-dollar civil case for liquor distributor Southern Wine & Spirits, we won six summary judgment motions on claims of wrongful termination, antitrust, and various unfair business practices, resulting in final judgment in favor of our clients,” she said. Weisman v. Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, 50-2014-CA-010213-XXXX-MB (Fla. Cir., filed Aug. 19, 2014).

Little and her team filed six summary judgment motions last year and prevailed in each one, which resulted in entry of judgment in favor of her client.

On the criminal side, Little said she is proud of her work in a complex fraud case, representing the chief financial officer of the U.K. company, Autonomy, which was acquired by Hewlett Packard for $11 billion in 2011.

Of the case, she said, “It is the hardest trial I have ever done.”

Little characterized her approach to cases as forward-thinking.

“I try to figure out early what a win looks like, and what issues need to go my way in order to win,” she said. “It’s simple but important: You need to spend time thinking about the destination before you start the journey.”

Although Little has had a whirlwind year, she said she remains poised for whatever pursuant endeavor comes her way.

“I’ve been in trial since February,” she said. “So right now I’m looking forward to the trial being over. After that, some rest, and on to the next challenge.”

— Caroline Hart