Joshua N. Robbins

Irvine

Joshua Robbins, a shareholder at Buchalter and a founder and co-leader of the firm's white-collar and investigations practice, has established himself as a formidable force in the realm of litigation, particularly in white-collar defense. Under his leadership, the practice has expanded sevenfold in just three years and now includes five former federal prosecutors.

Robbins also has a track record as a former federal prosecutor, leading major criminal and civil fraud cases for both defendants and plaintiffs, with a special focus on whistleblower matters and cases involving parallel criminal and civil proceedings.

Robbins has been at the forefront of several high-profile cases. He represents the Center for Covid Control LLC and its owner in a grand jury investigation related to health care fraud allegations. The matter involves multiple state and federal investigations. Robbins' expertise has been crucial in managing the various investigations and lawsuits arising from these allegations.

"These matters raised multifaceted challenges, arising from the sudden and unexpected raid, the intense national media attention, the various, simultaneous civil and criminal investigations and litigation and the novelty and complexity of the evolving state and federal regulations relating to COVID," Robbins said. "It required coordination between our white-collar and health care practice groups among Buchalter's various offices."

In another significant matter, he successfully defended WhiteWater West Industries, the world's largest maker of waterslides, in a more than $200 million civil racketeering and antitrust lawsuit brought by competitor Pacific Surf Designs. His strategic approach led to the dismissal of the RICO claims and a unanimous defense verdict on the remaining antitrust claim. Pacific Surf Design v. WhiteWater West Industries, 20-CV-01464 (S.D. Cal., filed July 29, 2020).

In his observations on trends in the field, Robbins highlights the contentious nature of administrative law and its implications for federal criminal litigation. He notes the potential impact of the Supreme Court and other federal courts' scrutiny of the power of federal branch agencies, particularly in highly regulated industries like health care, banking and securities.

"As the courts continue to scrutinize -- and potentially shrink -- the scope of agency discretion, it may have enormous ripple effects on federal prosecution of regulatory offenses," Robbins said. "We have already seen defendants attack DOJ criminal and civil cases based on court decisions that question the legitimacy or interpretation of the underlying regulations, and I expect that this will be a fertile ground for federal criminal litigation in the years to come."