Jason Linder

Los Angeles

Jason Linder, with a combined 17 years of experience in white-collar defense, has been at the forefront of significant changes and challenges in the field. Starting as a federal prosecutor for 10 years, where he notably served in the Main Justice unit overseeing FCPA investigations and prosecutions, he transitioned into leading global white-collar defense practices at prominent law firms, Irell & Manella and then Mayer Brown.

Over his career, Linder has witnessed and adapted to considerable evolutions within the realm of white-collar defense. One of the most significant changes he said he's observed is the increasing complexity of government investigations.

These investigations now often involve multiple authorities across various countries, each with its own sets of laws, policies and guidance. This global expansion has made navigating these investigations more intricate and nuanced, particularly concerning issues like privilege, blocking statutes, and coordination between various authorities, Linder said.

"At the same time, at most multinational companies, compliance has grown to be a substantially more sophisticated and complex undertaking," Linder said. "Compliance officers must consider enforcement risk from that welter of foreign and domestic agencies now on the hunt and the seemingly endless stream of policy pronouncements they make."

He continued to note that some compliance subject matters, such as sanctions, change by the minute. Authorities, including the DOJ, have become wildly smarter and more exacting when evaluating compliance programs, so companies under investigation must have their houses well in order.

Linder co-led the defense of 3M in a DOJ and SEC FCPA investigation into allegedly improper conduct in China. The DOJ declined to prosecute and the SEC settled with 3M for about $6.5 million, he said.

"I also lead the team at Mayer Brown representing two senior former executives from the related companies Alameda Research and FTX in multiple proceedings related to FTX's collapse, including investigations by the DOJ, SEC, CFTC, and foreign authorities; bankruptcy proceedings; and class action civil lawsuits. One of the executives, former FTX Digital Markets CEO Ryan Salame, pleaded guilty in September 2023 to two conspiracy counts," Linder said. "The other, former Alameda Research co-CEO Sam Trabucco, has not been charged with any wrongdoing by any agency."

Linder had to overcome significant challenges. "In the FTX matter, the speed with which the government agencies -- especially the SDNY U.S. attorney's office -- moved created a challenging environment in which to fully understand the facts and be able to represent our clients through the process."

He continued: "Any corporate FCPA resolution is a significant event in the white-collar world, especially one resolved on such favorable terms. The FTX investigation has had substantial press coverage globally for the past year."