Evan T. Barr

Partner

• ebarr@steptoe.com
• vCard
• New York Office

Evan T. Barr is a partner in the New York office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP where he concentrates in white-collar criminal defense and complex regulatory matters.

A former federal prosecutor, Mr. Barr has represented individuals and companies in high-profile and sensitive investigations and prosecutions conducted by the Department of Justice, various US Attorneys' Offices, the SEC, the Internal Revenue Service, the New York State Attorney General’s Office, FINRA, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.   Many of his clients are based outside the United States.  Over the course of his 20 year career, he has handled matters involving virtually all aspects of white-collar crime.

Prior to joining the firm in 2005, Mr. Barr was Chief of the Major Crimes Unit at the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York where he supervised approximately 25 prosecutors specializing in a wide array of white-collar crimes. Mr. Barr also served in the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, Public Corruption Unit, and Asset Forfeiture Unit.  During his tenure as a prosecutor, Mr. Barr was lead counsel in 11 trials and briefed and argued numerous cases before the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. In addition, he participated in the prosecutions of senior officials at WorldCom and in the investigation of the circumstances surrounding the presidential pardon of Marc Rich.

In 1992, Mr. Barr served as Deputy Special Counsel to the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations “October Surprise” investigation concerning the circumstances surrounding the release of the American hostages held in Iran, and co-authored the committee’s final report.

Mr. Barr has extensive experience in the area of asset forfeiture, and has represented numerous clients in matters involving restraining orders, seizure warrants, civil forfeiture complaints, criminal forfeiture, and ancillary proceedings. In addition, both as a prosecutor and as defense counsel, Mr. Barr has successfully litigated a variety of cases involving claims made by foreign governments seeking to recover valuable artworks and antiquities. 

Mr. Barr frequently provides legal commentary for a variety of publications including the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, Crain's New York Business, the New York Law Journal, and Law 360.

Mr. Barr received his B.A. magna cum laude in 1985 from Harvard College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.  He earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1989.  Mr. Barr serves as Co-Chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on White-Collar Criminal Litigation.

Representative Matters

Mr. Barr has represented clients in some of the most important white-collar criminal cases over the past several years. Recent matters include:  

• Representing the former Chief Administrative Officer of a major department store chain in connection with an accounting fraud investigation by the SEC which concluded, after a Wells Submission, with no charges being filed against our client;
• Representing a former senior executive with a Bermuda-based insurance company in an investigation by the SEC of alleged fraud in connection with the use of finite reinsurance contracts, which concluded with no charges being filed against our client;
• Representing a former New York gubernatorial candidate in a public corruption investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s office which concluded with no civil or criminal charges being filed against our client;
• Representing a former wealth manager charged by the Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section with violations of the federal campaign finance laws in connection with contributions made during the 2008 presidential election; the case was concluded with a probationary sentence for our client; 
• Representing the former president of a NASDAQ 100 company at trial in the Southern District of New York  in connection with criminal stock options backdating charges, and on appeal which resulted in a partial reversal of the judgment;
• Representing the former chairman of a publicly-traded financial institution in connection with an investigation relating to online gambling;
• Conducting an internal investigation for a global financial services company regarding the filing of a potentially improper claim made on behalf of one of the bank's proprietary accounts in connection with the settlement of a securities fraud class action;
• Representing the president of a technology company in connection with federal computer hacking charges filed in the District of Connecticut;  the case was resolved with our client receiving a probationary sentence;
• Representing a New York hedge fund manager on insider trading charges filed in connection with the so-called expert networking investigation in the Southern District of New York;
• Representing a New York City Council member and various high-ranking Council employees in connection with a federal investigation into allegations of fraud and misuse of public funds;
• Representing a senior official at a large insurance company in connection with the New York Attorney General’s investigation of fraudulent bid-rigging practices;
• Representing a former senior executive with a major financial institution in a federal investigation regarding the valuation of a portfolio of certain mortgage-backed securities; and
• Representing a Chinese company in connection with an SEC investigation into the receipt of Ponzi-scheme proceeds.

Noteworthy

• Listed in Super Lawyers New York (2011)
• Department of Justice's John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement in Asset Forfeiture; Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant US Attorney

Select News & Events

• Law360 Names Steptoe ‘White Collar Group of the Year’
• "Current Issues Relating to Trafficking in Stolen Art and Items of Cultural Property," Brooklyn Law School Art Law Association, November 17, 2011
• "Arts in the Legal Industry," Rutgers University School of Law Art Law Society, October 18, 2011
• New York Super Lawyers Recognizes Steptoe Attorneys
• Law360 Features Evan Barr for Top Litigators Q&A
• Law360 Quotes Evan Barr on Discovery in Edwards Case
• "Snapshot of Cultural Heritage Law," New York State Bar Association, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section, June 28, 2011
• TF1 French TV Quotes Evan Barr on Costly Strauss-Kahn Hearing
• Law360 Quotes Evan Barr on Edwards Indictment

Selected Publications

• Recovering Internal Investigation Costs from Federal Criminal Defendants
  September 7, 2011, New York Law Journal
• Parting Company: Permissive Withdrawal in Criminal Cases
  September 22, 2010, New York Law Journal
• The Bench Trial Option in White-Collar Criminal Cases
  January 5, 2010, New York Law Journal
• No Bright Line In Securities Sentencing Anymore
  December 17, 2007, Securities Law360
• Russell: Prosecuting Defense Counsel for Obstruction
  November 21, 2007, New York Law Journal
• Limiting the Scope of Honest Services Fraud
  July 23, 2007, New York Law Journal
• Evolution of the Antiquities Trade: From Open-Air Bazaar to Buyer Beware
  Museum News, November/December 2006
• Insider Trading: Making Punishment Fit the Crime
  December 12, 2005, New York Law Journal

More Publications »

Professional Affiliations

• Co-Chair, Committee on White Collar Criminal Litigation, New York State Bar Association
• Member, New York Council of Defense Lawyers
• Member, Criminal Justice Act Panel, US District Court for the Southern District of New York