Shihata & Geddes LLP

Shihata & Geddes LLP is a women-owned boutique law firm led by former federal and state prosecutors with decades of experience and expertise in high stakes litigation and complex investigations. The firm conducts internal investigations, represents individuals and entities in criminal and regulatory investigations and in matters involving sexual abuse, employment discrimination and other violations of civil rights. Its small size allows the firm to provide nimble, efficient, and personalized service to its clients, no matter how big or small the matter, directly from partners with exceptional experience on par with their BigLaw peers.

Partners: Margaret Gandy, Elizabeth Geddes and Nadia Shihata

Internal Investigations

Drawing on decades of investigative and litigation experience, the firm conducts efficient internal investigations for organizations faced with allegations of workplace misconduct or malfeasance. The firm’s collective experience conducting complex and sensitive investigations as federal and state prosecutors and in private practice spans decades. Through impartial, thoughtful and nimble investigations, the firm’s attorneys help clients investigate allegations of misconduct, identify any additional malfeasance, and design and implement measures to minimize and mitigate risk. Their experience allows them to craft and implement an investigative plan quickly, making modifications as necessary to address new information gathered during the investigation, assess witness credibility, and hone in on relevant materials. Their findings and recommendations are well supported and clearly presented, enabling clients to confidently rely on them to make informed decisions.

The firm also assists companies and other organizations who have been the victims of fraud or other illegal conduct in reporting that conduct to law enforcement and regulatory authorities. Given their extensive experience in federal and state prosecutions, the firm’s attorneys are able to present compelling summaries of the evidence gathered by the organization to date and identify the potential criminal statutes implicated by the misconduct in a manner that is helpful to prosecutors and regulators in deciding whether to open a criminal or civil investigation.

Criminal Defense

The firm represents individuals who are the subjects of federal and state criminal investigations to ensure the most favorable outcomes possible. The firm’s defense practice is grounded in its partners’ decades of experience as federal and state prosecutors. They know how criminal cases are built and how best to advocate for positive outcomes, whether before prosecutors, judges or juries. The firm’s attorneys are skilled trial lawyers with deep experience trying cases in federal and state courts. They can effectively cross-examine government witnesses, present a defense case when warranted, and make compelling arguments in court, including on appeal.

The firm also represents witnesses in the criminal investigation and trial process, including individuals and organizations served with grand jury or trial subpoenas and those who have been asked to voluntarily meet with law enforcement agents and prosecutors. The partners’ prior experience as federal and state prosecutors ensures they can protect their clients’ interests, negotiate the scope, timing and manner of production of documents, and effectively prepare clients for testimony and meetings with law enforcement.

Sexual Abuse, Sexual Harassment & Title IX

As former sex crimes prosecutors, the firm's attorneys confronted and thoroughly investigated sex abuses in the workplace, online, and in jails. They bring the same dedication to clients seeking justice in civil, criminal and Title IX proceedings. They have significant experience working with men, women and children who have undergone trauma and understand the importance of treating each of their clients with dignity and respect to ensure that their representation does not result in a client’s further victimization.

The firm provides representation to individuals and families whose children have been victims of harm, ranging from intimate partner violence, sex trafficking and sexual abuse to revenge porn, stalking, harassment, extortion, assault, online sexual exploitation and bullying. The firm’s attorneys help clients obtain orders of protection, create safety plans, navigate the criminal justice system, report crimes to law enforcement, and vindicate their rights through civil litigation.

As federal prosecutors, the firm’s partners successfully investigated and prosecuted numerous sex crimes, including sexual abuse of female inmates by federal Bureau of Prisons officers, a court officer involved in the production of child pornography, and individuals involved in sex trafficking adults and minors. The firm’s founders brought a ground-breaking federal racketeering charge against singer R. Kelly in New York for his decades of criminal misconduct throughout the country involving the sexual exploitation of minors, forced labor, and other offenses, resulting in a 30-year prison sentence following a six-week trial in Brooklyn, New York.

Employment Discrimination

Everyone is entitled to a workplace free of discrimination and harassment. The firm represents employees denied these rights by seeking pre-litigation settlements and pursuing litigation when appropriate. With decades of investigative and litigation experience, including conducting internal investigations for organizations responding to reports of misconduct, the firm’s attorneys are well-positioned to assess an employee’s claims and effectively advocate on their behalf. That often means pursuing financial damages through an out-of-court settlement with the employer, but when appropriate, the firm will not hesitate to pursue litigation in state or federal court.

The firm represents employees who have been discriminated against at work based on their membership in a protected class, including race, gender, sexual orientation, and asserting claims related to unequal pay, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment. For employees transitioning roles, the firm also negotiates employment, severance and separation agreements.

Civil Rights

The firm’s partners strongly believe that civil rights and the rule of law are the foundation of our democracy and must be protected. When abuses occur, the firm advocates for clients seeking accountability and effectively pursues civil remedies on their behalf. The firm represents individuals who are victims of physical and sexual abuse by police officers, corrections officers and other public officials, including those who have been victims of excessive force by law enforcement in violation of the Fourth Amendment. Their experience in both government and private practice provides the firm’s attorneys with expertise to properly investigate and evaluate cases, assist in reporting misconduct to the appropriate authorities to ensure claims are taken seriously, and effectively pursue civil remedies, including through litigation, in federal court. As federal prosecutors, they successfully investigated and prosecuted federal Bureau of Prisons officers for repeated sexual abuse of female federal inmates and city corrections officers engaged in bribery and corruption at Rikers Island.

Office:

Shihata & Geddes LLP

110 West 40th Street, Suite 1003

New York, NY 10018

[email protected]

(646) 974-1143 (tel)