Barak Cohen

Barak Cohen represents companies and individuals, including Fortune 50 companies, senior corporate officers, and members of Congress, who face government enforcement actions and investigations.

A former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor, Barak led dozens of white-collar investigations throughout the United States focusing on fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption issues that involved government contractors, legislators, senior members of the executive branch, senior U.S. Department of Defense, and intelligence officials, as well as others. His knowledge of the justice system informs his counsel to clients in matters including alleged foreign and domestic fraud and bribery, financial misconduct, antitrust offenses and bid rigging, tax crimes, false healthcare and government contracting claims, campaign finance and election crimes, and environmental crimes. Barak regularly counsels companies that do business with the government, such as technology companies, medical labs, medical device companies, and pharmaceutical companies. He is experienced in investigations regarding the False Claims Act (FCA), the Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), and the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), as well as in investigations led by agency inspectors general.

Barak has also represented companies and individuals in sensitive domestic and international investigations involving corruption laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the U.K. Bribery Act. His work often involves political issues, including the enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), and the defense of public officials in matters involving election, conflict-of-interest, corruption, and ethics offenses. He has represented high-profile public officials, including multiple sitting members of Congress, in investigations regarding alleged campaign offenses and election crimes, as well as in state and federal ethics investigations.

Barak is a co-chair of the American Bar Association's (ABA) Public Corruption Sub-Committee. He is also a sitting board member of the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA), and the Gaming vertical co-lead of the firm's Digital Media & Entertainment, Gaming & Sports industry group, where he helps oversee firm work involving investigations and litigation in regulated gaming. Barak also has significant litigation and investigations experience in the cannabis industry. He is the author of the ABA’s treatise on cannabis law, and is nationally recognized for his deep experience in the cannabis industry.