Barbara Van Gelder

Practice Areas

White Collar Defense and Investigations.

Career

Barbara (Biz) regularly represents clients in congressional and criminal fraud investigations, as well as qui tam, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, False Claims Act, civil RICO, and employment litigation cases. Biz has had more than 100 jury trials and has counseled clients on the pros and cons of government plea arrangements, Deferred Prosecution Agreements, Non-Prosecution Agreements, and voluntary disclosures.

As Deputy Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, Biz was tasked with the formation of the Office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) program. During her tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Biz was a member of the Department of Justices ACE Working Group and the Attorney General’s Healthcare Taskforce. Biz is in a small pool of FCA defense attorneys who have both jury trial and appellate experience in qui tam matters. Main Justice honored Biz with its Distinguished Service Award in the Zealous Advocates category in the first annual Main Justice Best FCPA Lawyers Client Service Awards. Biz has taught evidence and trial practice as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

National Association of Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys

Women's White Collar Defense Association

Work Highlights

In 2020, "Biz" led a team of Cozen O’Connor women attorneys who represented three witnesses in the historic impeachment proceedings against President Trump, led by the U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, including former National Security official Tim Morrison in a closed-door deposition and a public hearing; Mark Sandy, a senior career official at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, in a closed-door deposition; and an individual who did not appear before the investigative House Committees.

Biz has extensive FCPA compliance experience, including leading numerous internal investigations in the United States as well as India, China, and Israel. She has represented clients who have been targets of DOJ search warrants and grand jury investigations as well as parallel SEC investigations. Biz has handled more than 100 jury trials and has counseled clients on the pros and cons of government plea arrangements, Deferred Prosecution Agreements (DPAs), Non-Prosecution Agreements (NPAs), and voluntary disclosures. Biz has also developed internal Codes of Conduct and Anti-Corruption compliance training for multinational corporations. She has spoken at various conferences on the FCPA as well as the new UK Bribery Act.

Biz served as Deputy Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, During her tenure, she was a member of the Department of Justice ACE Working Group and the Attorney General’s Healthcare Taskforce. Biz is in a small pool of False Claims Act defense attorneys who have jury trial and appellate experience in qui tam matters.

Biz is also one of the founding members of the Women's White Collar Defense Association.

Awards

Education