Richard L Scheff

Practice Areas

Richard Scheff is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with an extensive skillset in navigating government and corporate investigations, particularly in the pharmaceutical, medical device, higher education and financial services industries. His decorated career includes government appointments and serving as a section chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Richard is asked to speak frequently on investigations, compliance and criminal defense topics, and has been quoted extensively by publications including TIME, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press, Bloomberg, Reuters, The Legal Intelligencer and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He is also a sought-after guest lecturer in the higher education circuit, speaking at prominent law schools along the east coast.

Richard’s depth of experience provides clients facing bet-the-farm problem with seasoned strategic advice and renowned trial skills to manage crises, limit legal and reputational exposure, and respond to or prevent government investigations and enforcement proceedings.

Government & Corporate Investigations

Investigations are at the core of Richard’s practice, and his experience in this work spans clients in a number of industries, including health care and life sciences, financial services, and higher education. He performs internal investigations for public and private companies, as well as individuals. He has successfully represented corporations, institutions, boards and senior executives in proceedings in both state and federal enforcement matters.

Pharmaceuticals & Medical Device Litigation

Richard helps his clients to address matters involving the False Claims Act (FCA), the Antikickback Statute, Medicaid best price, pricing, co-pay foundations, patient assistance programs, sponsorships, patient advocacy programs and off-label promotion claims.

Financial Services

Richard’s work in the financial services industry includes allegations of fraud, tax claims, insider trading, consumer claims and Native American lending. He also represents non-bank lenders in regulatory and litigation matters. He has appeared before the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

Practice areas include:

Litigation

Financial Services and Banking

Higher Education

Antitrust and Trade Practices

White-Collar Criminal Defense and Government Investigations

Intellectual Property Litigation

Complex Commercial Litigation

Internal Investigations and Regulatory Compliance

Securities Regulation and Litigation

Health Care and Life Sciences

State Attorneys General

Career

Before joining Faegre Drinker, Richard served on the executive committee and as a strategic leader at an AmLaw 200 firm, responsible for its vision and growth on the East Coast. Richard also managed several of the firm’s East Coast offices, in addition to his practice in government and corporate investigation.

Before his time with the AmLaw 200 firm, Richard served in various leadership roles at a Mid-Atlantic law firm, including as its executive chair, chair, vice chair and head of its litigation department. He was a member of the firm’s management committee for 18 years and served as chair for seven of those years.

Before entering private practice, Richard had a distinguished career with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. As chief of the Corruption/Labor section, he oversaw a team of 10 trial attorneys and supervised several high-profile cases, including a substantial police corruption case and the prosecution of a district council president.

Richard was also designated as assistant secretary of the treasury for enforcement by President Bill Clinton and served as a consultant to Treasury law enforcement agencies. During his tenure he consulted with the Department on high-profile incidents and coordinated with the White House to combat international money laundering, among other issues.

Richard’s governmental service also includes being retained by the Department of Justice to assist the South African government to form a civilian review board, and service on the City of Philadelphia Civilian Police Review Board.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association (Mid-Atlantic Region of the White collar Crime Section, Chairman)

Pennsylvania Bar Association (Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee)

Philadelphia Bar Association