Washington, D.C., December 13, 2017 –Cozen O’Connor White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice Group members Barry Boss and Barbara “Biz” Van Gelder have been named 2017 “Top Lawyers” by Washingtonian magazine. Considered a directory of the area’s top legal talent, Washingtonian selected 825 attorneys for the 2018 Top Lawyers listing based upon feedback from attorneys recognized in the publication’s 2015 list. Boss and Van Gelder were among those selected for the Criminal Defense White Collar category. 

Boss is co-chair of the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice Group, vice chair of the Commercial Litigation Department, and office managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office. Prior to joining Cozen O’Connor, he was an assistant federal public defender in Washington, D.C. Boss focuses his practice on complex criminal matters,  with an emphasis on those involving allegations of white-collar crime in federal court.  His practice also includes defending individuals and corporations under scrutiny for a broad range of criminal activity, including price-fixing, money laundering, fraud, environmental offenses, gambling, bribery, corruption, and racketeering. In addition, Boss has significant experience in representing clients in sentencing matters and serves as a co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Criminal Justice Section Sentencing Committee. 

Van Gelder focuses on white-collar defense and health care matters. She regularly represents clients in congressional and criminal fraud investigations as well as in qui tam, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), False Claims Act (FCA), civil RICO, and employment litigation. She has counseled clients on the development and implementation of internal compliance and ethics programs, the conduct of internal investigations, and Sarbanes-Oxley issues. Van Gelder also represents companies and individuals in suspension and debarment matters as well as in congressional and inspector general matters.

Cozen O’Connor’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice Group represents individuals, public and private companies, corporate boards, special committees, and directors and officers in investigations and enforcement proceedings of all varieties. The group handles inquiries initiated by the Department of Justice, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Trade Commission, Office of Foreign Assets Control, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, state attorneys general, district attorneys, and executive agency inspectors general.