Nicole is a former federal prosecutor and she focuses her practice on representing companies and individuals in criminal matters and parallel civil proceedings, as well as in internal investigations. Her practice includes advising clients in matters arising under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), U.S. export controls and sanctions and anti-money laundering regulations, federal health care laws, and the securities and commodities laws, as well as in connection with federal procurement, mortgage, and bank fraud allegations. She frequently represents corporate and individual clients in antitrust cartel internal and government investigations, including those conducted by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force.
Internal investigations that Nicole has conducted include allegations of workplace harassment against an internationally renowned opera singer on behalf of the industry labor union; allegations of harassment, discrimination and hostile workplace environment in the entertainment and health care industries; allegations of sexual assault in the professional sports industry; and various allegations of sexual assault, harassment and student misconduct on behalf of a government program administrator. Further to that work, Nicole frequently advises clients regarding implementation of recommendations for remedial measures and corporate governance and compliance program enhancements.
Nicole has also represented clients in investigations being conducted by World Bank Group's Integrity Vice Presidency, and served as a monitor for a company participating in the World Bank’s Voluntary Disclosure Program and consulted with clients in designing and implementing effective compliance programs to obtain the release of sanctions and reinstate good standing with the World Bank Group. Nicole has represented clients in investigations by U.S. government authorities under Mutual Legal Assistance Treaties (MLATs) and, while serving as a federal prosecutor, she coordinated parallel foreign proceedings under MLATs.
An experienced trial lawyer, Nicole has tried federal and state cases in the District of Columbia and throughout the country. She has litigated cases involving a broad range of industries, including accounting, banking, securities, commodities trading, health care, construction, government contracting, and the student loan industry. Her practice includes handling False Claims Act under the federal act and state-law corollaries and other civil litigation matters, including civil forfeiture, shareholder class action, securities fraud, breach of contract and defamation cases, including under California’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation Law) statute, which supplements the First Amendment in that state.
Immediately prior to joining Cozen O’Connor, Nicole practiced in the criminal defense, investigations, and civil litigation practice in the Washington, D.C., office of a large international law firm. Prior to joining the law firm, she served as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section, where she prosecuted FCPA, securities and commodities, procurement, and health care fraud cases, as well as cases involving fraud against the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
As a prosecutor, Nicole led criminal investigations in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, and in parallel with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the then-UK Financial Services Authority, and other international antitrust regulators. Nicole was one of the first prosecutors of cases involving the manipulation of the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and other international bank interest rates. She also tried one of the National Century Financial Enterprises cases in the Southern District of Ohio, then the largest private financial fraud committed to date.
Nicole is also an active member of the pro bono community — taking a substantial role in capital murder cases at the trial and U.S. Supreme Court appellate levels, and serving as a member of the ABA Criminal Justice Section’s Task Force on Law Enforcement Body Cameras. She also led a team that prepared a revision of The Constitution Project’s publication, Irreversible Error: Recommended Reforms for Preventing and Correcting Errors in the Administration of Capital Punishment.
Nicole is really calm under pressure even in the most challenging of situations … Her mastery of the facts and her skillful diplomacy bring good results for her clients.