Chris Jones is a senior associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He is a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations, Litigation, Anti-Money Laundering, and National Security groups. His practice focuses primarily on internal investigations and enforcement defense, regulatory and compliance counseling, and complex civil litigation.
Representative experience includes:
Internal Investigations and Enforcement Defense
- Represent cryptocurrency company in government investigations.
- Defended cryptocurrency exchange in large multi-agency resolution with U.S. regulators.
- Represent pharmacy store chain in False Claims Act investigation.
- Secured Deferred Prosecution Agreement for foreign bank in connection with government investigation into alleged tax evasion.
- Conducted internal investigation for U.S. public company into potential anti-bribery or sanctions violations by foreign distributors.
- Defended a publicly traded financial institution in a DOJ AML investigation resulting in a declination.
- Secured a Non-Prosecution Agreement for a medical technology company in connection with government investigation into alleged wire fraud and securities violations by former senior employees.
- Represented technology product company in civil investigation by California Attorney General.
- Represented former company executive in federal political bribery investigation.
- Conducted internal investigation for financial institution regarding multinational bribery scheme.*
- Represented automotive supply company in criminal antitrust investigation.*
Regulatory and Compliance Counseling
- Advise numerous cryptocurrency companies on U.S. regulatory requirements and enforcement risk.
- Serve as external AML Counsel to Fortune 50 technology and payments company.
- Conducted risk assessment for casino into its anti-money laundering controls.
- Represented investment adviser in responding to SEC examination deficiency letter.
- Advise board of directors of foreign financial institution on U.S. legal requirements.
- Advise various companies in hospitality, real estate, gaming, armored car carrier, and other industries on anti-money laundering laws, including the Corporate Transparency Act, and U.S. sanctions laws.
Complex Civil Litigation
- Represent technology company in lawsuits seeking to hold them liable for content posted by third-party users.
- Represent senior assisted living facility in class action lawsuit in federal court.
- Represented multinational pharmaceutical company in Section 337 patent infringement lawsuit at the International Trade Commission.*
- Represented Fortune 50 multinational company in large securities action lawsuit.*
- Represented large foreign automaker in products liability lawsuits and related regulatory investigations.*
Chris also maintains an active pro bono practice, including:
- Secured the early release of a client convicted by a nonunanimous jury.
- Obtained preliminary injunction prohibiting certain DHS immigration rules from coming into effect.
- Authored multiple amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court on immigration issues.
- Represent large family from Afghanistan seeking humanitarian parole.
He frequently publishes on white collar, anti-money laundering, sanctions, and digital assets issues. Representative publications include:
- Self-Reporting to the Authorities and Other Disclosure Obligations: The US Perspective, The Practitioner’s Guide to Global Investigations, GIR (7th ed. 2023)
- Key BSA/AML Compliance Trends in the Securities Industry, ICLG, June 20, 2023
- Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Programs for Financial Institutions and Other Businesses, The Complete Compliance and Ethics Manual 2022
- The Biden Administration’s Digital Assets Executive Order and Its Implications, Gibson Dunn, March 10, 2022
- New Federal Anti-Money Laundering Law Could Affect Your Company, Daily Journal, January 20, 2021
- The Top 10 Takeaways for Financial Institutions from the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, Gibson Dunn, January 1, 2021
- The Impact of Coronavirus on the Operations of Financial Institutions: Key Guidance Issued by U.S. Financial Regulators, Gibson Dunn, April 21, 2020
- The International Reach of the U.S. Money Laundering Statutes, Gibson Dunn, January 9, 2020
- Calculating the Financial Exposure, Gibson Dunn, January 18, 2019
- Caught in the Crosshairs: Developing a Fourth Amendment Framework for Financial Warfare, 68 Stan. L. Rev. 683, March 2016
Speaking engagements include:
- Speaker, “Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Enforcement and Compliance Update,” Gibson Dunn webcast, February 28, 2023
Previously, Chris clerked for the Honorable Timothy J. Kelly of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He also practiced in the litigation department of a major international law firm for three years.
Chris received his J.D. from Stanford Law School in 2014. While in law school, he served as an Articles Editor for the Stanford Law Review and the Co-Executive Director of the Afghanistan Legal Education Project. Chris is a member of the American Bar Association and the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
*Includes matters prior from Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Capabilities
- White Collar Defense and Investigations
- Anti-Corruption & FCPA
- Anti-Money Laundering
- Betting and Gaming
- Crisis Management
- Financial Institutions
- Financial Regulatory
- Fintech and Digital Assets
- International Trade
- Litigation
- National Security
- Transnational Litigation
Credentials
Education:
- Stanford University - 2014 Juris Doctor
- University of Southern California - 2008 Bachelor of Arts
Admissions:
- California Bar
- District of Columbia Bar
- New York Bar
Clerkships:
- USDC, District of Columbia, Hon. Timothy J. Kelly, 2017 - 2018