During the past 40 years, Robert L. Corbin has defended many of the highest priority white collar criminal cases investigated and prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Mr. Corbin’s clients include directors, senior management, lawyers, and accounting professionals of global and domestic enterprises. Mr. Corbin has obtained acquittals for clients at trial, gotten indictments dismissed, persuaded the government to drop investigations, and obtained resolutions that have enabled his clients to preserve their freedom, business operations, and net worth.

The government’s changing enforcement priorities have enabled Mr. Corbin to become experienced in important global and domestic industries. In addition to his defense role in criminal matters, Mr. Corbin has conducted numerous related internal corporate investigations and defended many clients in parallel civil actions and administrative proceedings before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), and debarring officials of the Departments of the Army, Air Force, and Navy.

Education

Fordham University School of Law, J.D., 1971

Colgate University, A.B., 1967

Corporate Investigations and Financial Reporting

  • Secured a declination of criminal charges for a corporate client in charge of an $11B construction/engineering project following a multi-year investigation of alleged timecard fraud at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant in Southeastern Washington.
  • Defended a board member and the senior officers of two separate Fortune 500 companies that were investigated for stock option backdating.
  • Represented the Vice Chairman of a foreign corporation who, together with agencies of his government, was investigated for economic espionage and later indicted, for conspiring  to steal patented agricultural trade secrets valued at more than $1.5 billion.
  • Represented the Divisional President and former Divisional Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a Fortune 100 company that was investigated by the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of California and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the alleged improper booking of multimillion-dollar roundtrip sales transactions.
  • Defended a foreign law firm accused of assisting a billionaire client in hiding his beneficial ownership of a publicly traded company in the U.S. while allegedly manipulating its stock price.
  • Defended a U.S. lawyer who was charged with structuring financial transactions on behalf of an indicted billionaire client.
  • Represented numerous individuals, including Senior Portfolio Managers of major brokerage firms, who were accused of insider trading.

Banks and Financial Institutions

  • Represented all Executive Vice Presidents and Senior Vice Presidents of Indymac Bank during a criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and a parallel civil investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). As a result of Mr. Corbin’s defense presentations to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s acting director of enforcement, one client’s Wells notice was rescinded during the SEC investigation. Mr. Corbin also defended multiple civil lawsuits including actions by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), class plaintiffs, and two mortgage insurers and successfully prosecuted claims against multiple insurers who had stopped funding defense costs.
  • Represented the Senior AML officer of a multibillion-dollar global money transfer company in a parallel DOJ/FTC investigation into potential consumer fraud at numerous, nationwide locations owned and operated by a company client.
  • Represented a former Senior Vice President of Countrywide Bank who was being investigated by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California for insider trading.
  • Represented the Senior Vice Presidents of New Century Corporation during investigations that were conducted by the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee, and SEC.

Aerospace, Military and Government Investigations

  • Represented the Senior Manager of a global aerospace defense contractor, targeted together with his company, in parallel USAO and qui tam actions for allegedly stealing competitor cost data during the bid submission for a single source, multibillion-dollar, U.S. Air Force missile contract.
  • Defended three separate Corporate Defense Contractors that designed and manufactured critical parts for the Air Force and Navy against allegations that they falsified test and traceability results.
  • Represented multiple Senior Project Managers of missile, airplane and weapons manufacturers in parallel criminal and qui tam investigations involving allegations of government billing and testing fraud.
  • Represented a former Navy Captain employed by a major defense contractor in a USAO criminal investigation involving allegations of timekeeping fraud at a foreign drone base.

Global Anti-Trust Defense

  • Represented the President of a $3.75 billion Taiwanese electronics company in parallel DOJ criminal and civil class actions.
  • Defended an international freight corporation, and Senior Vice President of a $1 billion South American maritime shipping company in parallel DOJ criminal and civil class actions.
  • Represented Senior Sales and Marketing Managers of major Japanese electronics and auto parts manufacturer in parallel DOJ criminal and civil class actions.

Health Care

  • Defended the Chief Operating Officer of a multibillion-dollar health services company that was being targeted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and four U.S. attorneys in the government’s largest investigation into allegations of health care fraud.
  • Represented the Chief Financial Officer of a large New Mexico hospital system that was investigated by the USAO, Central District of California for alleged accounting and Medicare fraud in connection with the booking of reserves.

Tax

  • Defended a former Partner of a global accounting firm who was being targeted in connection with the DOJ’s and USAO’s attorney’s tax shelter prosecutions in the Southern District of New York.
  • Represented accounting firms that were being investigated for assisting clients in hiding foreign assets.
  • Defended individuals who were accused of tax evasion and filing false returns.

Environmental

  • Defended the Senior Executives of a Fortune 10 company in multi-district federal and state hazardous waste prosecutions.
  • Represented multiple Captains and Chief Engineers of global maritime cargo and chemical ships in multi-district prosecutions that involved oil discharges.

Public Officials and Campaign Financing

  • Defended a prominent lawyer and former senior official before the Whitewater grand jury investigation into alleged bribery allegations involving former U.S. President Clinton and former U.S. Attorney General Hubbell, as well as senior White House aides.
  • Defended officeholders, public officials, corporations, and political affairs advisors in federal and state bribery and election fraud investigations and prosecutions.

Labor

  • Represented a Fortune 10 company during a U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) investigation into alleged violations of statutorily mandated health benefits.
  • Defended the manager of a TV news station and supervisory employees of an explosives manufacturing company in two separate Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) homicide investigations.
  • Lawdragon’s Hall of Fame, 2023
  • The Best Lawyers in America, Criminal Law: White Collar, 1997–present
  • Martindale Hubbell, AV-rated for over 25 years
  • Former Counsel to the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (Christopher Commission)
  • Former Deputy General Counsel, Rampart Independent Review Panel
  • Former Deputy General Counsel, Citizen’s Commission on Jail Violence
  • Former Advisor to the City of Burbank on policing matters
  • Oakwood School, Trustee
  • Mentor to recent college graduates
  • University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, Guest Presenter
  • Corbin, Athey & Martinez LLP, (formerly Corbin, Fitzgerald & Athey LLP; Corbin & Fitzgerald LLP), 1994–2014
    Founding and managing partner
  • Sharenow & Corbin LLP, 1983–1993
    Co-founding and managing partner
  • Law Offices of Douglas Dalton, 1982–1983
    Associate
  • Deputy Federal Public Defender, 1978–1981
    Central District of California
  • Law Offices of Robert L. Corbin, New York, 1975–1977
  • Legal Aid Society, New York, 1972–1973
    Juvenile Rights Division
  • New York, 1972
  • California, 1978
  • U.S. District Court
    Central, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of California
    Western District of Washington
    Eastern District of Michigan
    Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit