Paul Fishman heads Arnold & Porter's Crisis Management and Strategic Response team and is a member of the firm's White Collar Defense, Commercial Litigation, Securities Enforcement, and Appellate practices. He focuses on counseling executives and boards of directors on complex and sensitive issues, and handles internal and government investigations, white collar criminal defense, commercial litigation, corporate compliance and governance, and appellate advocacy.
Paul brings a wealth of experience from his public service and private practice. As the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2009 through 2017, he was the state's chief federal law enforcement officer. He supervised the work of approximately 150 attorneys and was responsible for all criminal and civil matters in which the federal government was involved. Those matters included healthcare fraud; cybercrime; national security; political corruption; securities, corporate, and bank fraud; the FCPA; defense contracting; environmental crimes; tax evasion; civil rights; money laundering; and gang violence and narcotics distribution.
As United States Attorney, Paul served in national level leadership positions with the Department of Justice. Appointed by both Attorneys General Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch to the Attorney General's Advisory Committee (AGAC) of U.S. Attorneys, he served as the Chair of that committee from 2011 to 2013. The AGAC provides advice and counsel to the Attorney General on policy, management, and operational issues affecting the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys across the country.
Immediately prior to serving as U.S. Attorney, Paul was in private practice for 12 years where he handled a broad array of white collar and civil litigation matters, representing institutions and individuals and serving as a corporate monitor. In government service and in private practice, he gained wide-ranging experience across a number of diverse industries, including financial services; healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences; consumer products; manufacturing; transportation; energy; and defense and government contracting. Paul also is an accomplished trial and appellate lawyer with extensive experience in federal and state courts, as well as before arbitration panels.
Experience
- CUNY Hunter College in a False Claims Act investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the SDNY of potential fraud involving millions of dollars in federal grants from the National Institutes of Health. Reached an extremely favorable settlement with the government.
- Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in its response to a deadly viral outbreak by conducting an independent investigation of the facility's response, responding to investigations, reviews, and enforcement action by multiple law enforcement and regulatory agencies, representing the facility in ongoing litigation with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and coordinating the overall response to the media and the state legislature.
- Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and its parent RWJBarnabas Health in conducting an independent investigation, responding to multiple enforcement investigations and regulatory reviews, and overseeing the response to extensive media scrutiny and congressional and legislative inquiries following allegations in the national press that patient care in the hospital's heart transplant program was compromised to improve survival statistics.
- Board of directors of a private religious elementary and middle school in conducting an independent internal investigation into allegations of misconduct and inappropriate contact touching and comments by one of the school's teachers, providing employment advice, preparing for potential litigation, and counselling on response to the media and the community.
- Samsung Electronics America in obtaining dismissal of various class action lawsuits concerning claims that leading electronics company misrepresented LED or HDTV television products.
- Board of trustees of an elite private boarding school in conducting an independent investigation into allegations of hazing and bullying, resolving threatened civil litigation, and coordinating an overall institutional response.
- Audit Committee of a large, well-known nonprofit organization in conducting an independent investigation of an economic arrangement between the organization and the spouse of a senior executive, and in recommending an appropriate response by the organization's board of directors.
Perspectives
Recognition
Criminal Defense: White Collar (NJ) (2025)
Qui Tam Law (NJ) (2025)
"Lawyer of the Year" Appellate Practice (NJ) (2020)
Credentials
Education
- J.D., Harvard Law School, cum laude; Managing Editor, Harvard Law Review
- A.B., Princeton University, magna cum laude
- J.D. Honorary, Seton Hall University School of Law
Admissions
- New York
- District of Columbia
- New Jersey
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
Government & Military Service
- United States Attorney, District of New Jersey (2009–2017)
- Assistant United States Attorney (Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief of Narcotics, Chief of the Criminal Division, and First Assistant U.S. Attorney)
- Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, Associate Deputy Attorney General and Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General
- Chair, Attorney General's Advisory Committee of U.S. Attorneys (AGAC)
Clerkships
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, The Honorable Edward R. Becker
Activities
-
Vice President, Federal Bar Foundation Board
- Member, American Law Institute
- Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Seton Hall University Law School
- Co-Chair, Law and Justice Transition Advisory Committee for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy
- Member, American Bar Association's Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission
- Board Member, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice
- Board Member, National Association of Former United States Attorneys (2018-2019)
- Co-Chair, Working group established by New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal to study creation of statewide conviction review and cold case units (2018–2019)
- Board Member, Yogi Berra Museum and Learning Center (2002–2009)
- Director, The Federal Bar Foundation of the Second Circuit
- Committee Member, The Lawyers Advisory Committee of the District of New Jersey
- Board of Trustees, Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey 1999-2009; Advisory Board 2009-present