Scott Seitz

/My focus

I am an experienced litigator who has extensive background both in-house and as a government attorney. I have been fortunate to manage all aspects of some of the most complex and high-profile cases in the Boston area over the last six years, in particular the firm’s successful representation of multiple academic professors in various China Initiative cases. I have also managed companies’ responses to sprawling government investigations into their business practices, whether brought under the False Claims Act, antitrust statutes, or by the SEC.

My background includes working as an in-house attorney for an emerging engineering startup, where I gained a breadth of knowledge assessing legal risk, advising senior executives, and managing outside counsel. This understanding gives me a unique perspective as to what companies need from outside law firms and how to manage risk in a way that is cost effective and gets the job done.

I began my career as an attorney for the National Security Agency and Special Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Maryland where I litigated cases, including trying cases to verdict, and investigated and remediated complex instances of non-compliance, particularly relating to information technology processes.

/Representative experience

• Oversaw all aspects of the defense of MIT Professor Gang Chen on “China Initiative” charges. DOJ dismissed the matter before trial and dropped the entire Initiative
• Developed the key legal strategy that resulted in 9 out of 10 charges being thrown out against Georgia Tech Professor GK Chang. DOJ ultimately dropped the remaining count
• Obtained a complete defense victory through the pretrial dismissal of a high-profile, federal PPP loan fraud case charged by the Boston US Attorney’s Office
• Successfully navigated a large public company through a multiyear antitrust investigation brought by various different federal entities
• Represented a coach in the “Varsity Blues“ matter, including developing strategy and drafting the sentencing memorandum. To date, one of only two defendants to avoid prison. United States v. John Vandemoer (D. Mass)
• Conducted a sprawling internal investigation for a large nonprofit into alleged financial fraud by former senior executives. Represented the organization during subsequent investigations by federal overseers
• Conducted an internal investigation into an alleged multi-million dollar financial fraud for a large tech company. Advised the company on defensive posture and remediation. Led multiple attorney proffers to SDNY on client’s behalf. Company has avoided criminal charges
• Represented multiple subjects who were intercepted on a federal wire in proffers before the Massachusetts United States Attorney’s Office in relation to their business activities and other statements made on the wire. Clients were not charged.
• Drafted all briefing for an appeal of a FINRA bar before the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC ruled for our client and, in a rare move, remanded the proceeding to FINRA, which then declined to pursue the matter. In the Matter of the Application of Brendan D. Feitelberg, Admin. Proc. File No. 3-19214

/Looking ahead

Government agencies will no doubt continue to be very aggressive, particularly related to China. Having counsel with deep experience in defending against these investigations will be critical.