Allon Lifshitz
Partner, New York
Allon Lifshitz
Partner, New York
Allon Lifshitz is a partner in Cohen & Gresser’s New York office. His practice focuses on white collar criminal cases, complex civil litigation, antitrust cases, government investigations, and internal investigations.
Prior to joining Cohen & Gresser, Allon was a federal prosecutor for 14 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Most recently, Allon was Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, overseeing more than 100 AUSAs across the Criminal Division’s nine sections. Previously, he served as Chief of the Organized Crime & Gangs Section.
In addition to these roles, during his tenure as an AUSA Allon led teams handling some of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s most significant matters, including a corporate foreign bribery case implicating national security interests, which became the basis for several DOJ policies governing corporate resolutions, and a corporate cybercrime case. He tried 10 cases, argued seven appeals in the Second Circuit, and investigated and supervised cases involving a variety of crimes, including foreign bribery, health care fraud, racketeering, securities fraud, money laundering, wire fraud, national security offenses, and public corruption offenses, as well as asset forfeiture.
Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Allon worked as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Nicholas G. Garaufis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Allon is a member of the Federal Bar Council’s Federal Criminal Practice Committee and the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Law and Criminal Justice Sections. He currently serves as Chair of the Constitution & Rules Committee of the United States Tennis Association, and is a member of the USTA’s Governance Task Force.
He was previously a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, where he taught, with a federal judge, a seminar about federal litigation.
Allon Lifshitz is a partner in Cohen & Gresser’s New York office. His practice focuses on white collar criminal cases, complex civil litigation, antitrust…
Education
Harvard Law School (J.D., 2003); University of California, Berkeley (B.A., 2000)
Bar Admissions
New York State; U.S. District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Activities and Affiliations
Member, American Bar Association, Antitrust and Criminal Justice Sections
Member, Federal Bar Council, Federal Criminal Practice Committee
Chair, United States Tennis Association, Constitution & Rules Committee; Member, Governance Task Force
Lecturer in Law (former), Columbia Law School
Representative White Collar Matters (Government)
Obtained corporate guilty pleas and $787 million in financial penalties from French corporation and Syrian subsidiary based on scheme to bribe ISIS, in landmark corporate national security case.
Negotiated $10 million financial penalty and deferred prosecution agreement with corporation, and obtained an executive’s guilty plea, based on the corporation’s unauthorized access of a smaller rival’s computer systems, in a significant corporate cybercrime case.
Representative White Collar Matters (Private Practice)
Represented media company in investigation by New York Attorney General of “payola” practices in the radio industry.
Represented an executive of a telecommunications company in a DOJ and SEC investigation of stock-option backdating.
Represented financial institution in FINRA investigation of market-timing in the mutual fund industry.
Representative Antitrust Matters
Represented leading retail-tracking company in civil litigation brought by its primary competitor in federal district court and, after prevailing, on appeal in the Second Circuit, which affirmed the case’s dismissal.
Represented global investment bank in criminal DOJ case alleging bid-rigging in market for municipal bonds.
Represented leading manufacturer of medical equipment in class action brought by purchasers.
Other Representative Civil Litigation Matters
Represented filmmaker sued in federal court by the estate of a prominent athlete, alleging trademark infringement and breach of contract, resulting in a favorable settlement.
Represented private equity pioneer and philanthropist in defamation case brought in state court.
Represented private equity firm in arbitration brought by another private equity firm, alleging fraud, breach of contract, and civil RICO violations, based on the sale of a portfolio company.
Trials and Appeals
As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Allon tried 10 cases in federal district court and argued seven appeals in the Second Circuit.
"Bob Menendez’s Unusual Request: Don’t Try Me With My Wife," The Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2024.
"Joe Lewis’ $7.6 Billion Empire Weathers His Biggest Test," Bloomberg, February 7, 2024.
Prior to joining Cohen & Gresser, Allon was a federal prosecutor for 14 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. As Deputy Chief, he oversaw more than 100 AUSAs across the Criminal Division’s nine sections. Previously, he served as Chief of the Organized Crime & Gangs Section. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Allon prosecuted cases involving a variety of crimes, including foreign bribery, health care fraud, racketeering, securities fraud, money laundering, wire fraud, national security offenses, and public corruption offenses.
“I couldn’t be more excited to join Cohen & Gresser. I have admired the firm for a long time and have been consistently impressed with its growth and success,” said Allon. “The white-collar practice is outstanding, and I look forward to leveraging my experience investigating cross-border white-collar crime, negotiating corporate resolutions, and taking complex cases to trial. I also look forward to applying my experience to the firm’s excellent work in antitrust and civil litigation.”
“Allon is a skilled litigator with proven results. His extensive experience as a federal prosecutor adds new depth and capabilities to the firm’s white-collar, antitrust, and litigation and arbitration practices,” said Lawrence T. Gresser, co-founder and global managing partner of Cohen & Gresser. “On behalf of everyone at the firm, I’m delighted to welcome Allon to the team.”
Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Allon served as a law clerk to the Honorable Nicholas G. Garaufis, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, and as a litigation associate at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. Allon earned his law degree from Harvard Law School.
Allon is a member of the Federal Bar Council’s Federal Criminal Practice Committee and the American Bar Association’s Antitrust Law and Criminal Justice Sections. He currently serves as Chair of the Constitution & Rules Committee of the United States Tennis Association. He was previously a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School.
Read New York Law Journal's coverage here.