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Abbe David Lowell is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in the Firm's Washington, D.C. office. He is a member of the Trial Department and is head of the Firm's White-Collar Criminal Defense practice group in Washington D.C.
Abbe's practice focuses on litigation, special investigations, and regulatory enforcement. He has represented numerous high-profile clients and provided counsel in matters of national and international importance. He has successfully tried complex cases, both civil and criminal, throughout the United States, and he has briefed and argued dozens of appeals before federal and state appeals courts and before the United States Supreme Court.
Abbe advises clients in their dealings with legislative bodies and government agencies and works with clients on developing compliance programs to prevent issues from arising with agencies. He has provided advice on aspects of the Federal Election Commission Act, the Ethics in Government Act and similar legislation to dozens of elected officials and campaign committees.
In criminal matters, Abbe has successfully defended clients against a wide array of charges, including conspiracy, election law violations, bank fraud, insurance fraud, bankruptcy fraud, mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, public corruption, and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). In civil cases, he has helped clients defeat claims of breach of contract and fiduciary duty, civil rights violations, conspiracy, employment discrimination, negligence, RICO violations, securities fraud, tortious interference with business, and unfair trade practices.
Prior to joining McDermott, Abbe was a partner in the Washington, D.C. and New York offices of a prominent international law firm. From 1983-1999, he was founding and managing partner at Brand & Lowell in Washington, D.C.
Abbe has been counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives twice, most recently from 1998-1999, when he was chief minority counsel during impeachment proceedings against President Clinton. Earlier, he served as special counsel to the House Ethics Committee during an inquiry of a member of Congress.
From 1994-1996, Abbe served pro bono as Special Counsel to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in the investigation and prosecution of human rights violations and war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.
Abbe has also served at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), first as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1978-1979 and then as a Special Assistant to the U.S. Attorney General from 1979-1981.
High-profile clients have included former D.C. lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who pleaded guilty to charges of corruption and fraud; Sam Waksal, former CEO of ImClone, in proceedings after his sentencing for insider trading; American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) employees under investigation for mishandling classified national defense information; employees of insurance company AIG under investigation by the DOJ and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); and actor Steven Seagal in contract litigation related to his movie productions.
Abbe's writings on legal issues and current political events have been widely published. He has written op-ed pieces for newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, and Roll Call and articles for legal publications and websites such as Business Crimes Bulletin, American Criminal Law Review, law.com, The National Law Journal, and Legal Times. He wrote the chapter, "The Penal System Is Broken" for Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, a book edited by Larry King.
Abbe is a member of the bar of the District of Columbia, the State of Maryland, and the State of New York. He is a member of American Bar Association, where he was prior chair of the ABA Committee on Rules, White-Collar Crime Section, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 2d, 4th, 5th, D.C. and Federal Circuits; the United States District Courts for the S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., D.D.C., D. Md., and N.D. Tx.; and the United States Supreme Court.
Since 1984, Abbe has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown Law Center, teaching courses on advanced criminal procedure, evidence, and trial practice. He has also taught at Columbia University School of Law since 2006. He is on the Board of Trustees for The Shakespeare Theatre at the Landsburgh.
While in law school, Abbe was an editor for the Columbia Law Review. He was also a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.
Education:
Columbia Law School, J.D. (Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar), 1977
Columbia University, B.A. (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), 1974 |
