Cravath’s New York Office Moves to Two Manhattan West
Evan Mehran Norris, a former federal prosecutor, focuses his practice on advising U.S. and multinational companies, boards of directors and senior executives with respect to government and internal investigations, criminal defense, regulatory compliance and related civil litigation.
A member of the Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement Practice and Data Security and Privacy Practice, Mr. Norris advises clients in a broad range of matters from cross‑border investigations to cyber incident response.
An experienced trial and appellate lawyer, Mr. Norris has represented clients in a variety of sensitive matters concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), trade sanctions, cybersecurity, anti‑money laundering controls, the False Claims Act, digital assets, generative AI and securities fraud. He also regularly provides clients with disclosure and compliance advice, often related to matters with a technology focus. He has worked across many industries, such as banking, fintech, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, aircraft, automotive, consumer products, metals and mining, construction, spirits, pharmaceutical and commercial real estate. Mr. Norris has handled both domestic and cross‑border investigations, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Mr. Norris has represented clients before a number of enforcement agencies, including the Criminal, National Security and Tax Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), numerous United States Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, the New York State Department of Financial Services and numerous state attorneys general.
Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Norris served for 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was the lead prosecutor of the groundbreaking FIFA case, spearheading a global investigation of corruption in international soccer in one of the most far‑reaching cross‑border corruption cases ever brought by the DOJ. Mr. Norris held a number of leadership positions during his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime & Racketeering Section and the first Director of the FIFA Task Force. He also trained other DOJ prosecutors on the conduct of international money laundering and asset forfeiture investigations, including the use of MLATs to freeze and seize assets located overseas.
Mr. Norris is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from cybersecurity, cryptoasset and ESG enforcement trends to governance standards for international sports organizations. In November 2022, he appeared in Netflix’s documentary series “FIFA Uncovered,” in which he discussed his role as the prosecutor leading the DOJ’s multi-year corruption investigation. Mr. Norris also regularly publishes articles and resources, among these, “How U.S. Authorities Obtain Foreign Evidence in Cross-Border Investigations,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Americas Investigations Review” (2019-2021), “Regulatory Compliance in the Context of a Cross-Border Data Breach,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Guide to Cyber Investigations” (Second Edition) and “More than Just the Ooki DAO: Lessons for Web3 Companies About Control After bZx,” which he co-authored for Coindesk (October 2022).
Mr. Norris earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor, including the 2017 J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award, presented annually by the National Association of Former United States Attorneys for the most outstanding performance by one of the nation’s federal prosecutors. Since joining Cravath, he has been recognized for his white collar criminal defense work by the Best Lawyers in America and The Legal 500 US, as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation and as a leading lawyer in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA, which describes Mr. Norris as “brilliant and polished” and someone whose “international experience is a real asset for his clients and colleagues.” He has also been selected by Lawdragon as one of “500 Leading Litigators in America,” “500 Leading Global Litigators” and “500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers.” In 2021 and 2024, Mr. Norris was selected to serve as a member of Law360’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Advisory Board.
Mr. Norris was born in Dallas, Texas. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Columbia College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Legal Aid Bureau. Mr. Norris serves on the board of the Iranian American Bar Association’s New York chapter, and is also a member of the New York City Bar Association and the International Bar Association.
He joined Cravath in 2017 and was elected a partner in 2019.
An experienced trial and appellate lawyer, Mr. Norris has represented clients in a variety of sensitive matters concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), trade sanctions, cybersecurity, anti‑money laundering controls, the False Claims Act, digital assets, generative AI and securities fraud. He also regularly provides clients with disclosure and compliance advice, often related to matters with a technology focus. He has worked across many industries, such as banking, fintech, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, aircraft, automotive, consumer products, metals and mining, construction, spirits, pharmaceutical and commercial real estate. Mr. Norris has handled both domestic and cross‑border investigations, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Mr. Norris has represented clients before a number of enforcement agencies, including the Criminal, National Security and Tax Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), numerous United States Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, the New York State Department of Financial Services and numerous state attorneys general.
Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Norris served for 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was the lead prosecutor of the groundbreaking FIFA case, spearheading a global investigation of corruption in international soccer in one of the most far‑reaching cross‑border corruption cases ever brought by the DOJ. Mr. Norris held a number of leadership positions during his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime & Racketeering Section and the first Director of the FIFA Task Force. He also trained other DOJ prosecutors on the conduct of international money laundering and asset forfeiture investigations, including the use of MLATs to freeze and seize assets located overseas.
Mr. Norris is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from cybersecurity, cryptoasset and ESG enforcement trends to governance standards for international sports organizations. In November 2022, he appeared in Netflix’s documentary series “FIFA Uncovered,” in which he discussed his role as the prosecutor leading the DOJ’s multi-year corruption investigation. Mr. Norris also regularly publishes articles and resources, among these, “How U.S. Authorities Obtain Foreign Evidence in Cross-Border Investigations,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Americas Investigations Review” (2019-2021), “Regulatory Compliance in the Context of a Cross-Border Data Breach,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Guide to Cyber Investigations” (Second Edition) and “More than Just the Ooki DAO: Lessons for Web3 Companies About Control After bZx,” which he co-authored for Coindesk (October 2022).
Mr. Norris earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor, including the 2017 J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award, presented annually by the National Association of Former United States Attorneys for the most outstanding performance by one of the nation’s federal prosecutors. Since joining Cravath, he has been recognized for his white collar criminal defense work by the Best Lawyers in America and The Legal 500 US, as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation and as a leading lawyer in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA, which describes Mr. Norris as “brilliant and polished” and someone whose “international experience is a real asset for his clients and colleagues.” He has also been selected by Lawdragon as one of “500 Leading Litigators in America,” “500 Leading Global Litigators” and “500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers.” In 2021 and 2024, Mr. Norris was selected to serve as a member of Law360’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Advisory Board.
Mr. Norris was born in Dallas, Texas. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Columbia College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Legal Aid Bureau. Mr. Norris serves on the board of the Iranian American Bar Association’s New York chapter, and is also a member of the New York City Bar Association and the International Bar Association.
He joined Cravath in 2017 and was elected a partner in 2019.
International Bar Association
Iranian American Bar Association
New York City Bar Association
Law360
Benchmark Litigation
Best Lawyers in America
Chambers USA
Lawdragon
The Legal 500 US
J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award, National Association of Former United States Attorneys, 2017
Albert L. Gelb Award, New York State Court Officers Association, 2009
Deals & Cases
April 26, 2023
On April 25, 2023, Cravath client British American Tobacco p.l.c. (“BAT”) announced it has reached agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) to resolve previously disclosed investigations into suspicions of sanctions breaches.
Deals & Cases
November 29, 2022
On November 22, 2022, Cravath client Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”) reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission addressing historical policies and procedures related to three of GSAM Fundamental Equity group’s ESG investment portfolios. As part of the no‑admit, no‑deny settlement, GSAM agreed to pay $4 million as a civil money penalty.
Activities
November 14, 2024
On October 24, 2024, Cravath hosted its sixth annual Global Enforcement Forum at its offices in New York. The event brought together investigations and regulatory lawyers from the Firm and leading foreign firms across the globe for a series of panel discussions and roundtables examining significant developments in enforcement.
Publications
October 28, 2024
On October 25, 2024, Cravath published an article by partners D. Scott Bennett, Benjamin Gruenstein, David J. Kappos, Evan Norris, Ryan J. Patrone, Elad Roisman and Sasha Rosenthal‑Larrea, in collaboration with Jason Trager, Senior Director of Blockchain & Digital Assets at FTI Technology, entitled “Bringing Blockchain Due Diligence into Focus Alongside Uptick in Strategic Dealmaking.” The article discusses the renewed momentum around blockchain and digital assets, predicting an increase in deal activity including M&A transactions and joint ventures going into 2025, and explores the key elements that dealmaking teams should consider when conducting due diligence for these transactions.
Activities
October 03, 2024
On October 3, 2024, Cravath partner Evan Norris participated in Global Investigations Review Live’s Global Investigations Summit 2024, which was held from October 2‑4 in Milan. Evan spoke on a panel entitled “Enforcement of AI Export Control Related Misconduct,” which reviewed topics surrounding the current and future landscape of artificial intelligence‑related export controls in the United States and Europe. Discussion ranged from the work of the new Disruptive Technologies Strike Force led by the US Departments of Justice and Commerce to the EU AI Act and strategies for organizations across industries to begin to comply with a complex set of new and anticipated regulations.
Publications
September 04, 2024
Cravath partners Benjamin Gruenstein, Sasha Rosenthal‑Larrea and Evan Norris and Variant deputy general counsel Daniel Barabander co‑authored an article entitled “Cybersecurity Liability for Web3 Platforms: Key Issues and Risk Mitigation Solutions,” which was published by Bloomberg Law on September 4, 2024. The article explores the liability landscape faced by web3 platforms in the wake of a cybersecurity incident, including potential for negligence, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims, as well as securities law shareholder derivative claims. The article also details how parties can mitigate their risk through the integration of proactive security solutions.
Publications
July 19, 2024
On July 16, 2024, Cravath published the third edition of its Cravath Data Privacy and Security Review newsletter, which provides an overview of U.S. state and federal legislative and regulatory developments, alongside U.S. and global enforcement trends and takeaways, in the data privacy and security field for the first six months of 2024. The Review provides an update on emerging and existing privacy and security legislation at the federal level, including the American Privacy Rights Act, and highlights notable legislative developments at the state level across the country. This edition also highlights the heightened focus on cybersecurity and privacy‑related enforcement at federal agencies including the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission, and provides global enforcement updates from China, the European Union, Germany and Chile.
Evan Mehran Norris, a former federal prosecutor, focuses his practice on advising U.S. and multinational companies, boards of directors and senior executives with respect to government and internal investigations, criminal defense, regulatory compliance and related civil litigation.
A member of the Investigations and Regulatory Enforcement Practice and Data Security and Privacy Practice, Mr. Norris advises clients in a broad range of matters from cross‑border investigations to cyber incident response.
An experienced trial and appellate lawyer, Mr. Norris has represented clients in a variety of sensitive matters concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), trade sanctions, cybersecurity, anti‑money laundering controls, the False Claims Act, digital assets, generative AI and securities fraud. He also regularly provides clients with disclosure and compliance advice, often related to matters with a technology focus. He has worked across many industries, such as banking, fintech, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, aircraft, automotive, consumer products, metals and mining, construction, spirits, pharmaceutical and commercial real estate. Mr. Norris has handled both domestic and cross‑border investigations, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Mr. Norris has represented clients before a number of enforcement agencies, including the Criminal, National Security and Tax Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), numerous United States Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, the New York State Department of Financial Services and numerous state attorneys general.
Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Norris served for 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was the lead prosecutor of the groundbreaking FIFA case, spearheading a global investigation of corruption in international soccer in one of the most far‑reaching cross‑border corruption cases ever brought by the DOJ. Mr. Norris held a number of leadership positions during his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime & Racketeering Section and the first Director of the FIFA Task Force. He also trained other DOJ prosecutors on the conduct of international money laundering and asset forfeiture investigations, including the use of MLATs to freeze and seize assets located overseas.
Mr. Norris is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from cybersecurity, cryptoasset and ESG enforcement trends to governance standards for international sports organizations. In November 2022, he appeared in Netflix’s documentary series “FIFA Uncovered,” in which he discussed his role as the prosecutor leading the DOJ’s multi-year corruption investigation. Mr. Norris also regularly publishes articles and resources, among these, “How U.S. Authorities Obtain Foreign Evidence in Cross-Border Investigations,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Americas Investigations Review” (2019-2021), “Regulatory Compliance in the Context of a Cross-Border Data Breach,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Guide to Cyber Investigations” (Second Edition) and “More than Just the Ooki DAO: Lessons for Web3 Companies About Control After bZx,” which he co-authored for Coindesk (October 2022).
Mr. Norris earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor, including the 2017 J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award, presented annually by the National Association of Former United States Attorneys for the most outstanding performance by one of the nation’s federal prosecutors. Since joining Cravath, he has been recognized for his white collar criminal defense work by the Best Lawyers in America and The Legal 500 US, as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation and as a leading lawyer in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA, which describes Mr. Norris as “brilliant and polished” and someone whose “international experience is a real asset for his clients and colleagues.” He has also been selected by Lawdragon as one of “500 Leading Litigators in America,” “500 Leading Global Litigators” and “500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers.” In 2021 and 2024, Mr. Norris was selected to serve as a member of Law360’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Advisory Board.
Mr. Norris was born in Dallas, Texas. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Columbia College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Legal Aid Bureau. Mr. Norris serves on the board of the Iranian American Bar Association’s New York chapter, and is also a member of the New York City Bar Association and the International Bar Association.
He joined Cravath in 2017 and was elected a partner in 2019.
An experienced trial and appellate lawyer, Mr. Norris has represented clients in a variety of sensitive matters concerning the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), trade sanctions, cybersecurity, anti‑money laundering controls, the False Claims Act, digital assets, generative AI and securities fraud. He also regularly provides clients with disclosure and compliance advice, often related to matters with a technology focus. He has worked across many industries, such as banking, fintech, healthcare, energy, telecommunications, aircraft, automotive, consumer products, metals and mining, construction, spirits, pharmaceutical and commercial real estate. Mr. Norris has handled both domestic and cross‑border investigations, including in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Mr. Norris has represented clients before a number of enforcement agencies, including the Criminal, National Security and Tax Divisions of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), numerous United States Attorneys’ Offices, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, the New York State Department of Financial Services and numerous state attorneys general.
Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Norris served for 10 years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. He was the lead prosecutor of the groundbreaking FIFA case, spearheading a global investigation of corruption in international soccer in one of the most far‑reaching cross‑border corruption cases ever brought by the DOJ. Mr. Norris held a number of leadership positions during his tenure at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section, Deputy Chief of the Organized Crime & Racketeering Section and the first Director of the FIFA Task Force. He also trained other DOJ prosecutors on the conduct of international money laundering and asset forfeiture investigations, including the use of MLATs to freeze and seize assets located overseas.
Mr. Norris is a frequent speaker on topics ranging from cybersecurity, cryptoasset and ESG enforcement trends to governance standards for international sports organizations. In November 2022, he appeared in Netflix’s documentary series “FIFA Uncovered,” in which he discussed his role as the prosecutor leading the DOJ’s multi-year corruption investigation. Mr. Norris also regularly publishes articles and resources, among these, “How U.S. Authorities Obtain Foreign Evidence in Cross-Border Investigations,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Americas Investigations Review” (2019-2021), “Regulatory Compliance in the Context of a Cross-Border Data Breach,” which he co-authored for Global Investigation Review’s “Guide to Cyber Investigations” (Second Edition) and “More than Just the Ooki DAO: Lessons for Web3 Companies About Control After bZx,” which he co-authored for Coindesk (October 2022).
Mr. Norris earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor, including the 2017 J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award, presented annually by the National Association of Former United States Attorneys for the most outstanding performance by one of the nation’s federal prosecutors. Since joining Cravath, he has been recognized for his white collar criminal defense work by the Best Lawyers in America and The Legal 500 US, as a Litigation Star by Benchmark Litigation and as a leading lawyer in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA, which describes Mr. Norris as “brilliant and polished” and someone whose “international experience is a real asset for his clients and colleagues.” He has also been selected by Lawdragon as one of “500 Leading Litigators in America,” “500 Leading Global Litigators” and “500 Leading Global Cyber Lawyers.” In 2021 and 2024, Mr. Norris was selected to serve as a member of Law360’s Cybersecurity & Privacy Editorial Advisory Board.
Mr. Norris was born in Dallas, Texas. He received a B.A. magna cum laude from Columbia College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he was a member of the Legal Aid Bureau. Mr. Norris serves on the board of the Iranian American Bar Association’s New York chapter, and is also a member of the New York City Bar Association and the International Bar Association.
He joined Cravath in 2017 and was elected a partner in 2019.
International Bar Association
Iranian American Bar Association
New York City Bar Association
Law360
Benchmark Litigation
Best Lawyers in America
Chambers USA
Lawdragon
The Legal 500 US
J. Michael Bradford Memorial Award, National Association of Former United States Attorneys, 2017
Albert L. Gelb Award, New York State Court Officers Association, 2009
Deals & Cases
April 26, 2023
On April 25, 2023, Cravath client British American Tobacco p.l.c. (“BAT”) announced it has reached agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) to resolve previously disclosed investigations into suspicions of sanctions breaches.
Deals & Cases
November 29, 2022
On November 22, 2022, Cravath client Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (“GSAM”) reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission addressing historical policies and procedures related to three of GSAM Fundamental Equity group’s ESG investment portfolios. As part of the no‑admit, no‑deny settlement, GSAM agreed to pay $4 million as a civil money penalty.
Activities
November 14, 2024
On October 24, 2024, Cravath hosted its sixth annual Global Enforcement Forum at its offices in New York. The event brought together investigations and regulatory lawyers from the Firm and leading foreign firms across the globe for a series of panel discussions and roundtables examining significant developments in enforcement.
Publications
October 28, 2024
On October 25, 2024, Cravath published an article by partners D. Scott Bennett, Benjamin Gruenstein, David J. Kappos, Evan Norris, Ryan J. Patrone, Elad Roisman and Sasha Rosenthal‑Larrea, in collaboration with Jason Trager, Senior Director of Blockchain & Digital Assets at FTI Technology, entitled “Bringing Blockchain Due Diligence into Focus Alongside Uptick in Strategic Dealmaking.” The article discusses the renewed momentum around blockchain and digital assets, predicting an increase in deal activity including M&A transactions and joint ventures going into 2025, and explores the key elements that dealmaking teams should consider when conducting due diligence for these transactions.
Activities
October 03, 2024
On October 3, 2024, Cravath partner Evan Norris participated in Global Investigations Review Live’s Global Investigations Summit 2024, which was held from October 2‑4 in Milan. Evan spoke on a panel entitled “Enforcement of AI Export Control Related Misconduct,” which reviewed topics surrounding the current and future landscape of artificial intelligence‑related export controls in the United States and Europe. Discussion ranged from the work of the new Disruptive Technologies Strike Force led by the US Departments of Justice and Commerce to the EU AI Act and strategies for organizations across industries to begin to comply with a complex set of new and anticipated regulations.
Publications
September 04, 2024
Cravath partners Benjamin Gruenstein, Sasha Rosenthal‑Larrea and Evan Norris and Variant deputy general counsel Daniel Barabander co‑authored an article entitled “Cybersecurity Liability for Web3 Platforms: Key Issues and Risk Mitigation Solutions,” which was published by Bloomberg Law on September 4, 2024. The article explores the liability landscape faced by web3 platforms in the wake of a cybersecurity incident, including potential for negligence, breach of contract and breach of fiduciary duty claims, as well as securities law shareholder derivative claims. The article also details how parties can mitigate their risk through the integration of proactive security solutions.
Publications
July 19, 2024
On July 16, 2024, Cravath published the third edition of its Cravath Data Privacy and Security Review newsletter, which provides an overview of U.S. state and federal legislative and regulatory developments, alongside U.S. and global enforcement trends and takeaways, in the data privacy and security field for the first six months of 2024. The Review provides an update on emerging and existing privacy and security legislation at the federal level, including the American Privacy Rights Act, and highlights notable legislative developments at the state level across the country. This edition also highlights the heightened focus on cybersecurity and privacy‑related enforcement at federal agencies including the Federal Trade Commission and Securities and Exchange Commission, and provides global enforcement updates from China, the European Union, Germany and Chile.
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