Daniel Clarkson is a member of Greenberg Traurig's White Collar Defense and Special Investigations Group. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense and related government and internal investigations, as well as complex financial litigation. Mr. Clarkson has defended individuals in federal criminal trials, and related SEC and CFTC enforcement actions, relating to wire fraud, securities fraud, and commodities fraud. In particular, he was a member of the trial team for two recent white collar defense trial victories - the first ever acquittal in a trial relating to alleged “spoofing” in the financial markets and the trial defense of a former bond trader accused of fraud in RMBS trading negotiations.
Mr. Clarkson has also defended grand jury investigations and related civil actions by investors and insurers against major financial institutions regarding the creation and issuance of mortgage-backed securities, and drafted appeals to the Second Circuit and New York State appellate courts. He was the lead associate in a pro bono federal action brought on behalf of a human trafficking victim, which led to settlement shortly before trial.
Immediately prior to joining Greenberg Traurig, Mr. Clarkson served as a federal law clerk to the Honorable Tu M. Pham of the Western District of Tennessee.
Prior to his clerkship, Mr. Clarkson was an associate in the New York office of a national law firm, where he represented the Trustee for the liquidation of the defunct investment firm of Bernard Madoff. In this capacity, he investigated and litigated numerous fraud and bankruptcy clawback actions related to the collapse of Madoff’s massive Ponzi scheme, while also negotiating and resolving claims by former investors.
