DLA Piper Launches New Practice Area
Global law firm DLA Piper has announced the launching of its new State Attorneys General Practice. The practice will be led by partners Jeff Tsai (San Francisco) and Scott Wilson (New York), who previously held senior-level positions in state AG offices in California and New York respectively. The team will also include Matthew Denn, who is the office Managing Partner in DLA Piper’s Wilmington office and was formerly the elected Attorney General of Delaware.
Tsai joined DLA Piper in 2018 from Alston & Bird where he led the firm’s State Attorneys General Practice. Prior to that, he worked as special assistant attorney general of California, where he worked with former attorney general Kamala D. Harris on policy matters concerning corporate accountability, criminal justice, and intellectual property enforcement. He has also worked with the United States Department of Justice for eight years. He received his JD from Georgetown University in 2000 and began his career in Houston as a judicial law clerk for US District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore.
Wilson joined DLA Piper in 2019 from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. Prior to that, he worked as Senior Advisor & Special Counsel to the New York Attorney General. He focuses his practice on high-stakes litigation, white-collar criminal matters, and government and internal investigations. His clients include leading domestic and international companies across the sports, banking, consumer goods, asset management, real estate, and technology industries.
Denn joined DLA Piper in 2019 after serving as the Attorney General for the State of Delaware for about four years. He authored the Delaware Online Privacy and Protection Act and is also credited with its successful passing through the Delaware General Assembly. He assists clients with matters involving state AGs, state insurance regulators, and other state agencies along with internal investigations.
Comprising of an experienced team of state AG practitioners, the newly launched practice will include lawyers with significant experience in representing clients in matters before state AGs and attorneys who previously held important senior roles in state AG offices.
Commenting on DLA Piper’s launch of the new practice area, Jeff Tsai said, “In recent years, state attorneys general have increasingly been among the most aggressive regulators in the US. During this pandemic, for example, state AGs across the country have brought a number of enforcement actions under both civil consumer protection and criminal statutes. This growth in state-level enforcement highlights the value DLA Piper can bring to clients through its broad array of experienced practitioners who have both served in state AG offices and handled significant cases before state AGs, giving our team a well-rounded, thoughtful perspective on the best way to handle state enforcement matters.”
Scott Wilson commented, “Our platform enables us to provide clients comprehensive coverage for state AG-facing matters, across all sectors and areas of the law. Our team has the breadth and depth of knowledge to handle any area of state AG enforcement, as well as joint federal-state matters and parallel litigation by private plaintiffs.”