Rebecca Cecchini
Associate
Rebecca has varied disputes experience including representing corporations and financial institutions in complex civil litigation and commercial disputes, representing white collar criminal defendants, and advising clients on navigating the political law space.
Rebecca’s litigation experience includes representing global financial institutions and corporations in New York state and federal courts. Rebecca’s white collar criminal defense practice includes experience in the political corruption space. In 2018, Rebecca represented, at his second criminal trial, a former elected official accused of taking bribes, including from New York-based lobbyists on behalf of real estate developers. Rebecca’s experience also includes advising clients on compliance with political law regulation, including those that relate to efforts to influence government decision-making and to prevent or detect corruption or its appearance, including laws related to lobbying, “pay- to-play,” campaign finance, government ethics, gifts to public officials, conflicts of interest, and foreign influence and compliance, such as the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Rebecca maintains an active pro bono practice, including representing criminal defendants in cases assigned to A&O under the Criminal Justice Act. Rebecca is also active in firm DE&I initiatives, serving on the Steering Committee of the Women’s Committee. Rebecca is also an active member of the A&O Recruitment Committee.
Expertise
Experience
Representative matters
Defense of former speaker of New York State Assembly, Sheldon Silver in the retrial of his federal criminal case in the Southern District of New York.
Defense of a global financial institution in civil litigation relating to its global FX business.
Defense of a corruption inquiry concerning the hiring practices of an investment bank.
Defense of a Commodity Futures Trading Commission investigation of an investment bank regarding interest rate swaps.
Defense of a hedge fund executive charged criminally both with insider trading and misappropriating government information.
Defense of a global French bank in regulatory investigations relating to alleged manipulation and collusion in the market for U.S. Treasury instruments as well as the multidistrict class action proceedings In re Treasury Securities Auction Antitrust Litigation.
Represented a global financial institution in its capacity as indenture trustee, in multiple New York state and federal court litigations brought by bondholders relating to the effort by senior secured noteholders to consummate the sale and restructuring of Norske Skog.
Represented International Car Wash Group and IMO in a federal court action in the Northern District of Alabama against real estate developer Triple C arising from disputes relating to the parties’ purchase agreement and master development agreement.
EQT Infrastructure on the sale of Fenix Marine Services, operator of one of the busiest port complexes in North America, to CMA CGM, for an enterprise value of USD2.3bn, located the Los Angeles, California.
Pro bono
Advising mothers in custody disputes before New York State Family Court. Advising criminal defendants facing drug and RICO charges under the Criminal Justice Act. Represented Asian American Baer Association of New York and the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York as amici curiae on issues of implicit bias in the judicial system.
Published Work
I Know My Client Would Never Hurt His Daughter, But How Can I Prove It?: A Defense Lawyer’s Guide to Defending Against Child Sexual Abuse Accommodation Syndrome Evidence, Brooklyn Law Review, 2015
Qualifications
Admissions
Admitted: United States Court of Appeals, Second Circuit June 6, 2018
Admitted: Bar of the State of New York, 2016
Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York 2017
Academic
JD, magna cum laude, Brooklyn Law School 2015
Associate Articles Editor, Brooklyn Law Review
President, Brooklyn Law School Moot Court Honor Society
BA, magna cum laude, Theatre; BA, magna cum laude, Political Science, The George Washington University 2012
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.