Women's White Collar Defense Association

Women's White Collar Defense Association WWCDA is an Association of women attorneys and other professionals who specialize in white collar Department of Justice).

The Women's White Collar Defense Association is a coalition of attorneys and other professionals with relevant expertise who specialize in white collar criminal defense. Our practices focus on a range of issues including antitrust actions, complex commercial litigation, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues, government contracting, healthcare fraud and abuse, insider trading, securities litigation,

qui tam and whistleblower cases, and more. Our members are nationwide, with regional groups organized by city. The Association exists to provide:

• networking opportunities and business referrals for its members

• substantive resources

• a forum to hear from government officials and the private sector

• a clearing house for discussion of pressing white collar bar issues

• a vehicle for information sharing related to job openings and other items of interest. The Washington and New York Chapters were founded in the late 1990’s when our founders recognized a glaring lack of equal opportunity in existing professional white collar organizations. Such professional organizations are crucial for networking to develop business in the practice area. Since those early days, chapters have been organized in eleven cities -- Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, London, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, & Washington, D.C. -- and membership has grown to more than 4,500 members. Our members have served in government positions and in corporate roles. Notable members have included corporate General Counsels and Chief Compliance Officers, as well as prosecutors and high ranking government officials (e.g., the White House Counsel and the Chief of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Please see WWCDA Terms of Use: https://www.wwcda.org/termsandconditions

Member Spotlight:   San Francisco Chapter Development Chair Ellen London is the co-founder of London & Naor, an Oakland,...
06/23/2026

Member Spotlight: San Francisco Chapter Development Chair Ellen London is the co-founder of London & Naor, an Oakland, CA, based boutique that focuses on civil False Claims Act defense, commercial litigation, internal investigations, and other civil matters.

Ellen’s experience as a civil Assistant United States Attorney in SDNY and NDCA has allowed her to be particularly adept at navigating complex matters involving multiple stakeholders and high-stakes events.

Join the   Rankings and Endorsement (REC) and Small Firm Initiative (SFI) Committees for WWCDA’s Annual Chambers Ranking...
06/22/2026

Join the Rankings and Endorsement (REC) and Small Firm Initiative (SFI) Committees for WWCDA’s Annual Chambers Rankings Program on June 23, 2026.

Krista Tongring, co-chair of WWCDA REC will present an overview, best practices and preview of the application and referee process. SFI Chapter Liaisons Gail Shifman from the San Francisco Chapter and Effie Blassberger from the New York Chapter will share their experiences and successes in the ranking process.

A Question-and-Answer session will follow. All members of WWCDA are invited and welcome to attend. Register here: https://ow.ly/7ONq50Zfjn1

Congratulations to   LA Chapter member Alyssa Bell, who was recently ranked by Chambers in the Litigation: White-Collar ...
06/19/2026

Congratulations to LA Chapter member Alyssa Bell, who was recently ranked by Chambers in the Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations area for California.

She also recently achieved a major win in the Ninth Circuit regarding an insider trading case, with the news being covered by many major trades including Law360 and Bloomberg. Great work, Alyssa!

  New York Chapter member Elizabeth Kelley spent five weeks in Singapore working with the Center for Asian Legal Studies...
06/11/2026

New York Chapter member Elizabeth Kelley spent five weeks in Singapore working with the Center for Asian Legal Studies at the National University of Singapore, organizing a series of educational programs regarding invisible disabilities and the criminal justice system.

What an incredible evening in London! Thank you to everyone who joined us! Yesterday, WWCDA welcomed members, colleagues...
06/10/2026

What an incredible evening in London! Thank you to everyone who joined us!

Yesterday, WWCDA welcomed members, colleagues, and friends from across the investigations, enforcement, compliance, and white-collar defense community for our London | Programme & Reception at Apothecaries' Hall.

The evening featured Part 2 of our Global Enforcement & Compliance Series, Through the Eyes of the Accused: A Firsthand Perspective of the Experience of Being a Suspect/Defendant in a White-Collar Criminal Investigation, where attendees heard a powerful and candid discussion from Rachel Rhodes about her firsthand experience navigating a lengthy white-collar criminal investigation and prosecution.

Following the program, attendees gathered for an evening of meaningful conversation, new connections, and global perspectives during our reception.

Thank you to everyone who joined us, and to our speakers, volunteers, and partners who helped make the event such a success. We were especially pleased to welcome many attendees from the GIR Women in Investigations Conference and continue fostering connections across our professional communities.

We look forward to seeing you at future WWCDA events and programs!

 's DC Chapter held a Summer Networking Reception featuring luxury charcuterie, dessert, and beverages from women-owned ...
06/10/2026

's DC Chapter held a Summer Networking Reception featuring luxury charcuterie, dessert, and beverages from women-owned businesses, along with a rooftop view of downtown DC and the National Cathedral. The event brought women across the chapter together for a night of conversation, community, and refreshments. Thank you to HKA and Pamela Verick for hosting the event!

Today's the day! While in-person capacity has been reached, you can still join us virtually (at no cost to you) for toda...
06/09/2026

Today's the day!

While in-person capacity has been reached, you can still join us virtually (at no cost to you) for today's WWCDA Global Enforcement & Compliance Panel, Part 2:

Through the Eyes of the Accused: A Firsthand Perspective of the Experience of Being a Suspect/Defendant in a White-Collar Criminal Investigation.

This excellent discussion will kick off at 5:30 PM BST.

Hope to “see” you there!

https://www.wwcda.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=fcac32ba-9037-44ad-b1d3-019d8d897abd&CommunityKey=955d0007-3f22-4a42-88fc-ff533fab325f&Home=%2fhigherlogic%2fccadmin%2fadmin%2fevents%2fmanagecalendarevents.aspx

There is still time to join us (virtually) tomorrow, June 9th, for the WWCDA Global Enforcement & Compliance Series, Par...
06/08/2026

There is still time to join us (virtually) tomorrow, June 9th, for the WWCDA Global Enforcement & Compliance Series, Part 2!

The in-person seats are sold out but you can still register to attend virtually (for free).

This is the Part 2 session of this year’s four-part series for the Global Enforcement & Compliance program.

Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn about pressing global matters from our expert speakers.

https://www.wwcda.org/events/event-description?CalendarEventKey=fcac32ba-9037-44ad-b1d3-019d8d897abd&CommunityKey=955d0007-3f22-4a42-88fc-ff533fab325f&Home=%2fhigherlogic%2fccadmin%2fadmin%2fevents%2fmanagecalendarevents.aspx

Program Details:

TOPIC: Through the Eyes of the Accused: A Firsthand Perspective of the Experience of Being a Suspect/Defendant in a White-Collar Criminal Investigation

Rachel Rhodes, former CFO of London Mining plc (in administration) was investigated and subsequently prosecuted by the SFO in respect of allegations of bribery and corruption. She was arrested in 2016 and charged in 2023. Rachel maintained her innocence throughout. In February this year the SFO offered no evidence, and not guilty pleas were entered.

In a Q&A session led by Rita Mitchell (Partner Willkie Farr & Gallagher) Rachel with her lawyer Shula de Jersey (Partner BCL Solicitors LLP) will share her experience of being a suspect and then a defendant in this long-running investigation.

Today we are spotlighting   San Francisco Chapter Member Stephanie Douglas, President of the National Security Practice ...
06/04/2026

Today we are spotlighting San Francisco Chapter Member Stephanie Douglas, President of the National Security Practice at Guidepost Solutions, LLC. Ms. Douglas is well known for her extensive experience leading audits and monitorships of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)-related National Security Agreements.

Stephanie leads engagements involving national security investigations, compliance reviews, CFIUS audits and monitorships, as well as cybersecurity, sanctions and export controls, privacy, and sensitive internal investigations. Prior to Guidepost, Stephanie spent nearly 24 years with the FBI.

We are only one week away from the WWCDA London Programme & Reception!  While there is a waitlist for the Global Enforce...
06/02/2026

We are only one week away from the WWCDA London Programme & Reception!

While there is a waitlist for the Global Enforcement & Compliance Series, Part 2. Future registrants are still welcome to join us for the reception that follows or attend GEC, Part 2 virtually.

https://www.wwcda.org/event/other-programs/london-reception

Program Details:

Rachel Rhodes, former CFO of London Mining plc (in administration) was investigated and subsequently prosecuted by the SFO in respect of allegations of bribery and corruption. She was arrested in 2016 and charged in 2023. Rachel maintained her innocence throughout. In February this year the SFO offered no evidence, and not guilty pleas were entered.

In a Q&A session led by Rita Mitchell (Partner Willkie Farr & Gallagher) Rachel with her lawyer Shula de Jersey (Partner BCL Solicitors LLP) will share her experience of being a suspect and then a defendant in this long-running investigation.

Address

1800 M Street NW, Suite 400 S
Washington D.C., DC
20036

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