Paul L. Knight

Paul Knight, formerly of O’Connor & Hannan LLP, is a litigator with more than four decades of public and private sector experience.  He focuses his practice on white collar defense, assisting clients with complex internal investigations and litigation defense. 

Paul’s clients range from corporations facing fraud allegations to government officials facing ethics and grand jury investigations, to attorneys facing bar investigations.  He also advises clients in connection with foreign commerce regulations under criminal and civil statutes.  Such representations involve matters arising under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Arms Export Control Act, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Paul excels at developing thorough, winning strategies, informed by his previous work as a successful federal prosecutor.  He served as both a trial and supervising attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s office for the District of Columbia.  He also served as the Associate Director of the President’s Task Force on Victims of Crime.

Additionally, Paul has been representing federal law enforcement officers since 1989.  He becomes involved at the time of the incident, often meeting with officers in the middle of the night.

Paul is active outside the office with pro bono and charitable activities.  He has served for 12 years on the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Board on Professional Responsibility.  He lectures on legal issue to law schools, law firms, and CLE programs and serves on several non-profit boards and committees.

Experience

• Represented a medical doctor charged with 82 counts of healthcare fraud for alleged upcoding and misrepresentations to insurance carriers.  After a four week trial, the doctor was acquitted on all counts.
• Represented a corporate president accused of defrauding a state utility of over $50 million through inflated contracts.  All charges were dismissed mid-trial.
• Represented a company bookkeeper charged with conspiracy to commit income tax violations for placing his personal expenses on corporate books.  The charge was dismissed after a hung jury.
• Represented a corporate official in federal debarment action for procurement fraud. 
• Represented union officials charged with criminal labor law violations and union administrative charges. 
• Represented individuals charged with bribery of governmental officials.
• Represented individuals charged with income tax evasion.
• Represented foreign nationals in FCPA investigations.
• Prosecuted cases against a foreign country for acts of terrorism.
• Represented attorneys and law firms in fee disputes.

Speaking Engagements

News

Community & Professional

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

American Bar Association, White Collar Committee

Honors & Recognitions

United States Attorney's Office Harold Sullivan Award

Department of Justice Director's Award for Superior Performance

IRS Regional Commissioner's Award

Special Achievement Awards from the Department of Justice

Selected to the Washington D.C. Super Lawyers list, 2010-2020

AV Preeminent^® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell