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Rachel S. Mechanic
Rachel skillfully represents corporate and individual clients in securities enforcement proceedings, complex commercial litigations, and white-collar criminal matters.
Rachel Mechanic advises clients in matters that proceed simultaneously in regulatory, white-collar defense, and civil litigation forums, including courts at the federal and state levels, arbitrations, and mediations. She has extensive experience defending clients in investigations and enforcement proceedings conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, state attorneys general offices, and other governmental and regulatory bodies. These include matters involving alleged securities fraud, market manipulation, accounting fraud, suitability, sexual harassment and retaliation, and economic sanctions. Rachel also advises registered representatives in connection with Forms U4 and U5 disclosure language and expungement actions.
A community leader, Rachel maintains an active pro bono practice. She represents clients in post-conviction proceedings, immigration matters, and family law actions. Rachel also represents clients in connection with their role as amici, including in connection with two recent seminal Second Amendment cases before the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States.
Areas of focus
Education & Credentials
Education
- Cornell Law School, J.D., cum laude, 2009
- The George Washington University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2006
Bar and Court Admissions
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New York
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New Jersey
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Related Employment
- Richards Kibbe & Orbe LLP, New York, NY
- Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, New York, NY
- J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., New York, NY
Clerkships
- Hon. Edgardo Ramos, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Professional Recognition
Selected as a New York Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine, 2012, 2017, 2019-2023
Impact
Professional Leadership
- Women’s White Collar Defense Association, Member
Insights
News
Professional Experience
Civil Litigation, Arbitration and Enforcement Proceedings
- Represented advisor to medical weight loss startup company in a U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York litigation alleging trade secret misappropriation, including defense against consecutive temporary restraining orders (TROs).
- Represented cryptocurrency company in connection with enforcement action by the SEC relating to alleged unregistered offerings of securities.
- Represented financial advisor in connection with FINRA arbitration and parallel investigation relating to Form U4 disclosures and claims of unsuitable investment recommendations.
- Represented major multinational travel company in groundbreaking Delaware Chancery Court litigation concerning whether COVID-19 and aftermath constitutes a material adverse event or a departure from the ordinary course sufficient to avoid closing a multibillion dollar share sale.
- Represented brokerage firm in connection with multidistrict class-action federal litigation concerning the ISDAFIX benchmark rate.*
*Prior experience
Government and Regulatory Investigations
- Representing multiple traders in FINRA investigations relating to allegations of spoofing.
- Representing multiple individuals in connection with regulatory inquiries and civil litigation concerning the purchase and sale of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS).
- Represented individual in connection with state attorney general investigation involving sexual harassment allegations.
- Represented multiple victims of investor fraud in parallel DOJ and SEC investigations.
- Represented brokerage firm in connection with industrywide CFTC investigation into the setting of the ISDAFIX benchmark rate.*
- Represented more than 20 executives and managers of a global bank in money laundering and Iran sanctions investigations by the DOJ, Manhattan district attorney, New York Federal Reserve, New York Department of Financial Services, New York attorney general, and an independent monitor.*
- Represented accounting department executives and managers in DOJ and SEC investigations of the accounting practices of a public company.*
- Represented a senior executive of underwriting firm in an SEC investigation relating to disclosures in municipal bond offering materials.*
- Represented a global bank in DOJ and SEC investigations and related prosecutions relating to undisclosed markups.*
- Represented multiple traders in FINRA investigations relating to best execution requirement.*
- Represented multiple financial advisors in FINRA investigations relating to Form U4 disclosures.*
- Represented chief engineer of automobile manufacturer in connection with criminal, regulatory, and civil inquiries into defect issues.*
*Prior experience
Board Committees and Representation
- Represented a demand committee of a global financial services institution with respect to shareholder derivative demands alleging that officers and directors breached their fiduciary duties by failing to respond adequately to red flags of money laundering violations.*
*Prior experience
Other
- Represented financial advisors in connection with Form U4 expungement actions.*
- Represented individuals in connection with Form U5 disclosures.*
*Prior experience