Celesq® Presenters

Christopher B. Harwood is a former federal prosecutor with many years of experience handling complex civil litigation, as well as criminal and regulatory matters. His extensive experience includes dozens of investigations, litigations, and settlements involving the False Claims Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Anti-Kickback Statute, and FIRREA. Chris’s cases have involved allegations of financial fraud, healthcare fraud, federal program and grant fraud, money laundering, failure to file SARs, failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program, violation of U.S. sanctions laws, breach of contract, and employment discrimination and retaliation.

Chris previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he was Co-Chief of the Civil Frauds Unit. In that role, Chris supervised approximately 40 attorneys in all aspects of their civil enforcement work, from investigation through trial. During his eight years in the Southern District of New York, Chris also personally litigated a wide range of civil enforcement matters, including cases brought under each of the statutes referenced above. These cases resulted in more than $2.3 billion in recoveries for the United States. In addition to litigating and supervising civil enforcement matters, Chris litigated defensive civil matters, prosecuted criminal matters, served as the Office’s coordinator of parallel (civil/criminal) proceedings, and was also the Office’s Civil Healthcare Fraud Coordinator.

Prior to joining the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chris was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia. While at the D.C. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Chris handled a full docket of defensive civil litigation, including cases arising under the First Amendment, the Administrative Procedure Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Federal Tort Claims Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Privacy Act. Chris conducted civil trials during his stints in both the Southern District of New York and D.C., as well as appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Chris previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Norman H. Stahl of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, and the Honorable Joseph L. Tauro of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He also practiced at Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP. Chris currently teaches a course on legal writing and oral advocacy at Columbia Law School, and is a frequent speaker on civil enforcement matters. Recently, Chris was named a "Rising Star" by the New York Law Journal, which recognizes the region’s most promising lawyers 40 and younger. Chris was one of only 31 attorneys to receive the honor. Additionally, Benchmark Litigation: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys named him to its “Under 40 Hot List” in 2019. In addition, Benchmark Litigation: The Definitive Guide to America’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys has recognized Chris as a “Future Star” and named him to its “Under 40 Hot List” in 2019. The Legal 500 United States has recognized Chris in White Collar Criminal Defense.

Chris received his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 2003, where he was an editor of the Law Review. He received his B.A. from Cornell University in 2000.