Sean Buckley, a former U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor, is a trial and investigations lawyer who defends clients in white-collar criminal matters, international government enforcement actions, and intellectual property litigation. Mr. Buckley serves as counsel in cross-border investigations, often involving allegations of bribery or U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations, antitrust matters or money laundering, and also has experience with enforcement actions alleging spoofing, market manipulation and other illicit trading practices in the commodity futures space. With an extensive background in national security law, Mr. Buckley also advocates for clients affected by sanctions issued by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and handles other issues relating to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and Title III of the Helms-Burton Act.
Before joining Kobre & Kim, Mr. Buckley served as a DOJ prosecutor, most recently as co-chief of the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. In that capacity, he was responsible for overseeing complex international and cross-border investigations relating to international terrorism and terrorism financing across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia, as well as economic espionage, U.S. sanctions and violations of anti-money laundering laws. Specifically, he handled various matters related to economic sanctions regimes involving the countries of Cuba, Venezuela, North Korea and Iran, among others. As a DOJ prosecutor, Mr. Buckley served as lead counsel in some of the United States Attorney’s Office’s most high-profile trials and handled a wide range of cases including those involving securities fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, cybercrime, national security and extradition.
Earlier in his career, he practiced at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where he conducted internal investigations and represented corporate clients in trial and appellate courts in antitrust, patent and commercial litigations.
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, JD
- University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, MA
- Princeton University, AB
Accolades
- Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award
- Assistant Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award
- Executive Office of the United States Attorneys Director's Award
- FinCEN Law Enforcement Award, Department of the Treasury
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association National Group Achievement Award
Select Engagements
- Kobre & Kim Earns Top Recognitions in Chambers USA New York Rankings
- Kobre & Kim and Michael Kim Recognized in The Legal 500 USA
- Kobre & Kim Among Top India-Focused Foreign Law Firms: India Business Law Journal
- Kobre & Kim, Michael Kim and Robin Rathmell Recognized in Latest Legal 500 USA Rankings
- Sean Buckley and Amanda Tuminelli on Pretrial Release Strategies for Wealthy Defendants in Law360
- Robin Rathmell, Carrie Tendler and Sean Buckley to Join Panel on De-Escalating Contentious High-Net-Worth Disputes
- Court Grants Brady Motion for Kobre & Kim Client in Criminal Spoofing Case
- Kobre & Kim Lawyers in Bloomberg Law: New Wire Fraud Theory Targets Securities and Digital Currency Traders
- Sean Buckley Analyzes Sanctions Risks for U.S. Data Firm Linked to QAnon and Hamas Websites
- Wealth Talk: Sean Buckley on Navigating U.S. Sanctions Risks
- Kobre & Kim Hosts Virtual Panels on Ultra High Net Worth Litigation
- Robin Rathmell and Sean Buckley Discuss Sanction Compliance for Foreign Companies in Levick’s eBook
- Sean Buckley, Scott Hulsey and Beau Barnes speak to the USCBC on US Businesses, National Security, and China
- 5 Ways to Plan Ahead as the U.S. Moves to Curb Foreign Investment
- The Differences Between UK and EU Russian Sanctions
- Extradition & Due Process: U.S. Asylum Seekers Are on “Notice” Too
- U.S. Enforcement Against the PRC: Preparing for the Next Wave
- Clearing Your Name: When Trade Secret Disputes Become a National Security Issue
- Beware the Reach of U.S. Sanctions
- Clearing Your Name against U.S. Civil Trade Secret Theft Claims
- Traders Should Stop Running from Risk in CFTC Investigations
- Maximizing Recovery Against a Sanctioned Sovereign
- Traders Can Stand Up to Investigations from Regulators and Exchanges
Publications & Presentations
- Co-author, "Too Wealthy To Bail: Navigating Pretrial Release Strategy" (Law360, March 2021)
- Co-author, "Criminal Wire Fraud Charges Are Coming to Securities and Cryptocurrency Markets Near You" (Bloomberg Law, February 2021)
Credentials
Admissions
- New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Trial Bar
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, JD
- University of Virginia Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, MA
- Princeton University, AB
Accolades
- Attorney General's Distinguished Service Award
- Assistant Attorney General's Exceptional Service Award
- Executive Office of the United States Attorneys Director's Award
- FinCEN Law Enforcement Award, Department of the Treasury
- Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association National Group Achievement Award
Engagements
News
- Kobre & Kim Earns Top Recognitions in Chambers USA New York Rankings
- Kobre & Kim and Michael Kim Recognized in The Legal 500 USA
- Kobre & Kim Among Top India-Focused Foreign Law Firms: India Business Law Journal
- Kobre & Kim, Michael Kim and Robin Rathmell Recognized in Latest Legal 500 USA Rankings
- Sean Buckley and Amanda Tuminelli on Pretrial Release Strategies for Wealthy Defendants in Law360
- Robin Rathmell, Carrie Tendler and Sean Buckley to Join Panel on De-Escalating Contentious High-Net-Worth Disputes
- Court Grants Brady Motion for Kobre & Kim Client in Criminal Spoofing Case
- Kobre & Kim Lawyers in Bloomberg Law: New Wire Fraud Theory Targets Securities and Digital Currency Traders
- Sean Buckley Analyzes Sanctions Risks for U.S. Data Firm Linked to QAnon and Hamas Websites
- Wealth Talk: Sean Buckley on Navigating U.S. Sanctions Risks
- Kobre & Kim Hosts Virtual Panels on Ultra High Net Worth Litigation
- Robin Rathmell and Sean Buckley Discuss Sanction Compliance for Foreign Companies in Levick’s eBook
- Sean Buckley, Scott Hulsey and Beau Barnes speak to the USCBC on US Businesses, National Security, and China
- 5 Ways to Plan Ahead as the U.S. Moves to Curb Foreign Investment
- The Differences Between UK and EU Russian Sanctions
- Extradition & Due Process: U.S. Asylum Seekers Are on “Notice” Too
- U.S. Enforcement Against the PRC: Preparing for the Next Wave
- Clearing Your Name: When Trade Secret Disputes Become a National Security Issue
- Beware the Reach of U.S. Sanctions
- Clearing Your Name against U.S. Civil Trade Secret Theft Claims
- Traders Should Stop Running from Risk in CFTC Investigations
- Maximizing Recovery Against a Sanctioned Sovereign
- Traders Can Stand Up to Investigations from Regulators and Exchanges
Publications & Presentations
- Co-author, "Too Wealthy To Bail: Navigating Pretrial Release Strategy" (Law360, March 2021)
- Co-author, "Criminal Wire Fraud Charges Are Coming to Securities and Cryptocurrency Markets Near You" (Bloomberg Law, February 2021)
"Sean Buckley leverages his experience as a former DOJ prosecutor to expertly advise clients on complex investigations and litigation. He is particularly adept at handling FCPA violations, spoofing and market manipulation cases."
— Chambers USA