Paul Butler, Allison Coffin and Madeline Bardi Named Litigators of the Week by The American Lawyer for Securing Victory for Maryland Attorney with Dismissal of Fraud Charges

Akin white collar defense and congressional investigations partner Paul Butler, counsel Allison Coffin, and litigation associate Madeline Bardi have been named Litigators of the Week by The American Lawyer for securing a significant victory for Maryland attorney Jeremy Schulman. After four years of post-indictment litigation, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis dismissed the 11-count indictment against Schulman.

The prosecution's motion to drop the fraud-related charges came after the defense filed over 25 substantive motions, resulting in approximately 20 hearings and conferences, including two extensive evidentiary hearings with multiple witnesses, including the prosecution’s cooperating witness. Further details on the case and the victory can be found here.

In a Q&A with Am Law, Paul Butler emphasized that the success in this complex, long-running case was due to a true team effort that employed an all-hands-on-deck approach. “It took a tremendous effort to dismantle this case, and there were many points where we could have given up. But we kept a laser focus on the facts and the critical evidence the government failed to investigate and how they impacted the client’s right to a fair trial. We were also very fortunate to have a judge who had the experience, commitment, and intellectual curiosity to allow us to make and argue these many motions,” said Paul.

Allison Coffin added, “From the beginning of this case, we knew there were significant issues that would render the trial unfair, particularly because of the amount of time that had passed since the alleged conspiracy occurred and because of the government’s exclusive reliance on the testimony of the cooperating witness. The challenge was translating these issues into a pretrial motion practice but, once we did, the motions built on top of one another.”

Madeline Bardi reflected, “This matter, at its core, really came down to a fundamental principle: a defendant’s right to a fair trial. I will always remember this matter as one where we fought for our client’s constitutional rights at each step of the way, and where justice finally prevailed.”

Read the full story on Paul, Allison and Madeline, here (subscription required).