Leslie A. Cahill

Overview

Leslie Cahill joined Spears Manning & Martini in 2021, where she has developed a practice that focuses on white collar defense, government investigations, and civil litigation. Her recent cases have involved allegations of antitrust abuses, bribery and foreign corruption, money laundering, securities fraud, and violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

In April 2023, Leslie was part of a trial team with colleagues Brian Spears and Ivan Ladd-Smith that secured a Rule 29 judgment of acquittal for their client, the lead defendant in a nationally reported criminal antitrust case involving alleged hiring and recruiting restrictions in the labor market for aerospace engineers. In March 2023, Leslie worked with Brian Spears to obtain a declination for a corporate client from the Department of Justice’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit under the DOJ’s Corporate Enforcement Policy, which is one of only three declinations issued by the DOJ last year. In addition to handling cases at the District Court level, Leslie also regularly represents clients in criminal appeals before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Prior to joining the firm, Leslie clerked for the Honorable Kari A. Dooley of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, and the Honorable Peter W. Hall of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Immediately after law school, she worked in the litigation department of a mid-size Connecticut law firm.

Leslie was recently recognized in Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch in the category of White Collar Criminal Defense. She serves on the Federal Grievance Committee for the District of Connecticut and is a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association.