Full Name
Rebekah Donaleski
Job Title
Partner
Company
Cooley
Speaker Bio
Rebekah is head of business litigation for New York. She is a former federal prosecutor who spent nearly a decade at the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY), most recently as chief of the Public Corruption Unit, where she oversaw some of the most high-profile, complex matters for the Department of Justice (DOJ). Rebekah defends companies and individuals before government agencies and in high-stakes litigation, and leads internal investigations involving significant regulatory, financial or reputational risk. Rebekah represents companies, boards, executives and public institutions in matters involving financial fraud, corruption, accounting issues, export controls, bid‑rigging and other enforcement actions led by the DOJ and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Clients praise Rebekah as “a powerhouse who is always available to her clients. She combines savvy judgment, credibility with regulators and deeply skilled advocacy.” They also highlight that she is “an extremely hard-working, zealous advocate for both individuals and companies.” Chambers USA recognizes her as a leading lawyer in white‑collar defense and government investigations. A seasoned trial lawyer, Rebekah has tried numerous federal jury trials, supervised many more and argued extensively before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. During her tenure at SDNY, Rebekah supervised a team of senior prosecutors in hundreds of white‑collar and public corruption cases, including the high‑profile prosecutions of US Sen. Robert Menendez; Sam Bankman‑Fried; Ghislaine Maxwell; Michael Avenatti; Lev Parnas; and other prominent public officials. Earlier, as a prosecutor in the Terrorism and International Narcotics Unit, she handled major national security matters and twice received the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Director’s Award.
Speaking At
