Zach Fardon
Partner, King & Spalding
Zach Fardon leads King & Spalding’s Government Matters practice group, serves on the firm’s Policy Committee, and is Managing Partner of the firm’s Chicago office. As part of the Special Matters & Government Investigations team, Zach represents companies and individuals nationwide in a broad array of sensitive white-collar defense and investigations matters. He has built a reputation as a careful, discreet problem solver and an elite trial lawyer. A former United States Attorney, Zach has extensive experience on both sides of the table in bet-the-company civil and criminal trials and government and internal investigations. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
Prior to rejoining King & Spalding in 2017, Zach served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, leading one of the top prosecutor’s offices in the country and overseeing prosecutions in areas of corporate misconduct, healthcare and securities fraud, public corruption, gangs, terrorism and other criminal and civil matters. He has tried numerous cases, including the successful corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan. Zach served for over three years on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and co-chaired the AGAC’s White Collar Crimes Subcommittee, working closely with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership, U.S. Attorneys across the country, and other enforcement officials. He also co-chaired the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group, which includes the DOJ, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and other agencies. During his years of public service, Zach received numerous awards and recognition for outstanding service, including the Chicago Crime Commission Stars of Distinction Award, the Chicago Federal Bureau of Investigation Award in Recognition of Outstanding Service and Dedication, and U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Awards for Superior Performance.
At King & Spalding, Zach represents clients in high-stakes government investigations, internal investigations, white-collar litigation, and crisis response matters. He has guided public companies, boards of directors, major universities, government officials, and high-ranking corporate executives through sensitive matters involving fraud, public corruption, bribery, #metoo improprieties, financial improprieties, workplace violence, and data breaches, among others. Legal 500 US named Zach a “Leading Lawyer for Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Corporates” in its 2018 edition, making him one of only 13 lawyers nationwide to receive that designation. In addition, Chambers USA has consistently ranked him as a top White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations lawyer.
Zach is a committed advocate for the greater Chicago community and, in particular, for finding long-term solutions to Chicago’s gun violence epidemic. He has served on the not-for-profit Boards of Directors of A Better Chicago, Metropolitan Family Services of Chicago, and the Legal Aid Society of Chicago, which he Chaired. He is an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on Chicago’s gun violence epidemic, and he currently serves on the Board of Youth Guidance and the Board of Advisors of Vanderbilt Law School.
Prior to rejoining King & Spalding in 2017, Zach served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, leading one of the top prosecutor’s offices in the country and overseeing prosecutions in areas of corporate misconduct, healthcare and securities fraud, public corruption, gangs, terrorism and other criminal and civil matters. He has tried numerous cases, including the successful corruption trial of former Illinois Governor George Ryan. Zach served for over three years on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and co-chaired the AGAC’s White Collar Crimes Subcommittee, working closely with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership, U.S. Attorneys across the country, and other enforcement officials. He also co-chaired the Securities and Commodities Fraud Working Group, which includes the DOJ, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and other agencies. During his years of public service, Zach received numerous awards and recognition for outstanding service, including the Chicago Crime Commission Stars of Distinction Award, the Chicago Federal Bureau of Investigation Award in Recognition of Outstanding Service and Dedication, and U.S. Department of Justice Director’s Awards for Superior Performance.
At King & Spalding, Zach represents clients in high-stakes government investigations, internal investigations, white-collar litigation, and crisis response matters. He has guided public companies, boards of directors, major universities, government officials, and high-ranking corporate executives through sensitive matters involving fraud, public corruption, bribery, #metoo improprieties, financial improprieties, workplace violence, and data breaches, among others. Legal 500 US named Zach a “Leading Lawyer for Corporate Investigations and White-Collar Criminal Defense: Advice to Corporates” in its 2018 edition, making him one of only 13 lawyers nationwide to receive that designation. In addition, Chambers USA has consistently ranked him as a top White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations lawyer.
Zach is a committed advocate for the greater Chicago community and, in particular, for finding long-term solutions to Chicago’s gun violence epidemic. He has served on the not-for-profit Boards of Directors of A Better Chicago, Metropolitan Family Services of Chicago, and the Legal Aid Society of Chicago, which he Chaired. He is an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern’s Pritzker School of Law, where he teaches a seminar on Chicago’s gun violence epidemic, and he currently serves on the Board of Youth Guidance and the Board of Advisors of Vanderbilt Law School.