Valarie Hays

Practice Areas

White Collar Criminal Defense, Commercial Disputes & Litigation, Education

Career

Clients dealing with government investigations and enforcement actions turn to former federal prosecutor Valarie Hays for the innovative thinking and outstanding results she delivers in white collar criminal and other high-stakes matters.

Known for her ability to find and leverage the hidden weaknesses in the government’s and opponents’ cases, Valarie has tried 16 federal jury trials, argued cases before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and conducted more than 150 investigations. She has deep experience handling matters involving the FCA, FCPA, and banking and environmental regulatory issues.

Valarie’s experience, strong courtroom presence, strategic approach, and attention to detail, has yielded outstanding results for clients in multiple industries, including health care, financial services, and energy. She has successfully obtained numerous prosecution declinations for corporations and executive-level employees where they faced substantial risk of prosecution.

In addition to trial work, Valarie assists corporate clients with the development and execution of their compliance programs.

Professional Memberships

ABA, Federal Bar Association, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Harvard Law Society of Illinois, Women’s White Collar Defense Association

Personal

Harvard Law School (JD, 2000), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (BA, summa cum laude, 1997)