Michael Z. Gurland is co-chair of Neal Gerber Eisenberg’s White Collar Criminal, Regulatory & Internal Investigative Services Practice Group and a member of its Securities & Commodities Litigation Practice Group and its Insurance Policyholder Practice. He most recently served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Michael handled dozens of Grand Jury investigations, trials and appeals involving a broad range of criminal conduct including securities fraud, tax fraud, insurance fraud, mortgage fraud, identity fraud, fraud in the sale of medical devices, bank embezzlement, money laundering, thefts from corporations, and drug trafficking offenses. He was also in charge of several major Title III wire tap investigations, including an investigation of municipal workers engaged in a heroin distribution and money laundering ring.
Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, Michael was part of an elite unit at the New York County (Manhattan) District Attorney’s Office focusing on the prosecution of complex white collar criminal cases. As an Assistant District Attorney in New York, he handled several lengthy investigations of clearing firms, broker-dealers and investment advisors. Cases brought during his tenure included a felony insider trading case involving a compliance officer at a major investment bank, the investigation of one of the largest clearing firms in the U.S. resulting in a $48 million settlement and the prosecution and trial of brokers and market-makers for securities frauds involving illegal market manipulations, net capital violations, fraud in connection with IPOs and unauthorized trading.
Before his government service, Michael was a shareholder at the law firm of Anderson Kill & Olick, P.C. representing policyholders in insurance coverage disputes for several Fortune 500 companies. Representative matters included serving as trial counsel in a successful three month trial for Waste Management in a large environmental insurance coverage case relating to over a hundred million dollars in coverage against dozens of insurance companies. He also devised and managed complex asbestos related insurance coverage litigation for Tyco International resulting in summary judgment for the policyholder against its general liability and excess carriers. Michael has been involved in numerous insurance settlements and handled all phases of discovery and litigation against major insurance companies. Michael worked for Anderson Kill from 1990-1997 and from 2001-2002.