Clifford Chance
John Friel represents corporate and financial institution clients in complex litigation, government enforcement actions, and internal investigations. He handles a wide range of disputes, including securities, derivatives, and antitrust matters, both criminal and civil, and he has particular expertise in cross-border matters.
John represents clients before a number of US agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Department of Justice, as well as numerous enforcement agencies around the world.
- Defending a major financial institution in an SEC investigation alleging fraudulent pricing of mortgage securities.
- Defending a major financial institution in class action litigation alleging a conspiracy to manipulate platinum and palladium benchmarks and related derivatives prices.
- Representing a major bank lender in investigations by SEC, CFTC, and DOJ, into the collapse of Archegos Capital Management.
- Defending a major financial institution in federal court litigation alleging collusion in the market for debt issued by government-sponsored entities.
- Defending a major financial institution in multi-jurisdictional regulatory investigations and numerous class actions alleging price-fixing and manipulation of LIBOR and related benchmarks.
- Defending a major financial institution in class action litigation alleging a conspiracy to manipulate the US$12 trillion market for debt securities issued by the US Treasury.
- Representing a global financial institution in litigations in US and English courts concerning a cross-border debt financing transaction.
- Defending a global telecommunications trade association in an investigation by DOJ Antitrust Division alleging collusion in the development of industry interoperability standards, resolved without charges.
- Obtained declinations from numerous antitrust authorities around the world, including US DOJ, in an investigation of a major global shipping company accused of possible collusion the ocean cargo shipping industry.
- Defending a large financial institution in threatened shareholder litigation under English securities laws.
News and client work
Contact details
- Clifford Chance, New York
- +12128783386
- Email me
- Follow me on LinkedIn
- Practice area Litigation, dispute resolution & risk management
- Sector Banks, Funds & investment management
Career and qualifications
- Temple University (BA) 2004
- Villanova University School of Law (JD) 2009
- University College London (LLM) 2010
- Joined Clifford Chance 2010
- Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in New York 2011
- Partner since 2020
Professional bodies
- The Federal Bar Council
- SFIMA Legal & Compliance Society
Awards and citations
- Recognized as a Rising Star
Legal 500, 2022 - United States: Dispute Resolution
Securities litigation: defense - Tier 3