Alison Donahue Kehner is an experienced civil and criminal litigator who leads DTO’s government investigations and white-collar defense practice and is based out of its New York office. Drawing on her prior experience as a federal prosecutor and Counsel to the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, she represents individuals and businesses in a wide range of complex commercial cases as well as legal and regulatory matters related to internal investigations, civil enforcement, and criminal prosecution. Alison helps her clients navigate the stressful and often lengthy process of an internal corporate investigation or government investigation. Alison also represents clients in a broad range of business litigation involving contract disputes, fraud, data privacy, financial transactions, and consumer litigation.

Alison is a veteran trial and appellate lawyer recognized for her courtroom advocacy skills and legal judgment. While an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Alison prosecuted cases involving international money laundering schemes; all manner of financial crimes; computer hacking and data breach crimes; and crimes involving public corruption, embezzlement, and bribery of federal employees. She has tried several cases to verdict in federal court and successfully handled appeals before federal courts of appeals in civil and criminal matters. She also was selected for a special appointment to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey to lead the high-profile prosecution of an individual who threatened to murder a United States District Judge in the District.

Outside of the courtroom, Alison often achieves favorable results for clients without going to trial, including convincing prosecutors not to bring charges, negotiating favorable outcomes once a case is underway, and representing individuals who uncover wrongdoing and seek advice about how to navigate both internal and external reporting obligations. Alison has been on both sides of internal investigations, having conducted investigations on behalf of company leadership and the Board and represented employees, owners, officers, and directors interviewed in internal investigations.  Alison also regularly helps students and their families navigate university misconduct proceedings.

In her role as Counsel to the U.S. Attorney, Alison served as a senior advisor to the U.S. Attorney on criminal and civil case strategy and served as the U.S. Attorney’s point-person for building cross-agency working relationships with federal, state, and local agencies across the region. She understands how agents and prosecutors think, how they build a case and evaluate relative culpability of those involved, and how they weigh the myriad factors that come into play in making charging decisions. Alison leverages that experience, those law enforcement relationships, and her problem-solving skills to advise her clients on the best course of action to minimize their liability and potential criminal exposure.

Representative cases:

• Represented high-level employee involved in federal bribery investigation. No criminal charges were brought against the client.

• Represented start-up tech company in an SEC enforcement action involving allegations of fraud involving an initial coin offering (ICO).

• Represented a consumer goods corporation in an inquiry by a state regulatory agency’s Consumer Protection Unit investigating allegations of false labeling of nutritional supplement.

• Successfully defended corporation in California class action alleging false advertising on label.

• Successfully defended corporation in New York class action where plaintiffs claimed that nutritional supplement made unsubstantiated claims.

• Led government investigation into cyber intrusion and data privacy breach committed by former employee and obtained conviction at trial against employee and co-conspirator.

• Led government investigation and prosecution of nine-defendant, multi-million securities fraud investment scam.

Prior to government service, Alison was a member of the full-time faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School where she currently teaches a course on Government Enforcement Litigation as an adjunct lecturer.