McDermott Will & Schulte, a global law firm

Matthew (Matt) Madden is a first-chair trial lawyer who has tried more than 25 federal criminal trials. The former chief of the Criminal Division of the US Attorney’s Office (USAO) in Chicago, he leverages his more than 15 years with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) when handling white-collar and regulatory enforcement matters, internal investigations, compliance matters and complex civil litigation for clients.

Matt is the Chicago lead of McDermott’s Litigation Practice Group and co-lead of the criminal investigations and prosecutions practice. He regularly represents executives, physicians, health systems, and companies in civil and criminal government investigations, including matters before and litigation against, DOJ, the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, among other agencies. Matt leads sensitive internal investigations and responds to government inquiries across a broad array of subject matters and areas of law, with a particular focus on matters involving accounting, antitrust, the False Claims Act, insider trading, securities fraud, healthcare fraud, bribery, and wire fraud.

Matt previously held numerous supervisory positions at the USAO, including criminal chief, chief of general crimes, and deputy chief of financial crimes. As criminal chief, he led approximately 125 assistant US attorneys in the Criminal Division, supervised the USAO’s most complex, high-profile investigations, and oversaw the implementation and development of the USAO’s policies.

During his tenure as a federal prosecutor, Matt was regarded as one of the top trial lawyers at the USAO. He recently led the successful 11-week trial against the former senior executives of Outcome Health for a $1 billion corporate, bank, and investor fraud scheme in a case that Crain’s Chicago Business called “one of the most high-profile and lengthy white-collar cases in Chicago history” and “a high-profile victory for the federal prosecutors in a complex and messy case that was largely circumstantial.” During another year, Matt tried eight cases, seven as first chair. He is also a seasoned appellate lawyer, having handled more than 15 appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, with 10 oral arguments.

Matt has led and supervised dozens of trials and hundreds of investigations involving nearly every type of federal criminal offense, including securities fraud, healthcare fraud, insider trading, money laundering, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act offenses, cybercrimes, bank fraud, mail and wire fraud, and terrorism. He worked closely with DOJ Criminal Division components, including the Fraud Section, and conducted numerous grand jury investigations that involved parallel securities fraud investigations by the SEC. Matt’s extensive experience and deep government ties are instrumental to advising clients facing government enforcement matters.

Before joining the USAO, Matt was an associate at McDermott and clerked for Judge Larry J. McKinney of the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and Judge William J. Bauer of the Seventh Circuit. In addition to his legal practice, he is guest faculty for trial advocacy at the University of Chicago Law School and has served in other faculty positions at law schools and the DOJ National Advocacy Center throughout his career.

A former federal prosecutor with nearly 30 years of experience litigating and conducting government investigations, Ashley Hoff is highly regarded by the bench and bar alike. Companies and individuals can turn to Ashley for a significant advantage when facing government enforcement actions, regulatory issues, risk management and mitigation opportunities, internal investigations and high-stakes white-collar criminal defense cases.

Ashley co-leads McDermott’s criminal investigations and prosecutions practice. She joined McDermott after serving for more than two decades with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in the US Attorneys’ Offices. Ashley held executive leadership roles as branch chief, First Assistant and the court-appointed US Attorney for the Western District of Texas, one of the largest and busiest districts in the nation. She led and oversaw dozens of government investigations and prosecutions, including as first chair and solo chair at trial, making her a force to be reckoned with when navigating and defending these same matters.

Ashley has also handled countless complex cases, including those involving white-collar crime, healthcare fraud, public corruption, embezzlement, tax offenses, procurement fraud, national security matters, cybercrime, transnational crime and securities fraud. Through her experience, she understands that clients need competent, vigorous and early legal representation to gain a considerable edge in the government investigation and prosecution process.

Ashley’s background in overseeing government investigations and trying cases, combined with her extensive work with federal law enforcement agencies and DOJ components, make her an excellent advisor on corporate compliance programs. She navigates companies through ever-changing laws and regulations to avoid regulatory scrutiny, including advising on transactions both within and outside the United States. Ashley also brings a critical perspective when companies need to get ahead of potential enforcement matters, helping conduct quick and thorough internal investigations and advising on early strategies to protect business interests.