Devlin, Michael P.

Chris Georgalis practices in the areas of complex civil and securities litigation and corporate criminal investigations. Chris has appeared on behalf of businesses, financial institutions, audit committees, and individuals in matters before the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the board of governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Corporation Finance Division of the SEC, the Office of the Chief Accountant of the SEC (OCA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), state inspectors general, state attorneys general, the Department of Defense, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS). Recent examples of Chris's white-collar criminal investigation, civil enforcement action, and litigation experiences includes the following:

• the defense of companies in SEC inquiries and related internal investigations concerning loan loss reserves and fair value accounting, particularly in the subprime context, and valuation and risk disclosures related to mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations

• the defense of companies in DOJ and SEC inquiries and internal investigations relating to accrual and loss contingency accounting, revenue recognition, bill and hold-related compliance, capitalization, and amortization-related accounting issues

• numerous internal investigations and interaction with federal regulators and prosecutors on behalf of public companies relating to allegations of insider trading and controlling person liability and exposure

• independent internal investigations for audit committees or special committees of the board of directors in matters involving allegations of financial wrongdoing relating to accounting and disclosure issues, insurance matters, stock options backdating, and breaches of fiduciary duty by senior executives and

• defense of SEC inquiries and internal investigations concerning compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) (including anti-bribery provisions and books and records provisions) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

As a member of the Firm's trial practice, Chris also focuses on complex business litigation. He represents public and private companies, boards of directors, senior management, and individuals in complex business litigation related to disclosure-based claims (as well as those based on state and federal deceptive practices acts and anti-predatory lending statutes) and claims arising out of violations of the federal securities laws, including Sections 11 and 12(a) of the 1933 Securities Act and Section 10(b) and Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. He also has experience representing clients in the areas of purchase price adjustment disputes, legal malpractice, and violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).

In addition to his commercial litigation and government investigation experience, Chris represents a number of individual pro bono clients through the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland.

Chris has served on the board of directors of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and as a member of the Fund Development Executive Committee for the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland.

Chris is a member of the Ohio and the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Associations.