Eric Cottrell

Eric Cottrell leads the Firm’s Antitrust, Business Torts & White Collar Practice Group. He is a seasoned litigator in both civil and criminal matters and has been lead counsel in multiple jury trials. He divides his practice between white collar criminal matters and commercial litigation.

Mr. Cottrell represents businesses that are the subject of government inquiries and conducts internal investigations into allegations of corporate misconduct. He has particular experience in managing complex Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations and advising companies on FCPA compliance matters. Mr. Cottrell recently concluded a federal grand jury investigation related to alleged FCPA violations. He successfully obtained a declination letter from the Department of Justice, formally closing the matter with no penalties or fines.

Mr. Cottrell also has significant experience advising companies on complying with U.S. export control laws and investigating and disclosing violations to federal authorities. He has conducted numerous internal investigations involving alleged violations of the ITAR, EAR and OFAC regulations, including alleged exports to Sudan, Iraq and Afghanistan.

In his commercial litigation practice, Mr. Cottrell represents public and private entities in shareholder litigation, commercial contract disputes, financial services and securities litigation, trade secret litigation and product liability defense. He has served as trial counsel for companies in federal and state court and has often litigated in the North Carolina Business Court. Mr. Cottrell also has extensive experience in managing complex and time-sensitive electronic discovery matters.