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Sonali D. Patel

Partner, Litigation
Washington Washington sdpatel@willkie.com sdpatel@willkie.com +1 202 303 1097 +1 202 303 1097
White-Collar Defense

Sonali D. Patel is a partner in Willkie's Litigation Department. She is based in the Firm's Washington, DC office. Her practice focuses on representing multinational corporations and individuals in high-stakes cross-border investigations and enforcement matters involving foreign corruption, fraud, money laundering, tax evasion, and national security issues.

Sonali regularly advises Fortune500 companies and global organizations on internal and government-facing investigations, as well as on corporate compliance programs. She is a trusted advisor on Chief of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance and risk mitigation in the context of mergers and acquisitions, international operations, and emerging technologies. With a distinguished background in both government service and private practice, Sonali offers clients a strategic perspective on complex white-collar matters. Sonali served at the Department of Justice for 10 years, most recently holding the title of Assistant Chief of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit, and prior to that as a trial attorney in the division. While there, she led more than 50 FCPA-related investigations, working on some of the unit's most significant individual prosecutions. She also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, focusing on fraud, public corruption, cybercrime and violent crime investigations.

A recognized thought-leader in the white-collar defense and investigations space, Sonali frequently lectures and publishes on a wide range of topics, including AI in corporate compliance, enforcement trends, and the intersection of anti-corruption laws and cross-border transactions. She has provided in-house FCPA training for major corporations and continues to be a sought-after speaker at industry conferences and legal forums. Sonali is also an accomplished courtroom advocate, having tried numerous cases to verdict.

Chambers USA (2025) recognizes Sonali as a leading practitioner in the area of FCPA (Nationwide).

 
* Admitted only to the New York Bar. Practicing under the supervision of members of the DC Bar.
 

Experience

Sonali served at the Department of Justice for 10 years, most recently holding the title of assistant chief of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Unit, and prior to that as a trial attorney in the division. While there, she led more than 50 FCPA-related investigations, working on some of the unit’s most significant individual prosecutions. She also served as Assistant U.S. Attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, focusing on fraud, public corruption, cybercrime and violent crime investigations. Prior to her work as a prosecutor, Sonali clerked for the Honorable Emmet G. Sullivan of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia from 2013 to 2014. 
  • Chambers USA 2025, FCPA (Band 4), USA-Nationwide, 2025
  • Speaker, “An FCPA Update – Recent Developments and Recurring Compliance ‘Blind Spots,’” Securities Docket Webinar, December 16, 2024
  • Speaker, “Current Fraud Landscape,” Anti-Fraud Collaboration Fraud Forum, November 20, 2024
     

Credentials

Education

University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 2009 Columbia University, B.A., 2003

Bar Admissions

New York

Court Admissions

United States District Court, District of Columbia