Bob Cleary is Of Counsel in Patterson Belknap’s Litigation department and is a member of its White Collar Defense and Investigations practice. Prior to private practice, Bob had a lengthy and distinguished career as a federal prosecutor, including service as the U.S. Attorney both in the District of New Jersey and in the Southern District of Illinois. Bob concentrates his practice on white collar criminal defense, SEC and related enforcement matters, securities litigation, complex civil litigation, tax controversies, and internal investigations. He has extensive experience in international criminal matters, including money laundering investigations and foreign extradition proceedings.
In March 2024, Bob was appointed to serve as the independent Examiner in the FTX Trading Ltd. bankruptcy case. As Examiner, he was tasked with compiling a report to summarize the findings and status of all prior investigations into FTX’s collapse and to recommend future investigations. Bob was also directed to investigate potential conflicts of interest related to the retention of a prominent law firm as counsel to FTX and to determine whether FTX employees who played a role in the widespread fraud that came to light after the bankruptcy are still employed by the company. Bob filed his initial 210-page Examiner Report in May 2024. In it, he recommended that the court authorize him to conduct three additional investigations relating to FTX. Upon obtaining the court’s approval, Bob conducted those investigations and summarized his findings in a 119-page Report, which he filed in September 2024.
Bob has over 40 years of courtroom experience as a trial lawyer and appellate advocate and has also been retained in numerous high-profile corporate criminal matters. He has repeatedly been recognized in various publications as a leading practitioner, including The Legal 500 United States Hall of Fame in the area of Corporate Investigations and White Collar Criminal Defense, in which clients describe him as “cool, calm and collected” and a “master strategist.” He is also recognized in Chambers USA as “a go-to attorney for individuals and corporate clients facing high-stakes criminal proceedings and complex regulatory investigations.” Clients say, “He has stellar credentials, great experience and a phenomenal set of contacts in the legal profession. What sets him apart is the way that he is able to distill down complex situations for people.” They add that "he is adept at blending the technical legal analysis with commercial context." The American College of Trial Lawyers recognized Bob’s trial expertise by inducting him as a Fellow in 2014. He was recognized in Benchmark Litigation’s 2025 Guide as a Litigation Star and a National Practice Area Star. Bob was named in Who's Who Legal's Business Crime Defence 2024 in the areas of Corporates and Individuals and in Commercial Litigation 2024 and to Lexology's 2025 and 2026 Thought Leaders Global Elite. He was also named to Lawdragon's 2025 and 2026 lists of 500 Leading Litigators in America and to the 2025 Lawdragon Hall of Fame.
Prior to joining Patterson Belknap, Bob served in various senior management positions of a major international law firm, including as Co-Chair of the firm’s global Litigation Department and as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee.
In his capacity as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey and the Southern District of Illinois, Bob was the chief federal law enforcement officer in those districts, responsible for all federal prosecutions and lawsuits filed against the federal government. Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, ultimately becoming the Chief of the Major Crimes Unit. During his tenure as First Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey, he was appointed by the U.S. Attorney General as the lead prosecutor in the Unabomber case, United States v. Theodore J. Kaczynski. Mr. Cleary began his prosecutorial career as a trial attorney for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
