Renato Mariotti is a Chambers-ranked litigator and nationally recognized legal and regulatory strategist. Named to Crain’s Chicago Notable Litigator & Trial Attorney list and recognized as one of Securities Docket’s Enforcement Elite, he serves as a trusted counselor to businesses navigating extreme regulatory shifts, parallel government investigations, and high-stakes crises and disputes.

In an era of volatile agency enforcement and extreme partisan shifts, Renato offers a unique skillset that seamlessly integrates complex legal strategy with government relations and strategic communications. Leveraging his deep network and a prominent national profile, Renato provides executives and boards with predictive, actionable guidance to neutralize governmental risk and help businesses avoid crises or manage them before they become public.

Renato does not simply defend institutions in court; he advises digital asset innovators, financial institutions and tech pioneers on navigating regulatory uncertainty and government overreach. By aligning complex legal compliance, enforcement defense and public relations, he ensures clients are positioned to capitalize on emerging regulatory frontiers while mitigating threats before they materialize.

Renato’s strategic counseling is anchored by his formidable record as a first-chair trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor. He protects clients across three core areas:

Trading, Digital Assets & Regulatory Counseling

When enforcement is unavoidable, Renato’s record is unmatched. As the lead prosecutor in the nation’s first-ever anti-spoofing case under the Dodd-Frank Act (United States v. Coscia), he secured a victory and established a foundational precedent in algorithmic trading enforcement. On the defense side, he famously secured a complete acquittal for a software developer in the DOJ’s first attempt to prosecute a non-trader for market manipulation — a landmark victory that likely deterred regulators from expanding their reach to target third-party tech vendors.

But Renato’s practice extends far beyond enforcement defense and litigation. He serves as a regulatory advisor and strategist for proprietary trading firms, registrants, hedge funds, and crypto and fintech innovators, guiding them through regulatory change, federal and state enforcement, and civil litigation.

Complex Civil Litigation

Beyond government enforcement, Renato is a formidable first-chair trial lawyer in bet-the-company civil disputes. When enterprise-threatening civil disputes arise, corporate boards and private equity firms rely on Renato to protect their core business operations as strategic, trial-ready counsel. He approaches complex commercial litigation — from theft of trade secret allegations to high-stakes securities class actions — with a focus on risk neutralization and commercial continuity. And when out-of-court settlement is not a viable option, Renato delivers in the courtroom. His litigation record includes a multi-hundred-million-dollar plaintiff verdict in a complex IP dispute, defending against a $100 billion antitrust class action and litigating a high-profile cybertheft matter brought by a sitting U.S. congressman.

Enforcement Defense and Internal Investigations

Renato routinely conducts sensitive internal investigations and defends corporations and executives against high-stakes enforcement actions. His experience spans accounting irregularities, board governance, whistleblower allegations and healthcare enforcement (including False Claims Act matters). He frequently secures nonpublic declinations from federal agencies, resolving threats before charges are ever filed.

Renato is also uniquely positioned to cut through the increasingly partisan “Red vs. Blue” framing of the intense legal battles arising over new technology and markets, particularly from state regulators. With state enforcement on the rise, Renato’s established relationships and credibility with state regulators — particularly state attorneys general — provide clients with an invaluable resource to navigate these high-stakes disputes.

Recognized as a leading authority on enforcement trends, Renato is frequently called upon by top-tier financial and legal publications to provide predictive analysis on the DOJ’s and CFTC’s evolving regulatory frameworks, as well as the focus of state regulators’ enforcement actions. His insights into shifting government priorities are regularly featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post, making him a highly sought-after strategist for institutions looking to stay ahead of regulatory scrutiny. He co-hosts The Policy Protocol on CoinDesk, offering his expert analysis on key issues facing companies at the forefront of financial innovation, and has appeared countless times on outlets such as CNBC, BBC, MSNBC, CNN, ABC News and PBS. He applies his media acumen directly to his practice, ensuring that aggressive, legally sound defense strategies align perfectly with his clients’ broader public relations objectives.

• Yale Law School, J.D., 2002
• University of Chicago, A.B., 1998