
Jay DardenJayDarden
Partner, Investigation & White Collar Defense
John S. (Jay) Darden is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office.
Jay has practiced law for over 25 years, both as a defense attorney and a federal prosecutor. He has been named “MVP for White Collar” by Law360 (2023), and he has repeatedly been recognized in Chambers USA, Chambers Global and Legal500/Latin America, where clients have described him as:
- “a very sophisticated and strategic lawyer”
- “great in front of boards”
- "very results oriented"
- "fantastic people skills"
- “great ability to distill a complex situation into something that the client can manage effectively”
Lead and co-lead counsel in defense of multiple publicly-traded companies in high-profile FCPA resolutions of DOJ, SEC, and overseas investigations involving conduct in the Bahamas, Brazil, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, and other countries.
Lead and co-lead counsel conducting internal investigations for multiple public and non-public companies into possible FCPA violations in Argentina, Brazil, China, Qatar, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, Venezuela, and other countries.
- Leading Global Investigations Lawyers
Lawdragon
- Litigation Star
Benchmark Litigation
"New DOJ FCPA Guidelines Target Cases Linked to U.S. Strategic Interests" Paul Hastings Client Alert, Co-author
2025
"Criminal Division White Collar Enforcement Plan: Turning the Page, Not Writing a New Book", Paul Hastings Client Alert, Co-author
2025
"Keep Calm and Carry On: Thoughts on Recent Orders on FCPA Enforcement", Paul Hastings Client Alert, Co-author
2025
“Brazil’s Five-Year Anti-Corruption Plan: Takeaways for In-House Counsel and Anti-Corruption Lawyers”, Anti-Corruption Report, Co-author
2021
“Anti-Corruption Enforcement Proceedings in Brazil and the U.S.”, Brazil-US Under 40 White Collar Initiative
2021
Past member
Law360 White Collar Editorial Advisory Board
Past member
Alumni Council, Washington & Lee University/Williams School
- "Boardroom In-House Counsel Roundtable", GIR/Latin Lawyer Anti-Corruption and Investigations - Mexico, Co-panelist2025
- “Financial Crimes”, International Law Institute, Presenter2024