Michael C. Rakower was profiled by Lawyers USA in 2007 as one of eight lawyers in the nation on a “fast track to making a significant impact" on the legal profession.  In 2006, the New York State Bar Association honored him as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year, recognizing his “commitment to the finest traditions of the Bar.”

Mr. Rakower’s civil practice focuses on commercial litigation and civil rights actions in federal and state courts.  His white-collar criminal defense practice focuses on the representation of individuals facing state and federal investigations.  Recognized by national news media as an international law expert, Mr. Rakower has appeared on Fox News’ Special Report to discuss matters concerning the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and the accountability of United Nations officials, and also appeared on Fox News to discuss the extradition of a U.S. murder suspect from Cyprus.  Some notable matters Mr. Rakower has worked on include:

• representation of a United Nations vendor in a federal lawsuit seeking damages in excess of $125 million arising from an alleged bribery and bid-rigging scheme that corrupted the United Nations;
  
  
• pre-litigation counseling for the benefit of the Iraqi Government in connection with its investigation into kickback schemes arising out of the United Nations Oil-for-Food program;
  
  
• representation of a former Israeli combat fighter and military command instructor in a multi-million dollar civil rights lawsuit against the New York City Police Department seeking damages arising from an alleged false arrest, illegal strip-search, and malicious prosecution;
  
  
• representation of an asbestos whistleblower working in a New York City public school for damages arising from alleged retaliation;
  
  
• representation of a retail brokerage manager in the federal “squawk box” investigation, which involved the unauthorized use of confidential proprietary information; and
  
  
• representation of a high-ranking compliance department manager in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice investigation into Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering compliance violations.

Mr. Rakower began his solo law practice in 2005, after a career in the New York office of Latham & Watkins and a clerkship with the Honorable Richard C. Wesley of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  He is also of counsel to The Law Offices of Gordon Mehler, PLLC.

At Latham & Watkins, Mr. Rakower led securities offerings valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars for issuers and underwriters and provided M&A counseling to investment banks.  At the same time, he counseled businesses devastated by the attack on the World Trade Center and obtained political asylum for refugees.

In 2003, following his tenure at Latham & Watkins, he served in the Prosecutor’s Office of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), assisting in the prosecution of Rwandan military leaders for their role in the 1994 genocide.  After his work at the ICTR, he represented a prison inmate in a federal lawsuit against the City of New York that resulted in a substantial settlement and was featured on the front page of the New York Law Journal.

In 2004, as senior law clerk to Judge Wesley, he worked on a variety of federal appeals, including cases involving antitrust, securities, constitutional, immigration, civil rights, tax, tort, national security, and criminal law.

In March 2005, he opened a solo law office to provide legal services of the highest quality to people and companies with pressing legal concerns.  Due to its success, his solo office has been expanded to include several lawyers.  A zealous advocate, he tirelessly pursues extraordinary results for every client, and he regularly provides pro bono representation to those most in need.

Mr. Rakower obtained his B.A., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania in 1993.  He received his J.D. in 1999 from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served on the Managing Board of the Virginia Journal of International Law.

Mr. Rakower sits on the Board of Directors of the American Friends of the Kigali Public Library, a non-profit organization committed to building Rwanda’s first public library, and on the Board of Acelero Learning Plainfield, an organization designed to administer a federal Head Start program to low-income families in New Jersey.

Mr. Rakower’s article titled RICO Damages After Set-Off: Treble vs. Double Recoveries was published by the New York Law Journal in March 2008.  Highly praised, the article was re-published in the Civil RICO Report and in the New York State Bar Association’s NY Litigator.

Mr. Rakower has twice lectured on civil RICO matters before members of the New York State Bar Association.

Mr. Rakower's essay entitled The Khmer Rouge: An Analysis of One of the World's Most Brutal Regimes was published in 2006 in To Oppose Any Foe: The Legacy of U.S. Intervention in Vietnam, a compilation of essays on the historical, legal, and contemporary legacy of the Vietnam War.  He has become a noted speaker on matters relating to genocide and international criminal tribunals.

In light of his work at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Mr. Rakower has been invited to speak on matters relating to genocide and international criminal tribunals by schools in New York and Massachusetts.  His April 2006 discussion at Albany Law School on his work at the ICTR was featured in the May/June 2006 issue of State Bar News, a New York State Bar Association publication.

Mr. Rakower, a member of the pro bono panels of the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, routinely provides pro bono services to those in need.  He recently devoted approximately 300 hours of his time representing an indigent claimant in a complicated federal appeal concerning allegations of workplace discrimination.  Through past pro bono efforts, he has obtained asylum for individuals fleeing political persecution and counseled businesses devastated by the September 11th attacks (for which he received a letter of appreciation from the New York City Bar Association).

Mr. Rakower is admitted to practice law in the courts of the State of New York, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. 

Mr. Rakower is a member of the following bar associations:

New York City Bar Association

Moderator, “Technology News,” Law Practice Management Symposium, November 2005

Panelist, “Employment Litigation Under Title VII: Racial Slurs in the Workplace,” December 2005

New York State Bar Association

Member, Commercial and Federal Litigation Section

Program Chair, 2006 Fall Meeting, Young Lawyers Section

Recipient of 2006 Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year Award

Federal Bar Council

Member, Second Circuit Committee

Moderator, “Heroes of the Bar: A Salute to Pro Bono Achievements in 2005”

Author, “Improving ECF Filings,” Federal Bar Council News, Vol. XIII, No. 2

American Bar Association

Member, Law Practice Management Section