David M. Zornow

From 2009-2020, Mr. Zornow served as the global head of Skadden’s Litigation/Controversy practices and a member of the firm’s Policy Committee.

As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Zornow served as associate independent counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation and was a member of the trial team in United States v. Oliver L. North.

Mr. Zornow also served as an assistant United States attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he supervised a wide range of white collar cases, including the investigation of corruption at the New York City Parking Violations Bureau. He was a member of the trial team that obtained the RICO conviction of Stanley Friedman, the Bronx Democratic leader. For his investigative and trial work on the Friedman case, Mr. Zornow was awarded the Department of Justice’s Director’s Award.

Mr. Zornow is ranked in Chambers USA (Band 1 for New York White Collar Crime and Government Investigations) and also was named to Lawdragon’s 2021 Legends of the 500 list, which recognizes attorneys “whose contributions define justice and excellence in the legal profession.” In addition, The Wall Street Journal included Mr. Zornow on a “short list” of lawyers to call when faced with high-profile insider trading charges and The New York Times cited him as a leading white collar defense lawyer. He also was one of the world’s leading 10 lawyers listed in Who’s Who Legal: Investigations.

Mr. Zornow is a Visiting Lecturer in Law and Oscar M. Ruebhausen Distinguished Fellow at Yale Law School and a Fellow of the Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law. At Yale, he teaches courses on white collar criminal defense, internal investigations and the business of law firms. He has taught in the trial advocacy programs at Harvard Law School and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and is a frequent speaker and writer on white collar crime issues. Mr. Zornow co-authored “On the Brink of a Brave New World: The Death of Privilege in Corporate Criminal Investigations,” 37 Am. Crim. L. Rev. 147 (2000). After presenting at a Fordham Law School conference on “Bob Dylan and the Law,” Mr. Zornow published “Dylan’s Judgment on Judges: Power and Greed and Corruptible Seed Seem To Be All That There Is,” 38 Fordham Urb. L.J. 1511 (2011). He has received a Burton Award for legal writing.

Mr. Zornow also has been recognized for outstanding pro bono service to the New York City Legal Aid Society, and in 2016 he received the Milton S. Gould Award for Outstanding Advocacy from the New York Office of the Appellate Defender. From 1994 to 1996, Mr. Zornow served as chairman of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, an independent agency that investigates allegations of police misconduct. He currently serves as a member of the New York City Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, having been nominated for the position by the chief judge of New York State. He also is a member of the Lawyers Council of the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City.