Kevin G. Walsh co-chairs the Government & Regulatory Affairs Group and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. He was the 2020-2021 President of the Essex County Bar Association. Mr. Walsh’s practice of law includes business litigation, government affairs, and criminal defense, overseeing a wide range of legal matters that often implicate the intersection of business, law, and politics.
In addition to helping his clients navigate the channels of state government, Mr. Walsh handles a variety of matters ranging from business litigation to internal and government investigations, both criminal and regulatory. He regularly appears in state and federal courts in New York and New Jersey, and before New Jersey state agencies and government officials, as well as federal and state prosecutors. From 2003 to 2008, Mr. Walsh was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of New Jersey, Criminal Division.
Mr. Walsh previously served as the Acting General Counsel of Seton Hall University, in addition to having represented Stevens Institute of Technology and Caldwell University in a variety of litigation matters over many years. In advising his higher education clients, Mr. Walsh has overseen complex Title IX investigations, FERPA and distance learning compliance matters, defense of employee discrimination claims, and board governance issues. Beginning in 2018, Gibbons P.C. was engaged as Special Counsel to Seton Hall University to oversee allegations of clergy sex abuse involving adult victims. During that engagement, Mr. Walsh interfaced with counsel and witnesses all around the world.
Mr. Walsh has advised clients as diverse as food preparation and delivery companies to institutions of higher education to critical infrastructure and construction companies on their workplace practices in light of COVID-19 and the corresponding stream of executive orders issued by northeast Governors.
Areas of Focus
Government Affairs
Mr. Walsh represents clients in a wide variety of government affairs issues before state agencies and executive branch officials in Trenton, New Jersey. He has represented clients in numerous industries during his years as a registered government affairs agent.
Criminal Defense
Calling on his experience as a former federal prosecutor, Mr. Walsh regularly assists corporations, individuals, and higher education institutions in responding to grand jury subpoenas received from the Department of Justice and various federal and state investigators, such as the Federal Trade Commission as well as Congressional Committees. He has also represented individuals in a wide range of federal and state criminal inquiries, often convincing prosecutors not to file charges. When necessary, Mr. Walsh has tried criminal matters to verdict and defended his clients in prosecutions and investigations alleging violations of:
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- Tax evasion and various federal tax laws
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- Healthcare laws, such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute
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- Laws proscribing mortgage fraud, including the federal wire and mail fraud statutes
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- Criminal anti-trust laws
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- Federal prescription drug laws
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- Campaign finance laws proscribing straw donors
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- Federal criminal intellectual property laws
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- Federal laws regulating online internet gambling
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- State assault, drug, and narcotics laws
- New Jersey attorney ethics investigations
From 2003 through 2008, Mr. Walsh served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, where he prosecuted criminal cases involving money laundering, wire and mail fraud, mortgage fraud, identity theft, and income tax evasion. For one year prior to leaving government service, Mr. Walsh was one of New Jersey’s two “CHIP” prosecutors, specifically designated to prosecute computer hacking and intellectual property crimes. He has also represented clients in connection with the IRS’s Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Initiative, which is a U.S. government program enabling noncompliant American taxpayers (many of whom possessed Swiss bank accounts or other foreign, undisclosed accounts) to resolve their U.S. tax liabilities and minimize their exposure to criminal prosecution.
Securities Law
Mr. Walsh also has represented clients in securities regulatory and enforcement matters, including investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New Jersey Bureau of Securities.
Real Estate Litigation
In real estate litigation matters specifically, Mr. Walsh has obtained summary judgment on numerous occasions, defending against claims relating to restrictive covenants (a/k/a “area restrictions”), breaches of contract, fraud, and the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act.
Credentials
Education
Seton Hall University School of Law (J.D.)
- Editor-in-Chief, Seton Hall Law Review
Seton Hall University (B.A., magna cum laude)
- President, Interfraternity Council, 1994-1995
Professional Admissions
State of New Jersey
State of New York
District of Columbia
United States District Court for the District of New Jersey
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Professional Activities
Essex County Bar Association
President, 2020-2021
New Jersey State Bar Association
District Ethics Committee of the Supreme Court of NJ, District VC Essex County
Supreme Court (NJ) Committee on Model Criminal Jury Charges, 2010-2011 term
Seton Hall University School of Law
Board of Visitors Member, 2016-present
Alumni Council Member, 2000-2015
Annual Red Mass Committee Chair, 2008-present
Class of 1998 10-year Reunion Committee Member
New Jersey State Bar Association
Executive Board Member, Young Lawyers Division, 2001-2002
Gibbons Law Alert blog (www.gibbonslawalert.com)
Editorial Board
Judicial Clerkship(s)
Law clerk to the Honorable Joel A. Pisano, United States Magistrate Judge, 1998-1999
Law clerk to the Honorable Deborah T. Poritz, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1999-2000
Civic/Charitable Activities
Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children, Newark, NJ
Board of Trustees
St. Helen’s Roman Catholic Church, Westfield, NJ
Pastoral Council
ReLeSé Volunteer Attorney, Newark, NJ
Essex County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers for Justice
Pro Bono Attorney, 2000-2002
Town Council of Westfield, New Jersey
Ward 3 Representative, 2002-2003