Women Criminal Defense Attorneys: Karen Patton Seymour and Women of Sullivan Cromwell Represent BNP Paribas in Guilty Plea

Just this week BNP Paribas, France’s largest bank, entered a guilty plea in New York State Court based upon a global deal with both the State of New York and the Justice Department, in which the bank has agreed to pay a $9 billion fine relating to transactions in blacklisted countries in violation of US trade sanctions.

The bank entered its first guilty plea in State Court in New York on Monday, and will also enter a guilty plea in federal court.  BNP’s General Counsel entered the plea, flanked by the bank’s lawyers, Karen Patton Seymour, who is the co-managing partner of Sullivan Cromwell’s litigation group and has been frequently published for her role in representing the bank, and her partner Elizabeth Davy.

The bank is pleading guilty to processing billions of dollars in transactions on behalf of clients in Sudan, Cuba, and Iran. The sanction brought by the Justice Department is the largest penalty in any criminal case involving a bank. And it is noteworthy that a woman criminal defense attorney is at the helm of one of the biggest white-collar cases ever brought against a bank in this country’s history. It’s another hopeful sign that the glass ceiling is beginning to bust wide open.