Baker McKenzie advises companies facing investigations and enforcement actions by individual state attorneys general and multistate coalitions, particularly those involving consumer protection, antitrust, data privacy and cybersecurity, healthcare, financial services, environmental issues, discrimination, corruption, and emerging technologies.
Our team of highly regarded former government officials bring the resources of a leading international law firm with deep experience defending companies in government investigations. Firsthand government experience informs Baker McKenzie’s strategic approach to investigations, enabling our team to anticipate government priorities, engage credibly with enforcement authorities, and manage matters efficiently from initial inquiry through resolution.
Our team brings personal relationships and credibility with state attorneys general nationwide. Our relationships, strategic judgment, expertise, and reputation for credibility can help guide an investigation so that it proceeds collegially and narrows over time instead of becoming acrimonious and expanding.
We focus on early issue identification, disciplined fact development, and strategic engagement with enforcement authorities to position our clients for the best possible outcome with minimal disruption to their business and reputation.
State attorney general investigations are sometimes followed by US federal investigations, congressional inquiries, private litigation, and investigations by foreign governments. Our worldwide Baker McKenzie network is experienced in successfully defending such matters. We efficiently defend parallel state, federal, foreign, congressional, and private matters, and we will be mindful of those potential risks as we defend the pending matter, crafting our advocacy to protect our client's interests.
State attorneys general are among the most consequential regulators in the United States. Across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and US territories, AG offices increasingly pursue matters previously handled primarily by federal enforcement agencies, launching novel investigations into data privacy, artificial intelligence, ESG, antitrust, consumer protection, healthcare fraud, and cybersecurity, often in coordination with one another and with federal agencies. A single state inquiry can quickly become a multistate enforcement action with parallel federal dimensions.
Why Baker McKenzie?
Former Government Officials and Established Attorney General Relationships
Extensive government experience enables our team to anticipate government priorities, engage credibly with AG offices, and manage matters efficiently from initial inquiry through litigation or resolution. Baker McKenzie has cultivated working relationships with attorneys general and senior staff in key enforcement jurisdictions across the country. Our contact network extends to both Republican and Democratic AG offices, including established relationships in high-enforcement-activity states.
50-State Coverage and Multistate Coordination
When an investigation spans multiple jurisdictions, Baker McKenzie's national footprint and coordinated approach allow us to manage parallel inquiries across dozens of AG offices simultaneously. We ensure consistent legal positions, avoid jurisdictional conflicts, and present a unified front to multistate executive committees.
Integrated Cross-Practice and Cross-Border Capabilities
State AG enforcement actions rarely implicate a single legal discipline. Our team draws on the firm's globally recognized practices in antitrust, data privacy and cybersecurity, healthcare and life sciences, international trade and compliance, commercial litigation, and environmental law, among others, to deliver seamless, multidisciplinary advice. For multinational clients, we coordinate state-level defense with parallel federal exposure and international regulatory proceedings.
Proactive Compliance Counseling and Risk Mitigation
We help clients anticipate and mitigate AG enforcement risk before an investigation begins through compliance program assessments, regulatory horizon scanning, and strategic engagement with AG offices on emerging policy issues.
Representative Experience
Our representative matters illustrate the breadth and depth of our State Attorney General practice:
