Find Lawyers

Christina Tsesmelis focuses her practice on white collar defense, corporate internal investigations, crisis management, securities litigation and enforcement and complex commercial litigation.

Ms. Tsesmelis is currently part of the team representing the court-appointed Receiver of the Michael Kenwood Group, LLC, an international investment advisor (SEC v. Illarramendi et al. 3:11 – CV – 00078 (D. Conn.)). She serves as the lead associate in the investigation and recovery of approximately a half a billion dollars in investor funds misappropriated from international hedge funds created and run by the Michael Kenwood Group.

Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Ms. Tsesmelis was a litigation associate in the New York office of a large international law firm. There she represented multiple FORTUNE 100 and 500 companies, hedge funds, private equity firms, broker-dealers and major investment and commercial banks in multiple aspects of securities regulation, compliance, enforcement and litigation. Ms. Tsesmelis also conducted numerous internal investigations, including representing the audit committee of major oil services firm, Global Industries, Ltd. in civil and criminal Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations by the DOJ and SEC; a large multinational electronics company in an internal investigation into allegations of market manipulation; a FORTUNE 500 life sciences company in FCPA investigations in India, the Ukraine, China and Brazil; a major Russian investment bank in an internal investigation concerning embezzlement and securities fraud; and Avon Products, Inc., in an FCPA investigation that was self-reported to the SEC and DOJ in October 2008.

Before entering private practice, Ms. Tsesmelis served as a law clerk to the Honorable Richard K. Eaton of the United States Court of International Trade and for the Honorable Nicholas Tsoucalas of the United States Court of International Trade. During law school, Ms. Tsesmelis interned in the Criminal Division at the United States Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. She also served as the Managing Editor of the New York International Law Review and was a recipient of a merit-based tuition scholarship.

In 2011, Ms. Tsesmelis was named a New York “Super Lawyers, Rising Star.” Ms. Tsesmelis is active in her community and serves on the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Lawyer’s Association of New York and is active with the Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund, where she serves as a Chairwoman for the annual fundraising Gala. From 2007 to 2010, Ms. Tsesmelis served as the Executive Secretary for the Standing Committee on the United Nations at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.

Ms. Tsesmelis has lectured extensively on alternative dispute resolution and the FCPA and has written the following articles:

• “Doing Business with the United States: Navigating the Parameters of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977,” Business Partners Magazine (Vol. IX, No. 50 September/October 2010)
• “Clarifying Travel and Entertainment Under the FCPA,” New York Law Journal (Vol. 239, No. 49 March 13, 2008)
• “To Host or Not to Host: Approving Travel and Entertainment Under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” Securities Regulation & Law Report (BNA) (Vol. 40, No. 10, March 10, 2008)
• “Corruption Without Frontiers,” The Australian Corporate Lawyer (Vol. 17, No. 4 December 2007)
• “United States v. Savin,” 17 NY INT’L L. REV. 2, 231 (2004)

Ms. Tsesmelis has participated in various panels and forums, including:

• Panelist: “St. John's School of Law Career Day Panel on Transnational Legal Issues,” New York, NY (September 2011)
• Speaker: “Radio Neo, The Legal Forum, Internal Investigations and Receiverships,” New York, NY (May 2011)
• Panelist: “Hellenic Times Scholarship Fund Career Panel,” Law and Politics, New York, NY (May 2011)
• Panelist: “Multi-Lingual Legal Advocacy,” New York, NY (March 2011)
• Lecturer: “Complex Commercial Alternative Dispute Resolution,” New York, NY (October 2010)
• Panelist: “St. John's University School of Law Career Panel in International Law,” New York, NY (October 2009)
• Panelist: “FCPA Enforcement in the Oil & Gas Industry,” Houston, TX (October 2007)

Ms. Tsesmelis has also been the subject of numerous articles, including:

• “Not Your Typical Ladies Who Lunch,” Athens News (October 24, 2010)
• “A Female Force of Networking,” Athens News (October 20, 2010)
• “Distinguished Young Attorney Brings Together Greek-American Women,” Greek Reporter (October 7, 2010)
• “Arianna Huffington to Headline Greek America’s Women’s Forum,” Greek Reporter (September 29, 2010)
• “Greek America’s 40 Under 40,” Greek Reporter (June 2010)
• “Christina Tsesmelis, 40 Under 40,” Greek America Magazine (June 2010)