Chukwukpee is an associate in the Business Litigation group and focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation; criminal investigations including price-fixing, conspiracy, healthcare fraud, and mail and wire fraud; and financial services litigation. Chukwukpee manages and conducts discovery for state and federal litigation matters, class actions, and investigations; briefs dispositive and non-dispositive motions; prepares for, and conducts, witness interviews and settlement negotiations; and argues motions. As a highly effective communicator, Chukwukpee develops creative strategies to achieve favorable outcomes for corporate and individual clients in a variety of circumstances. Chukwukpee has assisted with various consumer protection defense claims in state and federal courts in Maryland and the District of Columbia, arbitration proceedings, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. These claims have included all manner of consumer protection claims, general banking and UCC claims.
Prior to joining the firm, he served as a judicial intern to The Honorable Judge George L. Russell, III in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
Representative Experience
Any result the lawyer or law firm may have achieved on behalf of clients in other matters does not necessarily indicate similar results can be obtained for other clients.
White-Collar Defense, Investigations, and Regulatory Enforcement
- Representation of a critical defense infrastructure supplier in a FCA qui tam matter, which settled for $500,000 with no admission of liability for alleged damages of $29 million.
- Representation of healthcare defendant in an FCA qui tam matter.
- Representation of a defendant involving Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud allegations.
- Representation of targets or subjects in grand jury proceedings in various United States District Courts.
- Representation of corporate defendant facing federal indictments for conspiracy, mail and fraud and money laundering charges.
Dispute Resolution and Commercial Litigation
- Successfully defended a financial services institution during a bench trial in Maryland state court.
- Successful transfer of venue and full dismissal of claims brought by a corporation’s former employee alleging breach of contract and inventorship claims.
- Representation of a class action involving interstate telecommunication providers.
- Successfully opposed motion for preliminary injunction during oral argument.
- Representation of corporate entity seeking to quash Federal Trade Commission issued subpoenas.
- Representation of corporate entities seeking appeal of the Small Business Administration decision.
- Representation of a lender in federal bankruptcy action.
Professional & Civic Engagement
- Member, American Bar Association (White Collar & Criminal Litigation, Business Law Committee)
- Member, Maryland State Bar Association (Young Lawyer Section)
- Board of Directors, Friends of Patterson Park
- Collegiate Mock Trial Judge, The American Mock Trial Association, 2020 – Present
- Debate Judge, Baltimore Urban Debate League, 2018 – Present
- Interpreter and Translator, UMD Law Clinics, 2018 – 2020
Thought Leadership
- Co-Author, “The Foreign Extortion Prevention Act: Bribe-Soliciting Foreign Officials May Soon Be Subject To Criminal Penalties,” December 21, 2023
- Co-Author, “The U.S. House of Representatives Removed Speaker Kevin McCarthy: What Happened and What Comes Next?” October 9, 2023
- Co-Author, "With Great ‘Empowerment’ Comes Great Responsibility (and Risk) for CCOs Under Monaco Memo," Corporate Compliance Insights, January 18, 2023
- Co-Author, Chapter 20 Chemical Pollution (and the Release of Novel Entities), Research Handbook on Law, Governance and Planetary Boundaries, 2021
- Co-Author, “DOJ Launches Investigation into Alleged Energy Pricing Benchmark Fraud,” The National Law Review, October 6, 2021
- Author, “Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic Credit Reporting Concerns, CFPB Reaffirms That Name-Only Matching Violates FCRA,” FCRALand, November, 24 2021
- Author, “Eleventh Circuit Holds Subsequent FCRA Claim Subject to Arbitration Provision Under Terminated Subscriber Agreement,” FCRALand, April, 9 2021
- Panelist, Mecklenburg County Bar, Increasing Diversity in the Legal Profession Conference March 2022
Honors & Awards
- Recognized in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America (BL Rankings), Commercial Litigation, 2023-2024
