About
Ifrah Law is a result-oriented firm. The creative advice we provide to clients focuses on long-term solutions to achieve sustainable growth in their business models. Led by a managing partner who has been at the center of every significant court case affecting online gaming, Ifrah Law operates at the cutting edge of technology, innovation, and regulation. Its lawyers represent industry players throughout the entire business cycle, from the formation of a corporation or licensing relationship, through marketing, partnering, growth, and disputes, to profitable exits. Ifrah Law serves a global clientele that stretches across the most progressive areas of the gaming industry and ancillaries such as sports betting, eSports, blockchain, online sweepstakes and lotteries, mobile gaming, and crypto. Ifrah lawyers handle all aspects of licensing, structure partnerships and joint ventures, guide acquisitions and financings, negotiate contracts, and help mitigate risk. The firm’s lawyers also are vigorous advocates for clients facing regulatory investigations and litigations. Over the past few years, Ifrah Law has developed a significant roster of celebrity clients. Often targeted due to their fame and highly publicized net worth, these clients retain the firm to guide them through civil and criminal litigation where their livelihoods are critically at stake. Ifrah Law continues to maintain a robust pro bono docket, frequently representing individuals seeking a second chance after criminal convictions and who want to turn their lives around, even with the risks associated with providing testimony against criminal ringleaders. - ONLINE GAMING & GAMBLING Ifrah Law has formed symbiotic partnerships that transcend traditional legal support, resulting in game-changing collaborations, groundbreaking agreements, and alliances that drive innovation. The firm has represented online gaming clients since the inception of the industry and now represents many of the largest iGaming and online sports betting companies, ancillary service providers, and industry associations in the world. The firm has been at the center of precedent-setting prosecutions and lawsuits in the online gaming industry and was instrumental in the creation of the legislative and regulatory frameworks in the first states to permit online gaming: Delaware, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. The firm brings decades of experience in betting and wagering law to advise clients across the online gaming ecosystem. Ifrah Law has represented clients in the sports betting arena, including FanDuel, FOXBet, Bet365, Playtech, Unikrn, WorldPay/FIS Global, and Sportradar, and advised startups in the eSports space, including both real money and skill-based p2p competition sites, on compliance with both state and federal law. Ifrah Law’s practice also extends to representing players and agents in the NFL, NBA, and NHL, teams in MLS and the WNBA, as well as emerging sports leagues. The firm advises online casino operators, poker and fantasy sports sites, and payment processors on class action lawsuits, mergers and acquisitions, vendor and supplier issues, government investigations, and criminal matters. Ifrah Law also serves as Special Internet Counsel for the Delaware State Lottery. The firm has also gained a strong reputation in other innovative web-based industries such as payment processing and money transmission. Ifrah Law heightens the success of iGaming clients through every phase of their business cycle. - INTERNET ADVERTISING & MARKETING Ifrah Law represents online advertisers, affiliate networks, publishers, advertising agencies, payment processors, and other marketing solution providers in state and federal investigations, enforcement actions, private litigation instituted by self-regulatory agencies, consumer class actions, contract negotiations, and compliance matters regarding all legal facets of internet and mobile marketing, eCommerce, telemarketing, electronic payment processing, and interactive gaming. - CRYPTOCURRENCY & BLOCKCHAIN Ever since the debut of Bitcoin, Ifrah Law has been at the forefront of the cryptocurrency movement, counseling companies on the best ways to utilize the digital revolution of blockchain in their own business models. Representing pioneers in the interactive entertainment and financial services industries, the firm has deep experience shaping programs for companies to enhance their products and their bottom line while staying within the bounds of the still-evolving regulatory landscape. - LITIGATION Ifrah Law’s litigation practice focuses on the representation of companies operating at the intersection of business and the cutting edge of online and mobile technology, whom the firm defends against government claims and investigations, and in complex commercial disputes. A trusted business advisor to emerging industry clients conducting business online or through mobile technology, the firm represents companies and their senior executives in criminal and civil matters throughout the United States. As the government expands the scope of statutes like RICO, The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and The Money Laundering Control Act in its investigations and prosecutions and ramps up enforcement actions by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Department of Justice (DOJ) and other agencies, white collar defendants face higher monetary penalties and added jail time. Clients turn to the White Collar Defense Lawyers at Ifrah Law to defend their products and practices, and, wherever possible, negotiate positive settlements which allow them to pursue their innovative lines of business and resume their lives. The firm resolves disputes of varying types, in a variety of forums, and across a range of industries. - Types of Disputes - Business Litigation Ifrah Law has successfully represented clients in commercial litigation matters on issues ranging from breach of contract, copyright and trademark, data security and cybersecurity, employment law and licensing, corporate governance disputes, commercial fraud, and alter ego. The firm has tried federal cases across key federal agencies as well as numerous U.S. Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices, and state regulatory agencies throughout the country. - Federal Agency Litigation The business and public relations fallout from a government investigation can be fatal. Ifrah Law helps clients manage and conclude inquiries by federal and state agencies so that they can resume business. The firm assists in responding to investigations, requests for information, and government subpoenas from federal agencies, as well as U.S. Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices, state attorneys general, and state regulatory agencies, on matters ranging from AML/KYC to data privacy to tax disputes, to name a few. Our attorneys’ backgrounds in government, private practice, and academia have yielded established relationships and credibility with federal prosecutors and investigators across all the main federal agencies. Ifrah Law has a strong record defending against claims by the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau(CFPB). - Class Action Defense Ifrah Law has successfully represented clients in commercial litigation matters, including class actions and multidistrict litigation, on issues ranging from breach of contract, copyright and trademark, data security and cybersecurity, employment law and licensing, corporate governance disputes, commercial fraud and alter ego, in industries like gaming, payment processing, financial services, and mobile telecommunications. The firm has tried federal cases across key federal agencies as well as numerous U.S. Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices, and state regulatory agencies throughout the country. In the securities area, we represent directors, officers, and corporations in class actions challenging corporate actions based on federal and state law, including claims arising from criminal investigations, regulatory investigations, and corporate transactions. We have also represented domestic and international companies facing claims under The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), in addition to tax, privacy, and employment statutes. - Selected Industries - Data Privacy & Cybersecurity Ifrah Law litigates privacy matters dealing with issues of data and information; the firm represents businesses and individuals on information storage and rights of retrieval, including data breaches, FTC data privacy obligations, including children’s privacy protection online through Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). - Payment Processing & Finance Ifrah Law represents businesses and individuals in payment processing relationships, including merchants in disputes with payment processors, ISOs and acquiring banks, MATCH and Terminated Merchant File listings, and payment processing agreements. The firm has gained a strong track record for trying and winning cases across venues and for successfully concluding matters with private litigants, the Department of Justice, the CFPB, the FTC, the SEC, and the CFTC. - WHITE COLLAR DEFENSE Ifrah Law is highly respected for its White-Collar Criminal Defense and Federal Agency Litigation practices. The firm represents companies, senior executives and high-profile individuals in a vast array of sectors - from digital technology and cryptocurrency to professional sports. What garners the most attention from mainstream media, many highly successful business leaders, and peers at the nation’s largest and most respected law firms is Ifrah Law’s creativity, insight, and ability to consistently find innovative ways to achieve client goals. Firm attorneys not only stay on top of current trends in enforcement and case law, they also write and provide expert analysis about those trends in leading legal and business publications and conferences. As the government expands the scope of statutes like RICO, The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and The Money Laundering Control Act in its investigations and prosecutions, white collar defendants are increasingly subject to higher monetary penalties and added jail time. Clients at the top of their fields come to Ifrah Law because of its ability to successfully manage, navigate, and negotiate high profile federal investigations. With a focus on government investigations, complex litigation, and white-collar defense, Ifrah Law operates on the leading edge of matters involving the intersection of business and the internet. The firm represents companies and their senior executives in criminal and civil matters throughout the United States and also serves as a trusted business advisor to emerging industry clients doing business online. Firm attorneys include a former Chief of the Organized Crime and Gang Section at the Department of Justice and a former assistant U.S. Attorney, a former special assistant U.S. Attorney, and a number of highly trained veterans from some of the nation’s largest and most respected law firms. Ifrah Law’s collective experience includes the litigation and resolution of disputes across a broad array of industries on issues ranging from cybersecurity and computer fraud to money laundering and asset forfeiture. As a result, the firm has established relationships and credibility with federal prosecutors and investigators in such agencies as the Justice Department, the FTC, SEC, and DOD, among others. - INVESTIGATIONS The business and public relations fallout from a government investigation can be fatal: business can come to a complete standstill under a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction, assets can be seized, and a receiver may be appointed. Ifrah Law helps online gaming and other technology companies manage and conclude inquiries by federal and state agencies so that clients can resume business. The firm assists in responding to investigations, requests for information, and government subpoenas from federal agencies, as well as U.S. Attorney’s Offices, District Attorney’s Offices, state attorneys general, and state regulatory agencies, on matters ranging from AML/KYC to data privacy to tax disputes, to name a few. Ifrah Law’s attorneys’ backgrounds in government, private practice, and academia have yielded established relationships and credibility with federal prosecutors and investigators across all the main federal agencies. Ifrah Law has handled a number of high-profile FTC and CFTC investigations and enforcement actions involving internet marketing campaigns and related issues, such as the scientific substantiation of advertising claims. In one highly publicized matter, Ifrah Law succeeded in convincing a jury to completely reject the government’s claims of fraud in one of the very few SEC compliance cases to actually proceed to trial. In another high-profile litigation, the firm represented international financial clients against federal claims by the SEC and the CFTC regarding the trading of binary options contracts, resulting in a satisfactory global settlement. - DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY How companies collect, use, and share personal data, how secure their data systems are, and how transparent they are about their data privacy and security practices, are popular public and legal issues. With several high-profile data breaches and data mining scandals, online privacy is a hot topic among legislatures, government regulators, consumer advocacy groups, and industry leaders. Privacy concerns also generate the attention of consumers. Indeed, consumers more regularly read websites’ and apps’ terms and conditions and privacy policies, which they used to largely ignore. Companies need to be vigilant about their data privacy and security policies and practices. Government agencies and private groups are policing those practices to monitor whether companies are complying with their own policies and promises and maintaining industry standards on data security. Corporate and consumer customers expect organizations to maintain significant data security practices. Increasing enforcement actions and private lawsuits (including large class actions) have compelled companies to better vet their data collection and usage practices, engage experienced legal counsel and outside privacy vendors, and ensure their practices match their public-facing policies. Ifrah Law has extensive experience in data privacy and cyber security law and is recognized as an industry leader. Our Data Privacy and Cyber Security Team regularly advises organizations on developing industry-appropriate protocols, drafting privacy policies, and preparing for, and responding to data breaches. Firm attorneys counsel businesses and individuals on information storage and rights of retrieval and deletion. Clients span many industries, including fintech companies, healthcare companies, non-profit organizations, and social media influencers. In the firm’s Chambers-ranked Gaming practice, clients are often required to collect substantial personal information to verify age, geolocation, and in furtherance of AML requirements. Ifrah Law helps these businesses ensure that their practices comply with the evolving privacy and data security requirements, including substantial new state requirements. - ADVERTISING & MARKETING Ifrah Law’s Internet Advertising and Marketing practice focuses on all legal facets of internet and mobile marketing, eCommerce, telemarketing, electronic payment processing, and interactive gaming. Ifrah law represents online advertisers, affiliate networks, publishers, advertising agencies, payment processors, and other marketing solution providers in state and federal investigations and enforcement actions, private litigation instituted by self-regulatory agencies, consumer class actions, contract negotiations, and compliance matters. In addition, the firm represents businesses and individuals in payment processing relationships, including merchants in disputes with payment processors, ISOs and acquiring banks, MATCH and Terminated Merchant File listings, and payment processing agreements. As experienced litigators defending cases instituted by such agencies as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and State Attorneys General, the lawyers on the team are uniquely positioned to counsel their clients outside of the courtroom on risk mitigation strategies, which involve a comprehensive review and audit of their business practices and routine advice on regulatory compliance, website disclosures, trademark and copyright protection, contract review and negotiation, and overall brand protection. Ifrah Law’s team has achieved a string of successes in state and federal litigation matters in which clients have been charged with or accused of fraudulent business practices. These victories include successful resolution of FTC asset freeze cases, return of monies from government seizures of payment processor accounts, and dismissal of a State AG matter involving a multi-year investigation. - FINANCE AND M&A Ifrah Law offers clients both legal and strategic advice regarding relevant opportunities, risks, and ways to mitigate those risks. Our lawyers negotiate and close complex transactions with an eye on industry-specific considerations, like antitrust issues, cross-border implications, representations and warranties, talent and founder acquisition and retention, and SEC compliance. For clients seeking to develop expansion and exit strategies, Ifrah Law can provide a realistic assessment of business operations and cost-benefit analysis, along with evaluating potential partnerships and investor options. Furthermore, our attorneys can provide regular updates on evolving regulation and legislation and review policies with an eye toward compliance. - LICENSING AND COMPLIANCE Ifrah Law has successfully helped numerous companies enter the online gaming market in each state where online betting and/or fantasy sports are currently legal and has prepared many companies to launch in jurisdictions where legalization is imminent. We also have extensive experience assisting foreign clients in navigating their initial entry into the U.S. gaming market. We work diligently to ensure the application process goes smoothly and prepare for any challenges that may arise. Once a license has been secured, we continue to safeguard our clients’ interests by offering ongoing counsel on compliance with licensing requirements and foreign, federal, and state laws so that they may continue to operate and scale.
Practice areas
Lawyers in this office
A. Jeff Ifrah
Jeff Ifrah’s legal skills and record of success have earned him international recognition as a white-collar criminal defense lawyer and litigator. He is an advocate keenly focused on delivering results for his clients – on understanding the problems they face and developing innovative strategies to resolve them. As the government expands the scope of statutes like RICO, The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and The Money Laundering Control Act in its investigations and prosecutions, white collar defendants are increasingly subject to higher monetary penalties and added jail time. Clients at the top of their fields turn to Jeff because of his ability to successfully manage, navigate, and negotiate high profile federal investigations. With a focus on government investigations, complex litigation, and white-collar defense, Jeff operates on the leading edge of matters involving the intersection of business and the internet. He represents companies and their senior executives in criminal and civil matters throughout the United States and also serves as a trusted business advisor to emerging industry clients doing business online. Leveraging his decades of experience in betting and wagering law, Jeff represents clients in the sports betting arena, including FanDuel, Delaware North, Sportradar, Bet365, Playtech, and Worldpay. He advises startups in the eSports space, including both real money and skill-based p2p competition sites, on compliance with both state and federal law. Jeff and his team also represent players and agents in the NFL, NBA, and NHL, and advise teams in MLS, the WNBA, and emerging sports leagues. Jeff cut his teeth as a trial lawyer and officer in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps and as trial counsel to the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command at Fort Monmouth. He then gained invaluable experience as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey. He went on to become of counsel to the global law firm Paul Hastings and then a shareholder in the litigation department of another global firm, Greenberg Traurig. Often litigating cases against the federal government, he achieved a string of victories in cases involving criminal and civil antitrust laws, securities laws and the Civil False Claims Act. He defended some of the most well-known businesses in the country in industries such as pharmaceuticals, health care and technology. Jeff is a member of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court, an invitation-only professional organization devoted to white collar practice that includes federal and local judiciary members in the District of Columbia, U.S. Department of Justice officials, and some of the most established defense attorneys in Washington, D.C. Jeff also serves as an Adjunct Professor for the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law’s “Advanced Regulation of Sports Betting” course; the first-ever law school certificate program dedicated to the regulatory and legal aspects of sports wagering law and integrity issues. He is also active in the publishing arena. Jeff’s commentary has been featured in national media like The Baltimore Sun, and he is a frequent speaker at industry events around the world like the Esports Bar Association Convention. A leading national authority in federal sentencing laws, Jeff is co-author of Federal Sentencing for Business Crimes, the only comprehensive treatise on federal sentencing in the context of business and white-collar crimes. · White Collar Criminal Defense
James M. Trusty
After 27 years as a prosecutor, James (“Jim”) Trusty brings extensive experience to bear in representing clients in complex, multi-district white collar litigation, especially in matters involving RICO, The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and The Money Laundering Control Act of 1986. As the federal government continues to apply increasingly broad interpretations of these statutes in its investigations and prosecutions of white-collar defendants, corporations and individuals can face the threat of exponentially higher monetary penalties and added jail time. To clients defending against such allegations, Jim offers the insider’s view on how federal cases are built, investigations pursued, and settlements negotiated. Jim has represented a wide variety of individuals and corporations in the white-collar space. He regularly represents professional athletes, both criminally and civilly, and during 2022 and 2023 he represented President Trump during pre-indictment litigation relating to the Mar-a-Lago and January 6 cases. Prior to joining Ifrah Law, Jim had a long career in public service, most recently as Chief of the Organized Crime Section at the United States Department of Justice. For seven years, Jim was ultimately responsible for investigating and prosecuting regional, national, and international cases, supervising significant pleadings, and providing strategic and tactical guidance in investigations and multi-defendant trials. In addition to running the RICO Review Unit, which reviewed and approved all criminal RICO cases brought by federal prosecutors, he also was in charge of establishing and promoting policies focused on immigration reform, firearms trafficking, proposed Congressional testimony for DOJ officials, and internet gambling. Significant and sensitive matters on which he worked include the post-conviction review of the Alaska corruption case related to U.S. v. Theodore Stevens and the investigation into allegations of misconduct by a sitting U.S. Attorney and one of her subordinates. Prior to his work at DOJ, Jim acted as Assistant U.S. Attorney in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he investigated and prosecuted a wide variety of white-collar and other criminal cases, including The Washington area Sniper investigation. He also prosecuted three death penalty cases and was a member of the Attorney General’s Capital Review Committee, responsible for assessing capital-eligible cases such as the Boston Marathon Bomber and the Charleston Church massacre. Jim regularly speaks at conferences, seminars, and training sessions on topics related to complex litigation and criminal law. In addition to numerous pro bono projects, Jim coached several Mock Trial teams at American University’s Washington College of Law, and he teaches criminal justice courses at the University of Maryland. He also regularly provides commentary for major television networks such as Fox News, CNN, and NewsNation, as well as digital and print media outlets. Jim has been awarded numerous honors over the course of his career including the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, Federal Prosecutor of the Year, Community Prosecuting Award, and the Child Abuse Protection Award, to name only a few. · White Collar Defense
Michelle W. Cohen
Michelle W. Cohen’s unfailing dedication to her clients is illustrated by this fact: Her very first client – whom she represented as a first-year associate – remains an active client today. Throughout her career, she has established similarly strong, lasting client relationships by committing herself to understanding each client’s business goals, minimizing legal risk and delivering exceptional service. At Ifrah Law, Michelle’s practice focuses on helping clients establish powerful and enduring relationships with their customers and prospects while remaining compliant with state and federal law governing privacy and advertising laws and regulations. As Practice Group leader for the Firm’s Data Privacy & Cyber Security group, Michelle helps clients create compliant digital policies and practices for their online terms and conditions, sweepstakes and contests, social media, and customer communications through the use of various media, including telemarketing, texts and emails, and social media. She also handles state-level data regulations, including breach notifications. As leader of Ifrah Law’s special GDPR Services, Michelle guides companies that collect, store, or utilize the personal data of European residents on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). She was recently appointed by OneTrust, a leading privacy, security and third-party risk technology platform, as a D.C. Chapter Chair of “Privacy Connect,” a global community of privacy, security and marketing professionals focused on tools and best practices. Michelle is a Certified Information Privacy Professional – CIPP (US), certified through the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). She has extensive experience defending individual and class actions in the consumer protection context, including dozens of Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) cases, beginning from when the TCPA was first implemented. Her litigation experience helps clients avoid enforcement actions and minimize civil litigation by proactively implementing policies and procedures that demonstrate good faith compliance efforts. Her counsel is critical when those clients face enforcement proceedings by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), or state agencies. She draws on deep legal knowledge and a strong footing in the privacy community to resolve these issues expediently. In Ifrah Law’s Chambers-ranked Gaming practice, clients are often required to collect substantial personal information to verify age, geolocation, and in furtherance of AML requirements. Michelle helps these businesses ensure that their practices comply with the evolving privacy and data security requirements, including substantial new state requirements. · Data Privacy