Kevin A. Crisp

Kevin Crisp is an associate in the Newport Beach office of Irell & Manella LLP, where his practice encompasses commercial litigation and government investigations.

Mr. Crisp has represented clients involved in a wide range of finance related litigation, including securities, mergers and acquisitions, and bankruptcy litigation. He has also represented clients regarding investigations by the U.S. Attorney's Office, Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Defense, and other federal agencies.

Before attending law school, Mr. Crisp worked in the banking and securities industries. He then received his J.D. with a specialization in business law from UCLA School of Law, where he won the 2008 Elliot A. Spoon National Business Law Writing Competition with his article Giving Investors Short Shrift: How Short Sale Constraints Decrease Market Efficiency and a Modest Proposal for Letting More Shorts Go Naked, 8 J. Bus. & Sec. L. 135 (2008).

Representative Matters

Commercial Litigation

• Mr. Crisp is currently defending former owners and managers of Lake at Las Vegas resort regarding a nearly $500 million case alleging, among other claims, breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent transfer.
• Mr. Crisp defended four former senior officers of a bankrupt subprime mortgage lender against a nearly $400 million suit alleging a variety of state and federal law claims, including breach of fiduciary duty and fraudulent transfer. After extensive motion practice substantially narrowing the case, three of the officers were voluntarily dismissed for no payment, and the fourth officer settled for an insurance-funded payment that was well below nuisance value.
• Mr. Crisp defended one of the world's leading semiconductor manufacturers regarding alleged business torts and securities fraud in connection with a $300 million acquisition. Both civil litigation and a government investigation were completely forestalled.

Federal Government Investigations

• Mr. Crisp defended the CEO and Chairman of one of the largest providers of financial and management consulting to government contractors. The matter involved nationwide civil and criminal investigations conducted by various federal agencies and included a two-year Congressional investigation. Mr. Crisp also supervised the numerous related private civil litigations that followed, all of which were successfully resolved.

Other

• During law school, Mr. Crisp co-wrote an amicus curiae brief to the Supreme Court of California that was filed on behalf of Sierra Club, People for Parks, and Lincoln Place Tenants Association. The case addressed a critical issue in the California Environmental Quality Act regarding how public agencies consider the impact of private development. In a landmark decision, the court unanimously sided with the amici's position, and the court's opinion paralleled almost all of the arguments advanced by the amici's brief. Save Tara v. City of West Hollywood, 45 Cal. 4th 116 (2008).

Professional Activities

• Orange County Bar Association
• Association of Business Trial Lawyers

Bar & Court Admissions

• 2008, California
• U.S. District Court, Central District of California