Jennifer L. Beidel

Member


As befits someone who grew up on a livestock farm, Jennifer Beidel serves as a clear-eyed shepherd and steadfast guardian for her clients. As befits a former federal prosecutor, she is also a highly effective advocate who uses the insights, investigative experience, and courtroom acumen she gained in that role to guide and protect organizations and individuals in internal investigations, corporate compliance matters, and white-collar criminal defense cases.

Persuasive and personable, a steady hand, and a strategic thinker, Jennifer is an invaluable ally for those anticipating or facing governmental and regulatory scrutiny. While she eschews a one-size-fits-all approach to her work, Jennifer's goal is always the same: avoiding or minimizing risk, disruption, and costs. In civil and criminal matters involving a broad range of regulatory regimes, she protects the interests of a diverse cross-section of clients in heavily regulated industries, including healthcare, life sciences, food and agriculture, cannabis, and financial services. In Chambers USA 2022-23, clients note that Jen is “great on her feet, terrific with witnesses, efficient and organized. She’s a smart and savvy lawyer who is highly experienced when it comes to the courtroom.”

Leveraging her extensive investigative background and ease of interacting with individuals at all levels of an organization, Jennifer conducts thorough internal investigations that can expose and neutralize red flags before they draw the government's attention. Her objective is to understand what happened and why, identify and remediate vulnerabilities, and produce actionable results that can minimize the chances of similar problems in the future.

Similarly, Jennifer's compliance consulting helps her clients understand their regulatory obligations and how they intersect with their business and operational realities. She develops workable, tailored programs, policies, and protocols to keep her clients on the right side of the compliance fence. 

When investigators or prosecutors come calling, Jennifer brings her extensive public and private sector trial experience to bear, combining forceful advocacy and a practical, problem-solving approach. While never hesitant to go toe-to-toe with the government, she also recognizes that the best results often come well before a matter reaches the courthouse steps. Her litigation experience includes federal and state jury trials, sentencings, plea and bail hearings, FINRA arbitrations, mediations, and multiple appellate arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit.

During her years as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, Jennifer was a member of the Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. She led investigations and prosecutions in various areas, including tax fraud, healthcare fraud, cybercrime, bank and wire fraud, securities fraud, consumer fraud, bribery, and money laundering. Jennifer also worked closely with numerous government agencies, including the FBI, SEC, IRS, DEA, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Labor, Secret Service, Postal Inspection Service, and New York State Department of Financial Services. As many of her investigations were international in scope, Jennifer also worked closely with the governments of various foreign partners, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, and the Dominican Republic.

Jennifer writes and speaks frequently on agriculture and white-collar criminal defense topics. She is also passionate about paying things forward, mentoring and supporting young women and people of color in the legal profession.

Whether in investigations or prosecutions, I try to see everything through the eyes of a judge or jury, even though my ultimate goal is to prevent my clients from ever seeing a judge or jury in the first place.
    • J.D., summa cum laude, Penn State The Dickinson School of Law, 2006, 
                                                    • Thomas A. Beckley Prize for Legal Writing
                                                    • Order of Barristers
                                                    • Articles Editor, Penn State Law Review
                                                    • Member, Woolsack Honor Society
                                                    • Member, Appellate Moot Court Board
                                                    • Member, American Trial Lawyers' Association Moot Court Team
    • B.S., summa cum laude, The Pennsylvania State University, 2003
                                                    • National Public Speaking Award
                                                    • College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society Outstanding Senior Award
  • Bar Admissions

    • Michigan
    • New York
    • Pennsylvania
  • Court Admissions

    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
    • U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania
    • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
    • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
    • Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® for Criminal Defense: White-Collar, 2024

    • Named a Pennsylvania Leading Lawyer by Chambers USA in Litigation – White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, 2021-2023

    • Named a "Future Star" by Benchmark Litigation, 2023

    • Named one of Pennsylvania's "Lawyers on the Fast Track" by The Legal Intelligencer, 2013

    • Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Outstanding Recent Alumni Award, 2011

    • Penn State Armsby Agriculture Honor Society Member

    • Co-chair of Partnerships and Programs Committee and Board Member, Philadelphia Bar Foundation, 2020-Present

    • Selection Committee, When There Are Nine Scholarship Project, 2020-Present

    • Women's White Collar Defense Association, National Branding Committee Member, 2019-Present; Rankings Committee Liaison for the Philadelphia Chapter

    • Member, Pennsylvania Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, 2019-Present

    • Member, Federal Criminal Law Committee, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, 2019-Present

    • Member, Women in Criminal Justice Committee, American Bar Association, 2019-Present

    • Past Board Member, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences Alumni Society

    • Past Board Member, Penn State Agriculture Advocates Alumni Society

    • Past Animal Science Advisory Board Member, W.B. Saul High School of Agricultural Sciences

    • Past Board Member, Wissahickon Charter School

Latest News and Insights

Press Mentions8.31.23

"Paxton Walks Constitutional Tightrope In Impeachment Case"

Jen Beidel was quoted in the Law360 article, "Paxton Walks Constitutional Tightrope In Impeachment…

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Press Releases8.17.23

194 Dykema Lawyers Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 and Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch”

Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that 194 of its attorneys, in multiple practice…

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Press Mentions8.15.23

The Wall Street Journal Turns to Jen Beidel for Commentary on Politcally Charged Federal Criminal Case

Jen Beidel was quoted in The Wall Street Journal story, "Trump Fuses 2024 Election and Criminal…

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