Profile

Preston Pugh is an experienced trial and investigations lawyer and has been appointed as a monitor or deputy monitor three times. Recognized in his law practice for corporate investigations, and having served for several years in the federal government, Mr. Pugh represents corporations and large institutions in internal and government-initiated investigations, litigation that stems from those investigations, and in multiple stages of crisis management, often in cases that have an HR component. Challenges that he has helped clients successfully navigate include alleged executive or key employee misconduct in the workplace, qui tam (False Claims Act) cases, misstatements of financials, workplace violence, trade secrets disputes over important data, regulatory inspections incidents, the full range of employment discrimination litigation, and insider threats.

Mr. Pugh combines his experience as a former Assistant U.S. Attorney, senior compliance investigations counsel at the General Electric Company, and compliance monitor to assist clients operating in competitive and complex markets. He helps clients understand not only whether "noncompliance" occurred, but also the root cause of the concern – not just "putting out fires," but finding an efficient, effective solution that resonates with regulators, eliminates excessive risk in specific areas, and constructs enduring cultural change.

Mr. Pugh was appointed by a federal district court in one of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's (EEOC) largest monitorships to date involving racial discrimination and harassment. At the conclusion of the monitorship, the district court observed, "You're that outsider coming in... Not easy to do, but you did it well...." He was also the first monitor appointed by the Waterfront Commission of New York and New Jersey Harbors, overseeing a stevedore's efforts to root out organized crime. Mr. Pugh currently serves as an appointed deputy monitor in the gaming industry overseeing a company's efforts to prevent, among other things, sexual harassment and discrimination.