Chimso Okoji
Associate
Chimso Okoji is an associate in the litigation and enforcement practice group. He focuses his practice on business and securities litigation, including corporate governance and shareholder suits, deal-related litigation, securities enforcement matters, and other complex commercial disputes at the trial and appellate levels. In addition, Chimso has considerable experience counseling clients on internal and government investigations in a wide range of subject areas.
Chimso maintains an active pro bono practice, representing clients in the District of Columbia courts, as well as federal district courts, in various criminal and civil matters. Prior to law school, Chimso worked as a senior legislative assistant in the United States House of Representatives for a New York member of Congress.
Experience
- Representing a former executive in a derivative action asserting various breaches of fiduciary duties and contract.
- Representing a private equity portfolio company in a state court appeal of a breach of contract claim.
- Represented a private equity sponsor in expedited litigation before the Delaware Court of Chancery in connection with a pre-closing dispute.
- Represented a chief executive officer in litigation against the SEC regarding allegations of insider trading.
- Represented a pharmaceutical manufacturer in a qui tam action on appeal in the Ninth Circuit regarding the scope of liability for off-label promotion.
- Represented a biopharmaceutical company in a successful administrative appeal of an FDA decision.
- Represented several mutual fund investment advisers against claims of excessive fees under Section 36(b) of the Investment Company Act.
- Represented the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) as amicus curiae in the U.S. Supreme Court in a case concerning the False Claims Act.
- Represented an officer and director in advancement litigation, including on appeal to the Delaware Supreme Court.
- Regularly represents private equity, investment management, and public company clients in SEC inquires and enforcement actions involving a range of issues, including insider trading, accounting fraud and other disclosure issues.
Pro Bono
- Part of trial team that represented plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit against a state-run juvenile treatment facility, alleging violations of the Eighth and Fourteen Amendments arising out of excessive and punitive use of solitary confinement and fixed mechanical restraints. Ropes & Gray, along with co-counsel Children’s Rights and Disability Rights Iowa, litigated the case through a two-week trial, securing sweeping injunctive relief under the Fourteenth Amendment and the appointment of a monitor. Team was awarded firm-wide 2020 Pro Bono Team Award.
- Part of litigation team that represented criminal defendant in a wrongful conviction matter, securing an Alford plea, with a sentence of time served, following grant of petition for writ of actual innocence based on DNA evidence undermining homicide convictions and life sentences from trials in 1981 and 1983. Team was awarded firm-wide 2018 Pro Bono Team Award.
Publications
- Contributor, “Federal Claims Based on Land Use Regulation,” Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, Fifth Edition (2021)
Education
- JD, cum laude, The George Washington University Law School, 2017; Articles Editor, The Federal Circuit Bar Journal
- BA (Political Science), Brown University, 2011
Admissions / Qualifications
Qualifications
- District of Columbia, 2017
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, 2020