M. Kendall Day

M. Kendall Day is a nationally recognized white-collar defense attorney and partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Washington, D.C. office. He co-chairs the firm’s Fintech and Digital Assets and Financial Institutions Practice Groups and also helps lead the Anti-Money Laundering practice. Mr. Day is widely respected for handling high-stakes investigations and enforcement matters involving financial institutions, fintech companies, and global corporations. His work spans AML/BSA compliance, white-collar criminal defense, sanctions, FCPA, fraud, and internal investigations.

Mr. Day earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2002, where he won the Lile Moot Court Competition and received the Margaret G. Hyde Graduation Award. He graduated with honors and highest distinction from the University of Kansas in 1999 with a B.A. in Italian Literature and Humanities.

Before joining Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Mr. Day spent 15 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, ultimately serving as Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division—the DOJ’s highest-ranking career position. In that leadership role, he supervised hundreds of federal prosecutors and directed some of the nation’s most complex and high‑profile criminal investigations, including cases involving corporate misconduct, money laundering, tax fraud, and public corruption. Earlier in his DOJ tenure, he personally prosecuted major cases against members of Congress and other senior political figures.

In private practice, M. Kendall Day represents clients in investigations by the DOJ, SEC, OFAC, FinCEN, and other regulatory bodies. He has secured favorable outcomes such as non-prosecution agreements and declinations in high-profile matters, including for clients in the cryptocurrency, biotech, health care, and financial sectors. He is consistently ranked by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, Best Lawyers in America®, and Lawdragon 500. Mr. Day is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
• Member, American Bar Association

Licensed State

• District of Columbia
• Virginia

Education

• University of Virginia
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Kansas
  Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Awards & Badges