About Nicholas C. Harbist
Nicholas Harbist concentrates his practice in complex criminal and commercial litigation. He represents clients in a variety of industries in matters related to:
- Healthcare fraud and abuse, defense contract fraud, securities and tax fraud, environmental crimes, antitrust crimes, FCPA and corruption crimes, export crimes, and general business fraud
- RICO, antitrust, securities, trade secrets, healthcare litigation
- Professional licensing litigation
- Corporate internal investigations
- Corporate compliance programs
- Qui Tam / False Claims Act and whistleblower litigation
Nicholas is a seasoned trial lawyer. He is a former assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (1984–1996), where he served as the special fraud coordinator; and special assistant U.S. attorney involving litigation under the Classified Information Procedures Act. As a federal prosecutor, he conducted hundreds of high-profile investigations and trials. Based on this experience, he developed a keen understanding of the compliance challenges facing corporate boards, CEOs, and licensed professionals.
Nicholas is a nationally recognized lecturer on white collar criminal law topics. He is a featured speaker at the American Bar Association’s Fifteenth Annual International White Collar Crime Institute Conference in London in October 2026. His panel presented “White Collar Crime Hypothetical Exercise Part 1 (Investigations)” and discussed the investigations and the implications for the various parties involved.
Nicholas is a skilled appellate advocate and has argued cases before the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, the New Jersey Supreme Court, and New York Supreme Court.
He is consistently recognized by The International Who’s Who of Business Crime Defense Lawyers and The International Who’s Who of International Investigations Lawyers.
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.
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Experience
- An industry association, in a Civil RICO suit alleging fraud and antitrust violations involving cell phone cloning and obtained a dismissal.
- A developer, in a civil RICO suit alleging a scheme to divest an investor from his interests in a company and obtained a dismissal.
- A high technology company, in connection with a federal investigation of an employee who destroyed the company’s computer design and production programs.
- An international company, in an investigation involving unlawful exports of defense articles, resulting in a declination of criminal charges.
- An executive, in a qui tam investigation, obtained a declination of criminal charges and the largest Relator award in the District of New Jersey in apostal rate fraud case.
- A large New Jersey physical rehabilitation company, in a federal qui tam whistleblower lawsuit, obtained a declination and dismissal.
- Obtained a $265,000,000 settlement in a False Claims Act lawsuit alleging systematic healthcare fraud violations.
- A pharmaceutical executive, in an off-label drug promotion investigation and secured immunity from prosecution.
- A physician, in a professional licensing kickback investigation and received a declination from prosecution.
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.
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News & Views
Events & Webinars / Speaking Engagement
2026 International White Collar Crime InstituteOctober 12–13, 2026
Honors & Awards / Ranking
Blank Rome Attorneys Recognized in 2027 Best Lawyers in America®August 20, 2026
Honor / Honors & Awards
Blank Rome Attorneys Recognized in 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Global Investigations LawyersJuly 13, 2026
Honors & Awards / Ranking
Blank Rome Attorneys Recognized in 2026 Best Lawyers in America®August 21, 2025
Alert / Publications
The Expanding Risk Landscape: DOJ’s Advanced Data Analytics and the Healthcare Fraud Data Fusion CenterJuly 9, 2025
Events & Webinars / Speaking Engagement
Espionage Defense: How to Defend the Indefensible / How Do I Get on the KGB’s Approved Counsel Panel?October 14, 2024
Honors & Awards / Ranking
Blank Rome Attorneys Recognized in 2025 Best Lawyers in America®August 19, 2024
Case / Cases & Deals
Blank Rome Secures Appellate Victory for Retired New Jersey and Federal Law Enforcement OfficialsFebruary 29, 2024
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.
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Recognitions
- AV Preeminent®, listed in Martindale-Hubbell®
- 2018–2027, Criminal Defense: White-Collar in Princeton, listed in Best Lawyers in America©
- 2026, “Leading Global Investigations Lawyers,” listed in Lawdragon
- 2010–2019, listed in The International Who’s Who of Investigations Lawyers
- 2010–2018, “Super Lawyer,” listed in New Jersey and Pennsylvania editions of Super Lawyers
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.
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Memberships
- Philadelphia Bar Association
- New Jersey State Bar Association
- Pennsylvania Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- Camden County Bar Association
- New Jersey Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Burlington County Bar Association
- Association of the Federal Bar of the State of New Jersey
Professional Activities
Nicholas is a member of numerous community and professional organizations. In 2010, he was appointed to serve as National Co-Chair of the American Bar Association’s White Collar Crime Committee. Thereafter, he served as Co-Executive Director of the ABA Criminal Justice Section White Collar Crime Division. As part of his responsibilities, he was a member of the ABA Attorney General’s Advisory Committee that meets regularly with the Attorney General to discuss policy issues. He is the former Vice-Chair of the ABA White Collar Crime Committee for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Nicholas is also a Former Chair of the New Jersey State Bar Association Criminal Law Section and served as a Trustee for the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers for New Jersey. Nicholas also served as a board member of the Long-Range Planning Committee for the Justinian Society.
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.
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Bar Admissions
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
Court Admissions
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
- U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- U.S. District Court - New Jersey
Education
- The College of New Jersey, BS, magna cum laude
- Rutgers University School of Law, Camden, JD, magna cum laude
A description of the standard or methodology on which the accolades are based can be found here.
No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.