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  1. Professionals

Cristina I. Calvar

Partner

New York

+1 212-294-5331

Miami

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  • Overview
  • Experience
  • Credentials
  • Insights & News

A strategic litigator, Cristina focuses her practice on white collar matters, regulatory enforcement, complex internal investigations, and parallel civil proceedings. She regularly advises banks, private equity firms, and healthcare providers in high-stakes litigation. As a former federal clerk, Cristina leverages her judicial insight to find creative and effective solutions.

Cristina has represented global corporations, corporate officers and directors, and executives in civil and criminal cases, government and internal investigations, and regulatory enforcement matters, often on multiple fronts at once. Cristina’s investigative experience includes matters brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and state attorneys general. Drawing on her investigatory and trial skills, along with hands-on experience navigating multifaceted representations, Cristina regularly works with clients facing the risk of parallel litigation to develop effective legal strategies. She also has a proven track record of resolving cases through pre-trial motion practice and is a fierce advocate for her clients.

From start to finish, Cristina focuses on the business needs of her clients. She advises clients in a variety of industries, including financial services and health care, on a wide range of issues, including the False Claims Act (FCA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), healthcare fraud, accounting fraud, bribery, money laundering, securities fraud, as well as corporate governance. As part of her practice, Cristina also represents clients in connection with preference and fraudulent transfer claims in bankruptcy adversary proceedings.

Prior to joining the firm, Cristina was a law clerk for the Honorable David C. Guaderrama, United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas. She also interned for the Honorable Alan S. Gold, United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida Federal Public Defender’s Office, and the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office.

Cristina maintains an active pro bono practice. She dedicates time representing clients in civil rights, immigration, and criminal matters.

Key Matters

Selected Representations
  • Represents a Latin American sports television channel in civil RICO litigation in the Southern District of Florida relating to international soccer corruption scandal
  • Represents creditor committees of asbestos claimants in adversary proceedings involving the separation of billions of dollars of asbestos liabilities from solvent company assets
  • Represented a global investment bank in multi-billion-dollar and cross-border investigation arising from three bond offerings in Southeast Asia, along with related shareholder, derivative, and class action securities litigation
  • Represented a rehabilitation therapy provider with nationwide facilities along with certain current and former employees in connection with federal investigations arising from alleged violations of the False Claims Act and related whistleblower suits, and secured declinations from the government on the merits
  • Represented a primary dealer in federal investigations and parallel class actions concerning potential collusion in the market for U.S. Treasury securities
  • Represented a Chicago-based private equity firm in a fraudulent transfer proceeding arising out of allegations of accounting fraud
  • Represented 13 political action committees and secured a pre-trial dismissal concerning alleged breaches of contract with a data and marketing company
  • Represented the court-appointed Examiner in the bankruptcy of Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. in the investigation of fraudulent transfer claims and alleged breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with 27 pre-bankruptcy transactions giving rise to billions of dollars in claims by creditors

  • Super Lawyers: Rising Star, New York Metro, 2017–2022
  • Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, White Collar Defense, 2021–2022
  • Best Lawyers® "Women in the Law," 2022
  • Hispanic National Bar Association: Top Lawyers Under 40, 2021

Cristina is a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association, the New York City Bar Association, and the Hispanic National Bar Association. She is also a member of the Federal Bar Council, the secretary of the Council’s Diversity Committee, and a board member of the Federal Bar Foundation. Cristina serves on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and the New York Office’s Associate Evaluation Committee.

Capabilities

Bankruptcy Litigation & Investigations
Commercial Litigation & Disputes
Compliance Programs
Crisis Management
Financial Services Transactions & Regulatory
Government Investigations, Enforcement & Compliance
Government Program Fraud, False Claims Act & Qui Tam Litigation
Litigation/Trials
Restructuring & Insolvency

Key Matters

Selected Representations
  • Represents a Latin American sports television channel in civil RICO litigation in the Southern District of Florida relating to international soccer corruption scandal
  • Represents creditor committees of asbestos claimants in adversary proceedings involving the separation of billions of dollars of asbestos liabilities from solvent company assets
  • Represented a global investment bank in multi-billion-dollar and cross-border investigation arising from three bond offerings in Southeast Asia, along with related shareholder, derivative, and class action securities litigation
  • Represented a rehabilitation therapy provider with nationwide facilities along with certain current and former employees in connection with federal investigations arising from alleged violations of the False Claims Act and related whistleblower suits, and secured declinations from the government on the merits
  • Represented a primary dealer in federal investigations and parallel class actions concerning potential collusion in the market for U.S. Treasury securities
  • Represented a Chicago-based private equity firm in a fraudulent transfer proceeding arising out of allegations of accounting fraud
  • Represented 13 political action committees and secured a pre-trial dismissal concerning alleged breaches of contract with a data and marketing company
  • Represented the court-appointed Examiner in the bankruptcy of Caesars Entertainment Operating Co. in the investigation of fraudulent transfer claims and alleged breaches of fiduciary duty in connection with 27 pre-bankruptcy transactions giving rise to billions of dollars in claims by creditors

Credentials

Education

Cristina received her J.D., cum laude, from Notre Dame Law School, where she was an editor of the Journal of Legislation. She received a B.A. in political science and B.F.A. in dance, with high honors, from the University of Michigan.

    Admissions
    • Florida
    • New York
    Clerkships
    • USDC - Western District of TX for the Honorable David C. Guaderrama
    • USDC - Western District of TX for the Honorable David C. Guaderrama

    Related Insights & News

    • “2023 DOJ FCA Enforcement: Expectations for Future,” Bloomberg Law, April 5, 2024
    • “Supreme Court’s False Claims Ruling Leaves Plenty to Litigate,” Bloomberg Law, 2023
    • “DOJ Announces First Settlement to Resolve Alleged FCA Violations by a PPP Borrower and Its CEO,” Mondaq, 2021
    • “SBA Guidance Addresses FCA and FIRREA Liability for PPP Lenders,” Client Alert, 2020
    • “Mitigating FCA Liability Risks from Covid-19 Relief Programs,” Bloomberg Law, 2020
    • “DOJ’s Civil Division Issues Valuable Guidance on False Claims Act Self-Disclosure, Cooperation, and Remediation Credit,” Westlaw Journal Government Contract, 2019
    • “What Can Be Learned from the DOJ’s 2018 False Claims Act Recoveries,” Pratt’s Government Contracting Law Report, 2019
    • “Analysis of the DOJ’s Reported US$3.7 Billion in False Claims Act Recoveries in FY 2017 Reveals Continued Aggressive Use of the False Claims Act by the Government and Qui Tam Relators,” Pratt’s Government Contracting Law Report, 2018
    • “When a Civil Enforcement Action Turns Criminal,” New York Women’s Bar Association, 2018
    • “DOJ’s Criminal Fraud Section Provides Valuable Guidance on the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs,” Client Alert, 2017
    • “Keeping Up with Upjohn: Preserving Attorney-Client Privilege in Corporate Internal Investigations,” New York State Bar Association Journal, 2016
    • “Twiqbal: A Political Tool,” Journal of Legislation, Volume 37, 2012
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    Capabilities

    Bankruptcy Litigation & Investigations
    Commercial Litigation & Disputes
    Compliance Programs
    Crisis Management
    Financial Services Transactions & Regulatory
    Government Investigations, Enforcement & Compliance
    Government Program Fraud, False Claims Act & Qui Tam Litigation
    Litigation/Trials
    Restructuring & Insolvency
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