Jake M. Shields

Jake M. Shields is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office where he is a member of the Litigation, White Collar, and False Claims Act practice groups.

Jake’s practice focuses on government investigations and civil litigation. Jake has particular expertise in the False Claims Act (FCA), but also works on matters in the areas of consumer protection, complex business disputes, and antitrust/competition. Jake has industry expertise in health care, life sciences, government contracting, and financial services. 

Prior to joining Gibson Dunn, Jake was a Senior Trial Counsel at the U.S. Department of Justice, having split his time over an eight-year career between the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and the Antitrust Division’s Technology and Digital Platforms Section.

At the Civil Division, Jake investigated and litigated cases under the FCA on behalf of the federal government. Jake was involved in dozens of FCA matters that collectively resulted in the recovery of hundreds of millions of dollars to the United States, including respectively the single largest civil recoveries in the history of two separate federal jurisdictions (Houston and Nashville). Jake also served as lead counsel in the first FCA litigation DOJ filed against a government contractor for alleged cybersecurity violations, and was involved in DOJ’s enforcement of the FCA against private equity and other investment firms.

At the Antitrust Division, Jake served as a member of the litigation team in the Google search antitrust enforcement action.

Prior to joining the Justice Department, Jake spent twelve years in private practice at two prominent international law firms in New York and Washington D.C. where his practice focused on complex civil litigation and appeals.

Jake has experience handling matters involving allegations of healthcare, financial, customs, and procurement fraud, as well as violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, Stark Law, Tariff Act, Sherman Act, and state consumer protection and anti-discrimination laws. Jake has also handled business disputes, including claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, unjust enrichment, and common law fraud. 

At Gibson, Jake has led a number of FCA matters, specifically in the areas of (i) Medicare Advantage, (ii) the Anti-Kickback Statute, (iii) Drug Pricing/Rebates, (iv) Cybersecurity, (v) DEI/Civil Rights, (vi) Antitrust/Bid Rigging, (vii) Grant Fraud, and (viii) Pandemic/Loan Fraud. 

In addition to his investigations practice, Jake has litigated a variety of significant matters in federal and state courts across the country as counsel to both plaintiffs and defendants—including on behalf of the federal government. Jake has also briefed and argued appeals in multiple federal circuit and state appellate courts.

Jake received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served on the editorial board of the Virginia Law Review. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College. Following law school, Jake clerked for the Honorable Emilio M. Garza on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Select Representations:

• Representing a large pharmaceutical company in a declined qui tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act in the Southern District of New York alleging violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute through certain speaker programs. 
• Representing a large Medicare Advantage insurer in a False Claims Act investigation based on allegations of improper denials and adjustments of coverage. 
• Representing a large government contractor in a cybersecurity investigation under the False Claims Act.
• Representing a large government contractor in a DEI investigation under the False Claims Act.
• Representing a government contractor in a bid rigging investigation under the False Claims Act and Sherman Act.
• Representing a prominent university in a grant fraud investigation under the False Claims Act. 
• Representing a large health insurance company in connection with a drug pricing/rebate investigation under the False Claims Act. 
• Representing a pharmaceutical company in a False Claims Act investigation regarding alleged violations of the Anti-kickback Statute and restrictions on off-label marketing of drugs.
• Representing a government contractor in the healthcare sector in a cybersecurity and offshoring investigation under the False Claims Act.
• Achieving a declination and voluntary dismissal by relator in a qui tam action against a private equity firm and its former portfolio company with respect to a loan made pursuant to the Payment Protection Program.
• Advising a pharmaceutical company in connection with potential antitrust claims. 
• Advising a number of companies on False Claims Act risks in the area of customs and tariff enforcement.
• Advising a number of companies on False Claims Act risks in the area of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.

Speaking Engagements:

• Moderator, “False Claims Act Investigations in a Time of New Policy Priorities,” ABA Criminal Justice and Health Law Sections, Qui Tam & Civil False Claims and Healthcare Fraud Institute 2026, Washington, D.C., May 28, 2026.
• Speaker, “False Claims Act: Cutting Edge Areas of Enforcement,” Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Houston, TX, April 28, 2026.
• Panelist, “Developments in False Claims Act Cybersecurity Enforcement,” Georgia Bar Association’s Privacy & Technology 2026 Forum, Atlanta, GA, March 4, 2026.
• Moderator, “Cybersecurity Enforcement Under the False Claims Act,” Federal Bar Association’s 2026 Qui Tam Conference, Washington, D.C., February 19, 2026.
• Panelist, “Up the Chain: Third-Party Exposure for Private Equity, Consultants, and Funders,” ACI’s False Claims and Qui Tam Enforcement Conference, New York, NY, January 28, 2026.
• Panelist, “Private Equity and Its Increasing Role in Healthcare,” 2026 South Carolina Bar Convention, Health Care Law Section, Savannah, GA, January 22, 2026.
• Panelist, “The False Claims Act: How In-House Counsel Can Prepare and Respond to Emerging Threats and Escalating Damage,” Government Investigations & Civil Litigation Institute, Santa Fe, NM, November 13, 2025.
• Speaker, “False Claims Act Enforcement in the New Administration: DEI, Immigration, and Trade,” Annual Conference of the American Petroleum Labor Lawyers Association, Houston, TX, October 24, 2025.
• Panelist, “Cybersecurity Fraud Enforcement: Key Developments and Issues,” panel sponsored by American Bar Association Public Contract Law Section Procurement Fraud and False Claims Committee and the Cybersecurity Privacy and Emerging Technology Committee, Washington, D.C., June 3, 2025.
• Panelist, “CMMC and Cybersecurity Enforcement in Higher Education,” PreVail Higher Education Summitt, May 13, 2025.
• Panelist, “Expanding the Scope: Private Equity Liability in False Claims Act Cases,” ACI’s False Claims and Qui Tam Enforcement Conference, New York, NY, January 28, 2025.
• Co-Chair, “The Government and Modern FCA Practice,” Federal Bar Association’s 2024 Qui Tam Conference, Washington, D.C., February 23, 2024.

Publications:

• Jake M. Shields, Michael R. Dziuban, & Andrew Becker, Trump Tariffs Promise Increased False Claims Act Scrutiny for Companies Throughout the Import Chain, Global Trade Magazine, April 23, 2025.
• Jake M. Shields, Michael R. Dziuban, & Danilo Risteski, Assessing PE Risk After Mass. False Claims Act Amendments, Law360, February 28, 2025.
• Jake M. Shields & Ellen Bowden McIntyre, Illegal Payment of Kickbacks to Medicare Beneficiaries: Routine Copayment Waivers, Copayment Assistance Charities, and Free Items and Services, Department of Justice Journal of Law and Practice, v. 70. n. 3, August 2022. 

Press Mentions:

• Quoted in: Fraser Tennant, Intensified Enforcement: Trade Fraud Task Force Targets Trade Violations, Financier Worldwide, January 2026.
• Quoted in: Tom Auchterlone, Massachusetts Pressures GPs with False Claim Act Update, Private Funds CFO, August 4, 2025.
• Quoted in: Corrine Ramey, Battling Tariff Fraud Is a Little-Known Front in Trump’s Trade War, Wall Street Journal, July 14, 2025.