About Jay

Jay R. Nanavati is an accomplished litigator, a former federal tax prosecutor, and a founding partner of Kostelanetz LLP's Washington, D.C., office. He has developed an enviable record of success in persuading the government to terminate investigations of his clients and in defeating the government in court. Mr. Nanavati maintains a nationwide practice, focusing on white-collar criminal defense with an emphasis on tax-related matters. He represents individuals and entities facing investigations and prosecutions by the IRS, the FBI, state investigative agencies, U.S. Attorney’s offices, and the Department of Justice Tax Division. His clients rely on his ability to analyze cases from the government’s perspective and trust his sound judgment to guide them through their most difficult challenges. Mr. Nanavati spent more than a decade as both a federal and a state prosecutor. He supervised more than 30 federal tax prosecutors and oversaw criminal tax enforcement for a region covering 22 states. He is a veteran trial lawyer, having conducted dozens of jury trials and hundreds of bench trials. Mr. Nanavati is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a member of the ABA’s Section of Taxation, Civil and Criminal Tax Penalties Committee, as well as of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section, White Collar Crime Committee, and a member of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court. From 2013 to 2016, Mr. Nanavati assisted the White House Office of Presidential Personnel in a pro bono capacity by vetting potential presidential appointees for possible tax-related problems.Background Department of Justice Tax Division, Assistant Chief for the Western Criminal Enforcement Section; Counsel to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Matters; Trial Attorney Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fairfax County, Virginia Law Clerk for Chief Judge Hector M. Laffitte of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico

Practice Areas

Education

• University of Virginia, J.D., graduated 1999
• University of Virginia, B.A., Government and Foreign Affairs, graduated 1996

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia, District of Columbia
• Virginia, Virginia

Languages