Ketan Bhirud

Member

Recent Publication:

State AGs Mean Business: What 2024 Elections Mean for Companies

In this article for Reuters/WestLaw, Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu analyze the potential impact the upcoming AG elections may have on businesses.

The former deputy general counsel of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a senior executive under both Republican and Democratic attorneys general in the Nevada AG’s Office, Ketan has guided clients through lawsuits and enforcement actions led by state AGs, the FTC, the CFPB, and other government agencies. He has litigated over 100 matters as lead counsel, achieving significant wins at trial, including obtaining complete defense verdicts for defendants and hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries for plaintiffs.

At the Nevada Attorney General’s Office, Ketan supervised high-stakes litigation, investigations, and regulatory actions. This experience, underpinned by his more than 10 years as a litigator in private practice, provides him with a deep understanding of the workings of state AG offices and the actions they bring. He is uniquely equipped to counsel clients to avoid high-risk practices that could lead to regulatory inquiry and defend them should they become subject to investigation or litigation. At the Department of Homeland Security, he supervised 1,400 attorneys over six agencies, conducting regulatory actions, investigations, litigation, and appeals, and advised numerous senior officials, including the DHS secretary and deputy secretary.

Ketan’s clients span a wide range of industries, including technology, financial services, real estate, pharmaceuticals, automotive, tobacco, gaming, and insurance. He has particular knowledge of consumer finance regulation, having managed several multimillion-dollar investigations involving large financial institutions, including Nevada’s involvement in a $470 million joint state-federal settlement with a mortgage lender and servicer to address mortgage origination, servicing, and foreclosure abuses. He also has a deep understanding of the challenges facing companies operating in the gaming industry and drafted the first-ever U.S. government opinion concerning whether daily fantasy sports constituted gambling while serving as counsel to the Nevada Gaming Control Board.

Ketan’s deep and broad subject matter knowledge encompasses the full panoply of issues that attract the attention of regulators, from antitrust to consumer protection and data privacy. He is thoughtful and creative in developing defensive strategies, and his proposed solutions have frequently been adopted by state AGs to bring new actions. For example, in a recent action in which his client was alleged to have employed unfair business practices, Ketan asserted novel counterclaims that were successfully filed for the first time in the United States. Several AGs took note of that action and are now pursuing similar claims against other companies in the industry. 

News

Nearly 100 Cozen O’Connor Lawyers, 27 Practices Earn Top Recognition in Chambers USA 2024 Guide

June 10, 2024

Chambers USA rankings are based on an “assessment of a firm’s work and opinions from external market sources, with an emphasis on client feedback.” In order to be ranked in the guide, lawyers and firms must demonstrate “sustained excellence.”

Cozen O’Connor Adds Former Chief Litigation Counsel at the Nevada AG’s Office Ketan D. Bhirud to its State Attorneys General Practice

October 30, 2023

Bhirud, who comes to the firm from Troutman Pepper, joins the firm as a member and will work out of Cozen O’Connor’s Washington, D.C., office.

Publications

State AGs Mean Business: What 2024 Elections Mean for Companies

October 22, 2024

In this article for Reuters/WestLaw, Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu analyze the potential impact the upcoming AG elections may have on businesses.

Examining State AGs’ Use of Outside Counsel

October 16, 2024

Ketan Bhirud was a guest on FedSoc’s Fourth Branch Podcast to discuss state AGs’ use of outside counsel.

Navigating Complex Regulatory Terrain Amid State AG Races

October 09, 2024

In Law360 Ketan Bhirud and Dustin McDaniel analyze the candidates in the 2024 state AG elections and suggest ways businesses can mitigate risk as AGs transition.

A year since 'Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard': State attorneys general are split on DEI programs

August 23, 2024

In this article for Reuters/WestLaw Ketan Bhirud and Simeon Brier review where state AGs stand on DEI and analyze potential legal risks for businesses.

NRA Ruling Gives Companies a Tool to Fight Anti-DEI Pressure

July 11, 2024

In Bloomberg Law, Ketan Bhirud and Meghan Stoppel discuss how a recent SCOTUS ruling gives companies a valuable legal framework.

CFPB's New Registration Rule Will Intensify Nonbank Scrutiny

July 09, 2024

In Law360 Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu examine the new CFPB rule that could reshape the landscape of nonbank financial regulation.

What California's new 'hidden fees statute' means for businesses

June 25, 2024

Keturah Taylor and Ketan Bhirud address the new California law requiring disclosure of all mandatory fees, and what businesses in The Golden State can do to prepare.

The Multifaceted State AG Response To New Technologies

April 05, 2024

In Law360 Ketan Bhirud and Emily Yu discuss emerging technologies and how state AGs are navigating the complex terrain.

What's On The Horizon In Attorney General Enforcement [Law360]

February 20, 2024

In Law360 Ketan Bhirud, Chris Allen and Emily Yu discuss how recent state AG enforcement actions offer a taste of what’s to come in 2024.

Pa. 'Skill Games' Ruling Could Chill Gambling Crackdowns

December 01, 2023

Ketan Bhirud is quoted in Law360 on a recent ruling that could have wide repercussions for Pennsylvania’s legal gambling industry.

Education

  • University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., 2006
  • University of California, Los Angeles, B.A., 2003

Awards & Honors

Chambers & Partners USA 2023-2024; Band 3 in Government Relations: State Attorneys General

Nevada Super Lawyers (2013 – 2014)

Nevada Business, Nevada’s Legal Elite (2014 – 2018)

 

  • District of Columbia
  • California
  • Minnesota
  • Nevada
  • Virginia
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

Board Member, Law360’s Sports & Betting Editorial Advisory Board

Former Board Member, Red Cross of Nevada (2013-2017)

Former Board Member, State Bar of Nevada Disciplinary Committee (2013-2018)