Photo of Chad Johnson

Chad Johnson

Co-Founding Partner, Johnson Van Kwawegen

646-836-9660chad@jvk-law.com

485 Madison Ave
15th Floor
New York, NY 10022

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Chad Johnson is co-founding partner of Johnson Van Kwawegen. Johnson was a Deputy Attorney General for the State of New York and led the State’s securities fraud prosecution bureau referred to as the Investor Protection Bureau. Johnson was also a partner with the white shoe law firms of Latham & Watkins and Quinn Emanuel. Johnson has the rare combination of deep experience as a securities fraud prosecutor, a plaintiffs’ attorney, and as a defense attorney. Johnson has also successfully tried cases before numerous courts on behalf of investors.

Lawdragon Honors

Honor Year Practice
The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers 2026 Plaintiff Class Actions
The 2026 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2026 Securities, Financial & Whistleblower Litigation
The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2025 Securities, Financial & Whistleblower Litigation
The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers 2025 Plaintiff Class Actions
The 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America 2025 Plaintiff Securities Litigation
The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2024 Securities, Financial & Whistleblower Litigation
The 2024 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America 2024 Plaintiff Securities Litigation
The 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2023 Securities, Financial & Whistleblower Litigation
The 2022 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2022 Securities, Financial & Whistleblower Litigation
The 2021 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2021 Securities, Financial & Whistleblower Litigation
The 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2020 Securities Litigation
Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers 2019 Securities Litigation

Johnson advises institutional and individual investors on all matters related to the recovery of funds resulting from securities fraud, corporate mismanagement, and other misconduct. Johnson’s experience includes more than 30 years as securities litigator for the investing public, private investors, and defendants.

In his role as Deputy Attorney General for the State of New York and as a securities fraud prosecutor, Johnson helped achieve historic RMBS recoveries of $16.65 billion from Bank of America and $13 billion from JPMorgan Chase. These are among the largest financial recoveries in U.S. history.

In the private sector, Johnson’s work has resulted in over $10 billion in recoveries for investors, including:

$6+ billion recovered in the WorldCom securities litigation

$1 billion recovered in the Dell Class V litigation

$920 million recovered in the options backdating derivative suit against United Health

$627 million recovered in the Wachovia securities litigation

$311 million recovered in the Williams securities litigation

$208 million recovered in the Washington Mutual securities litigation

$122 million recovered in the Viacom stockholders’ litigation

$100 million recovered in the Pattern Energy stockholders’ litigation


Johnson regularly advises asset managers, sovereign wealth funds, private equity funds, public pension funds, hedge funds, and individual investors on strategies for recovering funds in the U.S. and abroad.

Johnson earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan.