A pair of attorneys defending FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried against one of the biggest white-collar prosecutions in decades are veterans of high-profile cases, including ones involving drug lord El Chapo and disgraced socialite Ghislaine Maxwell.

Mark Cohen and Christian Everdell, former federal prosecutors who are now partners in the New York-based boutique firm Cohen & Gresser, are known for an unflashy, roll-up-their-sleeves style to cases, with a meticulous and persistent approach to building a defence, lawyers who know the men say. The pair are up against hard-charging Justice Department lawyers who moved quickly to indict Bankman-Fried after FTX’s collapse and secured two of his former top lieutenants as cooperating witnesses.