Jackson Lewis LLP, one of the largest workplace law firms in the world representing management, is pleased to announce the formation of its White Collar & Government Enforcement Practice Group. This new practice group will counsel corporations, institutions, business executives and other professionals facing federal or state investigations and enforcement actions. In addition, the firm also announced that former Assistant U.S. Attorney James M. Lord has joined its Denver office as Partner. Mr. Lord brings to Jackson Lewis many years of experience as a federal prosecutor and will be an integral part of the new practice group.
“In today’s highly regulated environment, employers are facing increased scrutiny resulting in government investigations, enforcement actions and criminal proceedings. We created this group to help corporate clients navigate these matters,” said Jackson Lewis Firm Chairman Vincent A. Cino. “We have an outstanding group of litigators across the country with prosecutorial experience and are extremely pleased that Jim Lord, a successful federal prosecutor, will be joining this team and helping launch our White Collar & Government Enforcement Practice Group,” Mr. Cino added.
The White Collar & Government Enforcement Practice will assist clients in strengthening compliance programs, responding to government inquiries and investigations and defending subsequent legal actions where necessary. Led by Practice Group Chair, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney, Paul Kelly in the Boston office, with Jim Lord based in Denver, the group consists of Kevin Lashus in Austin, John Commisso and Sarah Walsh, also in Boston, Larry Shulman in Detroit, and Stacey Bastone in Long Island. The attorneys comprising the Practice have previously served as former federal or state prosecutors, as enforcement attorneys at the Department of Justice (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security or other government agencies, or have practiced in the white collar specialty area for many years.
These attorneys are well-versed in the defense of virtually any type of white collar criminal action that may be brought against a corporation or individual client. They have particular expertise in criminal and enforcement matters related to workplace law, such as corporate compliance and governance, immigration and worksite enforcement actions, health care fraud investigations, and tax matters. In addition, they advise clients on antitrust matters; fraud charges (finance, government contracts, mail and wire fraud); professional license and disciplinary proceedings; securities violations and financial crime investigations, money laundering, embezzlement, racketeering, bribery and kickback claims; environmental enforcement; and other alleged violations of federal and state law. The attorneys in the group also have experience with international extradition proceedings.
James Lord’s practice at Jackson Lewis will concentrate on white collar criminal defense, False Claims Act and qui tam/whistleblower defense, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters, internal investigations, corporate governance and compliance issues, regulatory training, and asset recovery and repatriation.
“I am pleased to join Jackson Lewis and return to the full-time practice of law,” said Mr. Lord. “I look forward to working with an impressive group of litigators and contributing to a new and growing White Collar & Government Enforcement Practice Group that complements the firm’s other employment law practice areas.”
Mr. Lord is a seasoned trial lawyer who served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Seattle for over 20 years. During his tenure as a federal prosecutor, he served as Chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force, Coordinator of the Corporate Fraud Task Force, a Member of the Financial Investigations Review Team, an Asset Forfeiture & Money Laundering attorney, and a Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) attorney for the Western District of Washington. In these roles, he managed accounting fraud, securities fraud, healthcare fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, money laundering, cybercrime, intellectual property, theft of trade secrets, and organized crime investigations.
Many of Mr. Lord’s DOJ investigations were international in scope. He served as an Expert Advisor on behalf of the DOJ at international conferences hosted for law enforcement from Bulgaria, Cameroon, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Rwanda, Russia, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Uganda, the Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Moreover, he served as the DOJ’s Intermittent Legal Adviser (ILA) to Tanzania, where he provided training on anti-corruption and asset recovery issues, provided guidance on high-level corruption investigations, and drafted anti-bribery legislation.
After leaving the DOJ, Mr. Lord served as a Senior Director for an international consulting firm, where his practice focused on conducting risk assessments and compliance reviews, assisting with internal investigations, conducting regulatory training for multi-national companies and foreign sovereigns, and managing international “due diligence” investigations.
Mr. Lord presently serves on the Anti-Corruption Steering Committee and the Africa Committee for the ABA’s International Law Section. He also serves as co-chair of the internal investigations subcommittee of the Corporate Compliance Committee for the ABA’s Business Law Section. He is a frequent speaker at compliance and bar association conferences on anti-corruption, corporate compliance, and internal investigation topics. Mr. Lord received his B.A. cum laude from Vanderbilt University in 1981 and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1984.
“With our group’s collective experience, we understand the increased risks our clients face from new and complex regulations and heightened scrutiny and enforcement activity,” said Paul Kelly, Partner and Chair of White Collar & Government Enforcement Practice Group. “Jim Lord adds substantial bench strength to our group with his extensive Department of Justice experience.”
