Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, announced that N. Richard “Dick” Janis has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the Corporate Investigations & White Collar Defense practice. Prior to joining Manatt, Janis was a founding partner of and for more than 30 years managed the law firm of Janis, Schuelke & Wechsler, one of Washington’s premier white collar criminal boutiques.
Janis focuses his practice on the defense of white collar investigations and prosecutions of corporations and individual clients. He also handles a variety of civil matters, and often counsels corporations, their officers and their Boards of Directors in matters ranging from antitrust enforcement to shareholder derivative claims.
“Dick is one of the best known and highly regarded white collar lawyers in the country. His decades of experience and expansive skill set are top notch and serve his broad range of clients well,” said John Libby, Co-Chair of Manatt’s Corporate Investigations & White Collar Defense practice. “Dick is an important addition and we are thrilled to welcome him to the firm.”
Janis has extensive experience in a wide range of criminal matters, including numerous investigations outside of the United States; procurement fraud investigations and parallel administrative proceedings involving proposed suspension and debarment; a variety of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations; antitrust investigations, including allegations of illegal market sharing agreements; SEC investigations, including allegations of insider trading; investigations involving U.S. export control violations; as well as public corruption investigations with allegations of bribery and kickbacks involving members of Congress, state government officials, Foreign Service Officers and foreign diplomats.
“The strategic growth of our East Coast litigation capabilities and our Washington, D.C. presence are among the firm’s top priorities,” said William T. Quicksilver, Manatt’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner. “The addition of a litigator of Dick’s unique experience, judgment and talent enhances our already considerable national white collar team.”
On joining the firm, Janis remarked that he “was overwhelmingly impressed by Manatt’s leadership and its strategic vision, as well as by the incredible depth and quality of its lawyers. Furthermore, Manatt’s litigation practice is nationally recognized for having a tremendous commitment to client service and for having a fantastic team of trial lawyers. I very much look forward to working with such a talented group and to expanding my offering to clients as part of the firm’s national platform.”
Janis is currently representing two senior executives of BP with respect to investigations being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, as well as with respect to the multi-district litigation regarding the Deepwater Horizon incident. Among the more notable cases with which Janis has been involved are the Iran-Contra matter, in which he represented Albert Hakim, who was indicted in the principal case along with John Poindexter, Oliver North and Richard Secord; the “Ill Wind” case, in which he represented a major defense contractor; the Bank of Credit and Commerce International case, in which his law firm was lead counsel for BCCI; the WorldCom case, in which he represented the company’s vice president and controller; and a number of Independent Counsel and congressional investigations.
In addition to serving clients, Janis has a long history of public and professional service. He began his career at the Department of Justice as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. He was appointed to the American Bar Association’s Presidential Task Force on the Attorney-Client Privilege and also serves as a Vice Chair of the White Collar Crime Committee of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Janis has served first as a member and then as the Chairman of a Hearing Committee for the D.C. Bar’s Board of Professional Responsibility, and subsequently he served as a member, Vice Chair and then Chair of the Committee on Grievances of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Janis is a Master of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court in Washington and has been elected to membership in The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation.
Janis earned a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Manatt’s Corporate Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice has a proven track record of success in defending corporate and individual clients in high-profile investigations and prosecutions. Companies and their executives regularly call on Manatt to represent them in complex criminal, regulatory, and congressional matters, as well as in the parallel civil litigation that often accompanies those inquiries. The team includes lawyers who previously served as federal or state prosecutors, federal public defenders, and SEC officials, and who have significant experience in crisis management and in dealing with the media.
