International law firm McDermott Will & Emery today announced the appointments of two prominent partners to its global White Collar & Securities Defense Practice Group.
Todd Harrison, a highly experienced trial lawyer who has held lead or first-chair responsibility in more than 40 jury trials in federal and state courts, will be based in the Firm’s New York office. Michael Wynne, a veteran trial lawyer and former Assistant U.S. Attorney, will be based in Houston.
The moves are part of a larger strategy as McDermott continues the global expansion of its White Collar practice with the addition of top-notch trial attorneys who have distinguished themselves in both the public and private sectors. Other recent additions include A. Marisa Chun, formerly the Deputy Associate Attorney General at the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Washington, D.C., in the Firm’s Silicon Valley office, and Marcos D. Jiménez, who served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, based in the Firm’s Miami and New York offices.
Mr. Harrison joins McDermott from a prominent New York law firm where he defended corporate clients and individuals in white-collar criminal and regulatory investigations. He previously served as a Manhattan Assistant District Attorney for 5 years and as an Assistant United States Attorney in New York for 6 years where he handled complex, high profile matters, including terrorism, money laundering, securities violations, racketeering and a wide range of fraud cases.
With a keen interest in public service, Mr. Harrison left private practice for two years to serve as Chief Counsel for Oversight and Investigations for the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. In this role, he led investigations into numerous issues under the Committee’s jurisdiction, including energy and power, health care, telecommunications, environmental, and manufacturing and trade. Mr. Harrison also conducted oversight of numerous executive branch agencies, including the Department of Energy (DOE), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and others.
Mr. Wynne joins McDermott from the U.S. Department of Justice where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Houston. In that role, he won numerous corruption trials against a judge, members of law enforcement and others, involving complicated legal and evidentiary issues. He spent 11 years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and 10 years in private practice.
A New York native, Mr. Wynne moved to Houston after graduating from Harvard Law School and went to work at a regional firm for six years (1992-98), representing state and local governmental entities as outside litigation counsel in complex environmental and constitutional cases. In his first posting with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Wynne served as a civil law prosecutor in South Texas, where he tried multiple affirmative and defense cases for the United States and became proficient in Spanish. He then moved into the Justice Department’s criminal unit, established an outstanding litigation track record, and consistently won over jurors. Later in his career at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he tried numerous high-profile RICO public corruption cases, convicting judges, prosecutors, lawyers, constables, and other public officials. He also oversaw important international and corporate fraud investigations and counter-terrorism matters on behalf of the Justice Department.
“We are delighted to welcome Todd and Michael who each bring to the Firm an exceptional record of courtroom success and dedicated public service,” said Michael Kendall, partner and head of McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s White-Collar & Securities Defense Practice Group. “With these moves, we have completed four major hires in the White Collar space since mid-2012. This reflects our commitment to this important area and our belief that strength attracts strength. As governments around the world heighten their attention to corporate behavior, McDermott can offer clients top-notch white collar talent wherever they may be.”
“Todd enjoys a sterling reputation among the defense bar,” added Jeffrey E. Stone, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery. “Few attorneys have Todd’s superb trial skills and deep understanding of how our federal agencies operate. Our clients who do business around the globe will benefit from his extensive range of experiences and record of success.”
“Houston is an exciting white collar market with highly developed energy, chemicals and health care businesses,” adds Peter J. Sacripanti, co-chair of McDermott Will & Emery. “These are all key growth areas for the Firm over the next five years. Michael’s accomplishments and impressive trial record make him uniquely qualified to counsel our clients with operations in Texas and beyond.”
McDermott’s White-Collar & Securities Defense practice is one of the United States’ largest and most accomplished. The group consists of more than 50 highly experienced trial lawyers in offices throughout the United States and abroad. It seeks to provide exceptional service and representation during government investigations and trials, corporate internal investigations and congressional hearings, as well as in defending whistleblower lawsuits and in parallel proceedings of Congress or federal or state agencies. The Firm’s white-collar lawyers have tried hundreds of cases in federal and state courts throughout the United States.
