Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is delighted to announce the recruitment of Scott S. Balber to its leading dispute resolution practice. Scott joins Herbert Smith Freehills as a partner in New York, where he will become the firm’s Head of Investigations and Financial Services Litigation for the US and establish the firm’s US corporate crime and investigation practice.
Widely recognised for his experience representing financial institutions, Scott focuses his practice on investigations, white collar defence, regulatory matters and securities and commercial litigation. He is a highly experienced trial lawyer, having first-chaired more than two dozen bench and jury trials, and has appeared in state and federal trial and appellate courts throughout the country, including the US Supreme Court. He has handled internal and SEC investigations on behalf of, and defended prosecutions against, a variety of financial services institutions and corporate officers. Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills, he was a partner and Head of Financial Services Litigation at Cooley LLP and a partner and co-head of the Commercial Litigation Practice at Chadbourne & Parke LLP, where he spent a number of years.
Herbert Smith Freehills has a long-standing dedicated corporate crime and investigations practice, which is one of the key areas of growth for the firm’s dispute resolution group. Given the implementation and increased enforcement in recent years of anti-corruption legislation, such as the Bribery Act and the Foreign Corrupt Practices, and a regulatory focus on financial crime compliance, the practice has grown rapidly across the world.
Kyle Wombolt, a US and Hong Kong qualified lawyer with extensive FCPA experience, joined the firm in 2011. Based in Hong Kong, he is the global head of the firm’s corporate crime and investigations practice. In February this year, the firm recruited Rod Fletcher, one of the UK’s leading business crime and investigations specialists, to head its London practice.
The arrival of Scott Balber in the firm’s New York office signals a further expansion of this group in a rapidly changing and dynamic market. As part of the firm’s global corporate crime practice, Scott and his team will work closely with their colleagues across the international network, including those who specialise in contentious financial services regulatory, banking litigation and public law – areas of expertise that the firm has brought together into a unified offering to clients.
Scott’s practice also perfectly complements the Herbert Smith Freehills’ existing capabilities in New York. The New York office, which opened for business in September 2012, represents the firm’s international clients with US-related contentious issues. It encompasses an international arbitration team led by Larry Shore and a litigation team led by Thomas Riley, which handles US and cross-border litigation for network clients.
Sonya Leydecker, head of Herbert Smith Freehills’ global disputes practice commented: “Establishing an on the ground corporate crime and investigations capability in New York has been a cornerstone of our disputes US strategy. In Scott, we have found a perfect combination – a market-leading expert, who is also a dynamic business developer with an impressive track record of developing long-standing client relationships. Scott is, overall, a perfect fit for our New York office and I am delighted to welcome him to the firm.”
Thomas Riley, managing partner of Herbert Smith Freehills’ New York office said: “We are delighted to be joined by Scott Balber, whose expertise in anti-corruption and cross-border investigations will be an excellent addition to the firm’s thriving New York office. We very much look forward to welcoming him to the team and to this important expansion of our capabilities.”
