Adding to its unmatched capabilities in white collar criminal defense, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP announced today that Samuel P. Nitze has joined the firm as a partner. Nitze will be based in New York City, where until recently he served as a high-ranking official in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
A federal prosecutor for more than a decade, Nitze served in various leadership roles in the Eastern District of New York, including as Chief of the Office’s Public Integrity Section, Deputy Chief of the Criminal Appeals Division, and Director of the Office’s FIFA Task Force. In his supervisory capacities, Sam oversaw teams of prosecutors and investigators in various practice areas, including the Public Integrity, Business and Securities Fraud, and Asset Forfeiture sections of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in Washington D.C.
A seasoned trial lawyer, Nitze will become a member of Quinn Emanuel’s Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Group, the firm said.
“We are pleased to welcome Sam to the firm. After his impressive career at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he has a keen understanding of how criminal cases are investigated, developed and tried,” said firm founder and Chairman John B. Quinn. “His background gives him the kind of expertise our clients need and want.”
During his years as a federal prosecutor, Nitze investigated, prosecuted, and supervised a wide range of high-profile cases involving fraud, bribery, cross-border corruption, racketeering, obstruction of justice, gang violence, organized crime, FARA/Section 951 violations, and terrorism, among other offenses.
“I am thrilled to be joining Quinn Emanuel, widely known for having the best trial lawyers in the world as well as a top-notch white-collar practice with truly global reach,” Nitze said.
As a prosecutor, Nitze tried ten cases to verdict and briefed and argued numerous appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He was a member of the original team that investigated and indicted the groundbreaking FIFA case and went on to lead the Office’s FIFA task force. He served as lead trial counsel in several complex cases, including the first FIFA trial in 2017 and the first-ever trial conviction of an ISIS defendant in a United States court.
“Elite practitioners like Sam are in high demand given the current enforcement environment,” said William A. Burck, Co-Managing Partner of Quinn Emanuel and Co-Chair of its Investigations, Government Enforcement and White Collar Criminal Defense Group. “We are lucky to be adding a lawyer of his caliber.”
Nitze earned a number of awards and commendations for his work as a prosecutor, including the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service; the EOUSA Director’s Award for Superior Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney, and the Eastern District’s annual Elizabeth J. Kramer Memorial Award, given to a prosecutor who shows extraordinary judgment, empathy, ethics and heart.
Quinn Emanuel has one of the most respected investigations, government enforcement and white collar criminal defense practices in the world. Over 50 partners in a dozen offices worldwide specialize in the field, and the firm has repeatedly been recognized as being among the very best by numerous legal publications, including Chambers USA, Chambers UK, Chambers Europe, Law360, The American Lawyer, The National Law Journal, The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers, Legal 500, The Expert’s Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers, and Best Lawyers. The practice group was named “Most Impressive Practice of the Year” by Global Investigation Review in 2015 and “White Collar Practice Group of the Year” for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 by Law360. In 2017, The American Lawyer and Legal Week named the group “Transatlantic Investigation Team of the Year.”
Source: www.quinnemanuel.com
