Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, the premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide, announced today that Tarek Helou has joined the firm’s government investigations practice as a partner in the Washington, D.C., office. Prior to joining WSGR, Helou was an assistant chief in the Department of Justice’s FCPA Unit in Washington, D.C. since 2014.
He led or supervised more than 100 investigations involving companies in every major industry, including the technology, software, data analytics, medical device, pharmaceutical, mining, oil and gas, and finance sectors. The investigations he has overseen have involved board members and executives; publicly-traded and privately-held companies; and heads of state and other foreign government officials.
“WSGR is seeing growing client demand for FCPA investigations expertise, especially from multinational enterprises facing increased regulatory obligations and scrutiny in global markets,” said Doug Clark, managing partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. “Tarek’s work has enabled him to develop extensive knowledge of how the DOJ investigates companies and individuals in corporate criminal matters. He has developed strong relationships throughout law enforcement in the U.S. and overseas, and his expertise, integrity, and results are respected throughout the white collar bar.”
In his role at the DOJ, he had primary decision-making authority for sophisticated and cutting-edge international criminal investigations. He led and supervised teams of agents and prosecutors in the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney’s Offices throughout the country, investigating violations of the FCPA and related complex international financial crimes. He has coordinated investigations with foreign criminal and enforcement authorities in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Brazil, Colombia, Israel, and other countries. Helou was a trial attorney in the FCPA Unit from 2012 to 2014.
Prior to working at the DOJ, Helou served as assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California from 2007 to 2012. Before that, he worked as an associate in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices of a global law firm from 2001 to 2007.
Helou received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 2001 and earned his B.A. degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University in 1996. He is admitted to practice in California and the District of Columbia.
Helou has participated in numerous speaking engagements at significant FCPA and other criminal enforcement conferences in the U.S. and globally, often giving the keynote address.
WSGR has an experienced team of attorneys who have represented companies and individuals in conjunction with government investigations ranging from smaller, informal government inquiries to large-scale, formal investigations, including parallel criminal and civil proceedings involving potentially significant financial penalties or other severe consequences. WSGR represents clients in conjunction with investigations by state attorneys generals and federal enforcement agencies, including the DOJ, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service. The firm’s government investigations clients have included mid-size to global companies in highly competitive industries, including the technology, financial, pharmaceutical, energy, consumer, food, and retail sectors.
Source: www.wsgr.com
