Laurence Urgenson, a long time partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington, D.C. will join Mayer Brown.
“Larry is among the best known and most respected Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) lawyers in the country and brings unparalleled experience to our already strong white collar defense and compliance group that will greatly benefit our global network of clients,” said Mayer Brown chairman Paul Theiss.
Prior to joining private practice, Urgenson held key leadership positions at the US Department of Justice.
Urgenson also served as the DOJ’s Chief of the Fraud Section for the Criminal Division, where he advised US Attorneys on white collar crime issues, supervised the prosecution of bank, securities, and defense procurement frauds, and oversaw the FCPA Unit and the Defense Procurement Fraud Unit.
Earlier in his career, Urgenson served as a Chief Assistant US Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“Larry’s experience will be a tremendous asset as we continue bolstering our global capabilities, handling FCPA matters and internal investigations on behalf of individuals and multinational companies,” said Kelly Kramer, a co-leader of the firm’s white collar defense and compliance group. “As the Justice Department and SEC’s enforcement of the FCPA increases, companies need to ensure that anti-corruption compliance and due diligence remain a top priority, which is where Larry’s counsel will prove invaluable.”
Urgenson is the most recent former federal government official to join the firm’s litigation practice.
Matthew Rossi joined the firm’s Securities Litigation & Enforcement group this month from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission’s Enforcement Division, where he served as Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel and Senior Counsel. In 2013,
Marcus Christian, a former assistant U.S. Attorney in Miami, Michael Martinez, former assistant in New Jersey, and Greg Deis, former assistant in Chicago, joined the firm’s white collar defense and compliance group.
“Mayer Brown has a well-earned reputation for outstanding lawyering and I’m excited about the opportunity to join a truly dedicated and highly regarded team of lawyers to help the firm’s clients navigate the complex regulatory and compliance issues they face,” Urgenson said. “I was particularly drawn to Mayer Brown’s cross-border capabilities when it comes to FCPA and internal investigations. This type of work has become much more international and working at Mayer Brown will afford me the opportunity to leverage a wide platform, including Asia, Europe and Latin America.”