Greenberg Traurig to Add Barry Vitou to Launch U.K. Corporate Crime and White Collar Defence & Investigations Practice
New York, NY (PRWEB) April 04, 2018 -- Renowned white collar defence and investigations attorney Barry Vitou will be joining the global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP as a shareholder to launch and lead the firm’s White Collar Defence & Special Investigations Practice in London. Vitou will join from international law firm Pinsent Masons.
“Companies and individuals facing scrutiny from the United States or foreign governments need experienced practitioners available worldwide at a moment’s notice. Greenberg Traurig’s White Collar Defence & Special Investigations Practice recently ranked among the Top 10 in Law360's Mightiest Practice Groups’ and the launch of our London White Collar and Special Investigations Practice with Barry further enhances our capability in Europe,” said Richard A. Rosenbaum, Executive Chairman at Greenberg Traurig. “We are now one of a select few with this level of expertise on both sides of the Atlantic in this critical area. Developing top-tier teams in key areas of practice important to industry-leading businesses has been our stated strategy while retaining our focus on delivering value. This focus has allowed us to quickly achieve strong recognition in our European locations and strong financial gains well beyond headcount growth. And our shareholders remain hungry for further evolution to satisfy clients' evolving needs. Our practice in White Collar Defence & Special Investigations has been involved in most major global landmark cases and Barry will further that involvement in additional key markets.”
Greenberg Traurig’s White Collar Defence & Special Investigations Practice is comprised of nearly 100 trial lawyers, including a significant number of former prosecutors, who have tried hundreds of criminal cases and who have served at the highest levels of federal and state government.
“London is a dynamic office that has experienced tremendous growth in headcount and activity in the past 18 months. We are always exploring ways to enhance what we can offer clients. This is one of the things we will achieve with the expected addition of Barry Vitou,” said Paul Maher, Vice Chair of the firm, who focuses on strategic business development globally and works closely with Rosenbaum with respect to the London office he founded in 2009. “We never grow simply for the sake of growth; this addition will be impactful on our office, practice, and firm for a long time to come.”
Vitou said, “Greenberg Traurig’s culture and stellar white collar practice will be a perfect fit for me. With the criminalisation of corporate law continuing apace and cross-border cooperation among law enforcement agencies investigating and prosecuting white collar crime, a truly integrated global white collar defence practice levels the playing field. I look forward to providing the very best advice and defence from Greenberg Traurig’s global platform.”
Vitou’s representative matters include advising in connection with investigations and prosecutions conducted by numerous law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in the U.K. including the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Financial Conduct Authority, and Information Commissioner’s Office. He defended the first corporation in the U.K. prosecuted for failure to prevent bribery and advised in connection with the SFO’s civil recovery of dividends flowing from corrupt conduct. Outside of the U.K., Vitou frequently represents clients under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, including the U.K.’s SFO, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Vitou has dealt with law enforcement investigations all over the world including the European Union, Russia, and the British Overseas Territories. He also conducts internal investigations around the world and handles self-reporting actions. Vitou has conducted numerous compliance advisory mandates and his work is praised in the Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 directories.
"Our team utilizes the deep reservoir of knowledge from veterans in related fields across the firm to develop and integrate global strategies for our clients. Armed with this experience, intimate knowledge of the government process, and an arsenal of global resources, we tackle criminal, regulatory, and other mission-critical investigations that arise out of the unforgiving surveillance businesses face today,” said Jacqueline Becerra, Marc L. Mukasey, and A. John Pappalardo, co-chairs of Greenberg Traurig’s White Collar Defence & Special Investigations Practice.
Rudolph W. Giuliani, Chair of the firm's Cybersecurity, Privacy & Crisis Management Practice, added, “Barry is a terrific lawyer who will be a great addition to our team in London. His experience will further enhance our global white collar practice; adding value for firm clients worldwide.”
The firm has broad related experience in China and Latin America, providing global coverage. Greenberg Traurig teams in Shanghai, the U.S., and Mexico have represented companies, boards, audit committees, and senior executives in internal investigations relating to various issues such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, securities fraud, insider trading, import-export issues including export control, employment issues including sexual harassment, accounting irregularities, conflicts of interest, and related party transactions. The firm has a multi-lingual, multi-disciplinary team that consists of compliance specialists and corporate lawyers with substantive knowledge of health care, internet-related issues, technology, real estate, manufacturing, retail, international trade, and other regulated industries.
Vitou received LLB Honors from Leicester University in 1990 and Law Society Finals in 1992. Before working for Pinsent Masons LLP, Vitou was a partner with a well-known U.S. law firm in its London office. He is admitted to practice law in England and Wales. Vitou is a frequent speaker and regularly appears on television and radio interviews in connection with white collar matters. He also writes at http://www.thebriberyact.com.
About Greenberg Traurig’s White Collar Criminal Defence Practice
Greenberg Traurig’s White Collar Defence & Special Investigations Practice has wide-ranging experience protecting companies and individuals under government scrutiny. The firm’s creative defence lawyers are at the forefront of client service in this area, and Greenberg Traurig is one of very few firms with more than 90 former federal and state prosecutors in its litigation group, and where the majority of litigation shareholders and counsel have first-chair trial experience. The team's defence capabilities includes vast experience in structuring internal investigations, developing guidelines and implementing compliance programs, and addressing issues of voluntary disclosure, as well as extensive representations involving alleged securities fraud, FCPA violations, health care/pharmaceutical fraud, environmental crimes, money laundering, financial services fraud, public corruption/campaign finance, tax corruption, defence contracting, and bankruptcy fraud.
About Greenberg Traurig’s London Office
Greenberg Traurig, LLP in London has established itself as a multidisciplinary law firm, with more than 80 lawyers and growing. The London office provides partner-led advice to domestic and international clients on a range of matters across the legal spectrum. Lawyers at Greenberg Traurig in London advise U.K. and multinational clients operating in many different sectors, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, energy, real estate, financial services, automotive, retail, and communications. For additional information, please visit http://www.gtlaw.com.
About Greenberg Traurig
Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Lourdes Brezo-Martinez, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, +1 212-801-2131, [email protected]
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