Morrison & Foerster Continues Global Expansion of Investigations + White Collar Defense Practice with London Team Addition
Gareth Rees QC and Hayley Ichilcik join firm's highly respected global Investigations + White Collar Defense practice, highlighting continued growth of London office.
LONDON, March 3, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce a further expansion of its global Investigations + White Collar Defense practice with the additions of Gareth Rees QC and Hayley Ichilcik as partners in London. Their arrival follows the addition of a powerhouse Investigations and Corporate Governance team in Berlin in 2019, led by Roland Steinmeyer and Patrick Späth, and further deepens the firm's white collar and investigations offering.
The addition of Mr. Rees and Ms. Ichilcik underscores the continued momentum of Morrison & Foerster's global Investigations and White Collar Defense practice, which has grown significantly over the past several years, in particular through the recruitment of former senior U.S. government officials and prosecutors, and SEC enforcement attorneys.
"For the past year, we have been seeking a market-leading white collar team, and we are thrilled that Gareth and Hayley have decided to join us. Their experience is extremely impressive — they have broad and deep white collar expertise and regularly advise on high-profile cases in the UK and EMEA," said Paul Friedman, Morrison & Foerster's managing partner for Europe. "Their arrival builds on the momentum the European practice has enjoyed since Roland Steinmeyer and Patrick Späth joined us in Berlin last year," he added. "I'm delighted that 2020 has started on a high note in London, with a total of four lateral partner additions in the space of two months, following four years of transformational growth of our London practices."
Mr. Rees is a highly experienced white collar crime and regulatory barrister who was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2003. His practice covers corporate fraud, bribery and corruption, insider dealing and market abuse, sanctions, and money laundering. Mr. Rees advises and represents both corporates and individuals. Between 2012 and 2017, he was the Executive Director of Enforcement and Executive Counsel at the Financial Reporting Council, the UK's statutory audit regulator and corporate governance authority, where he led high-profile investigations and prosecutions of accountants, auditors and actuaries. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Rees spent more than 30 years in private practice, acting as trial lawyer in some of the highest profile cases of the last three decades in the UK, including the earliest Serious Fraud Office (SFO) cases in 1992, and thereafter.
Ms. Ichilcik's practice focuses on white collar criminal litigation defense, financial crime investigations and compliance reviews. She represents both corporates and individuals in criminal litigation and regularly conducts internal investigations. Ms. Ichilcik specializes in anti-bribery and corruption, anti-money laundering, anti-tax evasion, trade and financial sanctions, as well as the UK Modern Slavery Act and whistleblowing regulations. She advises clients across a range of sectors, including technology, financial services, oil and gas, healthcare, and mining. Ms. Ichilcik was previously seconded to the SFO for 20 months, where she was part of the team that secured the SFO's first deferred prosecution agreement and was awarded Prosecution Team of the Year by the Attorney General.
"The stellar reputation of MoFo's global Investigations + White Collar Defense practice, combined with the momentum of its London office and the firm's collaborative culture, were key factors in our decision to join," said Mr. Rees and Ms. Ichilcik. "We look forward to working closely with colleagues across the world to advise clients on their most complex matters."
Mr. Rees is admitted as a barrister in England and Wales and is a Queen's Counsel.
Ms. Ichilcik is admitted as a solicitor-advocate in England and Wales. She holds a BComm. and LL.B. from the University of New South Wales.
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We are Morrison & Foerster — a global firm of exceptional credentials. Our clients include some of the largest financial institutions, investment banks, Fortune 100, and technology and life sciences companies. The Financial Times has named the firm to its list of most innovative law firms in North America every year that it has published its Innovative Lawyers Reports in the region. In the past few years, Chambers USA has honored MoFo's Privacy and Data Security, Bankruptcy, and IP teams with Firm of the Year awards, the Corporate/M&A team with a client service award, and the firm as a whole as Global USA Firm of the Year. Our lawyers are committed to achieving innovative and business-minded results for our clients, while preserving the differences that make us stronger. The firm also has a long history of commitment to the community through providing pro bono legal services, including litigating for civil rights and civil liberties, improving public education for poor children, advocating for veterans, promoting international human rights, winning asylum for the persecuted, and safeguarding the environment.
SOURCE Morrison & Foerster
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