Debevoise & Plimpton LLP today announced that Kara Novaco Brockmeyer, former Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division’s Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Unit, is joining the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner and member of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense and Strategic Crisis Response and Solutions Groups.
For the past five and a half years, Ms. Brockmeyer directed a nationwide team of attorneys and forensic accountants investigating violations of the FCPA, including anti-bribery, books and records, and internal controls provisions of the federal securities laws.
During her tenure as chief of the unit, she oversaw many of the agency’s largest and most complex FCPA investigations, and under her leadership, the SEC increased its coordination with other countries to reach global settlement resolutions. She was also one of the principal authors of the SEC-DOJ Resource Guide to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which is widely considered the definitive government-issued guide on the FCPA.
“We are thrilled to welcome Kara to Debevoise,” said Michael W. Blair, the firm’s Presiding Partner. “As someone who literally wrote the book on the FCPA, Kara’s insights and experience will afford clients an unmatched perspective, further complementing our market-leading white collar practice.”
“As one of today’s preeminent FCPA authorities, the breadth of Kara’s knowledge is matched only by the depth of her experience. As corruption investigations are becoming truly global affairs, her experience working across borders will be invaluable to clients seeking to navigate these increasingly complex issues,” said Andrew J. Ceresney, Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation Department.
“Kara joins a team of talented and experienced lawyers who have handled some of the largest FCPA investigations in history, and I am very excited to work with her again and have her join our team,” Mr. Ceresney added.
Ms. Brockmeyer’s expertise extends well beyond the FCPA. Over a seventeen-year career at the SEC, including five years as an assistant director, she has led and personally conducted major investigations in all areas of SEC enforcement, including financial reporting, broker-dealer and investment adviser violations, and insider trading. She was the founder and co-head of the division’s Cross–Border Working Group, an interdisciplinary group focused on addressing accounting fraud by companies based overseas. She won several prestigious awards for her service in the Division of Enforcement, including the Capital Markets Award, the Supervisory Excellence Award, and the Irving M. Pollack Award.
Debevoise’s White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group excels in complex representations for clients facing corporate crises. The Group’s depth of experience and global reach allows for effective and strategic counsel with international and domestic clients, from defending against criminal prosecutions and civil enforcement actions, to conducting internal investigations, negotiating complex global settlements and facilitating cooperation with government regulators. The firm’s recently announced Strategic Crisis Response and Solutions Group leverages the expertise of six elite crisis teams in order to mobilize more quickly than ever the judgment, experience and savvy needed to help businesses respond to almost any significant matter and reputational emergency.
Ms. Brockmeyer’s addition to the firm follows the recent return of Mary Jo White, former Chair of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and former United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Andrew J. Ceresney, former Director of the Division of Enforcement at the SEC and former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York; and the joining of Winston M. Paes, former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York and Chief of the Business and Securities Fraud Section.
“I’m excited to be joining Debevoise, an outstanding firm with a reputation for client service and a culture that is second to none,” said Ms. Brockmeyer. “I look forward to joining a great team of smart, accomplished litigators to help clients better respond to and resolve the complex, challenging issues that arise in today’s global business environment.”
Ms. Brockmeyer earned her J.D. in 1992 from the University of Michigan Law School, magna cum laude, and received her B.A. from Williams College, cum laude, in 1989.
About the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group
The White Collar & Regulatory Defense Group is made up of highly experienced career defense lawyers, as well as former federal prosecutors, judges and regulators. Debevoise lawyers are recognized as leaders in the field, and several partners in the group have held prominent positions at key governmental agencies, including the SEC and DOJ, among many others. With years of experience successfully representing companies, boards of directors and individual executives in a wide range of securities-related matters, including FCPA, insider trading, financial fraud, accounting fraud and investment advisor liability, Debevoise lawyers have the skills and experience to develop strategies to respond to regulatory inquiries in an efficient and effective manner and to reach favorable resolutions for clients, in some cases even before investigations are made public.
About the Strategic Crisis Response and Solutions Group
The Strategic Crisis Response and Solutions Group brings together a deeply experienced global team to help organizations and boards navigate their most critical issues by anticipating and responding to problems and investigations with strategic defenses and solutions. Led by former SEC Chair and former United States Attorney Mary Jo White, the Group leverages the expertise of six elite teams of internationally recognized lawyers. As organized, the Group’s crisis teams are fully equipped for swift deployment to help clients avert legal and reputational harm while addressing the precipitating causes of their crises.
About Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a premier law firm with market-leading practices, a global perspective and strong New York roots. We deliver effective solutions to our clients’ most important legal challenges, applying clear commercial judgment and a distinctively collaborative approach.