Bruce Yannett is Deputy Presiding Partner of the firm and Chair of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Practice Group. He focuses on white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement and internal investigations.
Superb excellence and strong expertise.
A very talented lawyer.
—Chambers USA
Bruce Yannett is Deputy Presiding Partner of the firm and Chair of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense Practice Group. He focuses on white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement and internal investigations. He represents a broad range of companies, financial institutions and their executives in matters involving securities fraud, accounting fraud, foreign bribery, cybersecurity, insider trading, and money laundering. He has extensive experience representing corporations and individuals outside the United States in responding to inquiries and investigations.
Mr. Yannett’s practice also encompasses complex litigation, including derivative cases, shareholder actions and commercial disputes.
Chambers Global 2017 recognizes Mr. Yannett as a Band 1 practitioner for FCPA matters, and Chambers USA 2017 recognizes Mr. Yannett as a Band 1 practitioner for both white collar criminal defense and FCPA matters. Clients praise his work as “excellent” and describe him as a “very strong communicator and litigator” and a “leading light in the field,” noting that “he has real gravitas about him,” giving him the “immediate respect of everybody in the room.” In a similar vein, The Legal 500 US calls him a “superstar,” Lawdragon recognizes him as one of the 500 leading lawyers in America, and Benchmark Litigation names him a “Litigation Star.” Further, in selecting Debevoise as “Litigation Department of the Year” in 2014, The American Lawyer stated that Mr. Yannett’s work on the groundbreaking Siemens FCPA internal investigation, which spanned 34 countries, and settlement with U.S. and German authorities, “cemented his credibility with regulators” on subsequent matters.
Mr. Yannett joined Debevoise in 1986. In 1987 and 1988, he served on the team of lawyers selected by Lawrence Walsh to investigate the Iran/Contra matter, acting as an Associate Counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel. From 1988 to 1992, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, where he was lead trial counsel in 20 jury trials ranging from bribery to murder. He also served in the Transnational and Major Crimes Unit, where he conducted investigations related to international terrorism, money laundering, and sanctions violations. Mr. Yannett returned to Debevoise in 1992.
He is a member of the American Law Institute. Mr. Yannett is on the Board of Advisors for the New York University Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement. He previously served as co-chair of the ABA Litigation Section’s Task Force on Attorney-Client Privilege and as co-chair of the ABA’s Criminal Litigation Committee. He is admitted to appear before the Second, Fifth, Tenth and D.C. Circuits, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the District of Columbia.
Mr. Yannett has written and lectured extensively on issues relating to white collar criminal defense and regulatory enforcement. He is an editor of the firm’s monthly FCPA Update and a current member of the Board of Editors of Financial Fraud Law Report and of the Editorial Board of Global Investigations Review. Mr. Yannett co-authored a chapter on the FCPA in Defending Corporations & Individuals in Government Investigations, published in 2011 and 2013 by West.
Mr. Yannett’s recent publications also include a chapter titled “Beginning an Internal Investigation: The US Perspective” in “The Practitioner's Guide to Global Investigations,” Global Investigations Review (2016), a chapter titled “Crisis Management” in “Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel,” Thompson Reuters Westlaw and the Association of Corporate Counsel (April, 2015), “DOJ Officials Encourage Companies to Cooperate Against Potentially Culpable Individuals,” “Just Blogs” section of Main Justice (October, 2014), “DOJ Proposal Shows Focus on Individuals in Corporate Crime,” Law360 (September, 2014), “U.K. Financial Conduct Authority Imposes Fine on Besso Limited,” Financial Fraud Law Report (May, 2014), “Anti-Corruption Compliance in 2013: Post-Guidance and Signals for the Future,” Financial Fraud Law Report (February, 2014), “Russian Anti-Corruption Compliance Concepts Are Familiar,” Law 360 (January, 2014), “Brazil Enacts Long-Pending Anti-Corruption Legislation – Part Two,” Business Crimes Bulletin (January, 2014), “The Government’s $48 Million ATM Withdrawals: Is It Time To Start Sweating Again?,” Financial Fraud Law Report, January, 2014).
Mr. Yannett received his B.A. magna cum laude from Brown University in 1980, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and earned his J.D. cum laude from New York University Law School in 1985, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and was the Executive Editor of the New York University Law Review. From 1985 to 1986, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Edward Weinfeld of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Bruce Yannett é vice-presidente do escritório e presidente do grupo de prática envolvendo questões de colarinho branco (White Collar Practice & Regulatory Defense Group). Bruce é especializado na defesa de crimes de colarinho branco, execução regulatória e investigações internas. Ele representa uma ampla gama de empresas, instituições financeiras e seus executivos em questões envolvendo fraudes de valores mobiliários, fraude contábil, práticas estrangeiras corruptas, segurança cibernética, utilização abusiva de informação privilegiada e lavagem de dinheiro. Bruce tem vasta experiência em representar corporações e indivíduos fora dos Estados Unidos em resposta a inquéritos e investigações.
Bruce também atua em litígios complexos, incluindo casos relacionados a derivativos, ações interpostas por acionistas e disputas comerciais.
Chambers Global 2017 reconhece Bruce como advogado de Nível 1 para questões relacionadas ao Tratado de Práticas Corruptas Estrangeiras (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - FCPA) e Chambers USA 2017 reconhece Bruce como um advogado de Nível 1 para questões envolvendo crimes de colarinho branco e FCPA. Clientes elogiam seu trabalho como "excelente" e descrevem-no como um "comunicador e litigante muito forte" e uma "luz de liderança na área", observando que "ele tem personalidade ética e séria", ganhando o "respeito imediato de todos na sala". Adicionalmente, Legal 500 US o chama de "superstar", Lawdragon o reconhece como um dos 500 principais advogados nos Estados Unidos e Benchmark Litigation o nomeia "Litigation Star". Além disso, ao selecionar Debevoise como "Departamento de Contencioso do Ano" em 2014, The American Lawyer afirmou que o trabalho de Bruce na inovadora investigação interna da Siemens em relação a práticas estrangeiras corruptas, que abrangeu 34 países, e o acordo com autoridades dos EUA e da Alemanha",cimentou sua credibilidade junto a autoridades reguladoras" em assuntos subsequentes.
Bruce ingressou no Debevoise em 1986. Durante 1987 e 1988, ele integrou o time original de advogados selecionados por Lawrence Walsh para investigar o caso Iran/Contra, atuando como Consultor Associado no Escritório de Consultores Independentes. De 1988 a 1992, Bruce foi Promotor Assistente do Distrito de Columbia, onde ele participou como conselheiro em 20 júris cujos temas variavam de suborno a assassinato. Ele trabalhou na Unidade de Crimes Relevantes e Transnacionais, onde conduziu investigações relacionadas a terrorismo internacional, lavagem de dinheiro e violações de sanções. Bruce retornou a Debevoise em 1992.
Ele é membro do American Law Institute. Bruce está no Conselho Consultivo do programa de Corporate Compliance and Enforcement da New York University. Anteriormente, ele atuou como co-presidente da Força-Tarefa da American Bar Association (ABA) Litigation Section sobre cconfidencialidade entre cliente e advogado e como co-presidente do Comitê de Litígios Criminais da ABA. Ele está autorizado a comparacer perante os Segundo, Quinto e Décimo Circuitos, o Circuito do Distrito de Columbia, os Distritos de Sul e do Leste de Nova Iorque e o Distrito de Columbia.
Bruce escreveu e lecionou extensivamente sobre questões relacionadas à defesa de crimes de colarinho branco e autoridades reguladoras. Ele é um dos editores do FCPA Update que é publicado mensalmente pelo escritório e membro atual do Conselho de Editores do Financial Fraud Law Report e do Conselho Editorial da Global Investigations Review. Bruce é co-autor de um capítulo sobre o Tratado de Práticas Corruptas Estrangeiras em Defending Corporations & Individuals in Government Investigations, publicado em 2011 e 2013 pela West.
Dentre as recentes publicações da autoria de Bruce estão inclusos o capítulo “Beginning an Internal Investigation: The US Perspective” do “The Practitioner's Guide to Global Investigations”, Global Investigations Review (2016), o capítulo “Crisis Management”, do livro “Successful Partnering Between Inside and Outside Counsel”, Thompson Reuters Westlaw and the Association of Corporate Counsel (abril de 2015), “DOJ Officials Encourage Companies to Cooperate Against Potentially Culpable Individuals”, seção “Just Blogs” do Main Justice (outubro de 2014), “DOJ Proposal Shows Focus on Individuals in Corporate Crime”, Law360 (setembro de 2014), “U.K. Financial Conduct Authority Imposes Fine on Besso Limited”, Financial Fraud Law Report (maio de 2014), “Anti-Corruption Compliance in 2013: Post-Guidance and Signals for the Future”, Financial Fraud Law Report (fevereiro de 2014), “Russian Anti-Corruption Compliance Concepts Are Familiar”, Law 360 (janeiro de 2014), “Brazil Enacts Long-Pending Anti-Corruption Legislation Part Two”, Business Crimes Bulletin (janeiro de 2014), e “The Government’s $48 Million ATM Withdrawals: Is It Time To Start Sweating Again?”, Financial Fraud Law Report (janeiro de 2014).
Bruce recebeu seu B.A. magna cum laude da Brown University em 1980, quando foi eleito para a Phi Beta Kappa, e seu J.D. cum laude da Faculdade de Direito da New York University em 1985, quando foi eleito para a associação estudantil “Order of the Coif” e foi Editor Executivo da New York University Law Review. De 1985 a 1986, Bruce trabalhou como assistente do Juiz Edward Weinfeld da Corte do Distrito Sul de Nova Iorque.