Transatlantic prosecutions drive US lawyers to the City
The widening grip of US law enforcement is feeding a wave of American lawyers heading across the Atlantic.
A growing number of US law firms are sending lawyers with law enforcement experience to work in the United Kingdom. As transatlantic prosecutions increase in London, firms are recognising and responding to the need for expert US law advice on the ground. Moreover, many firms have noted the business opportunity that exists in providing expert US law enforcement advice in Europe as a growing number of US Department of Justice and other regulatory investigation are extending out well beyond the US border.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meaghre & Flom white-collar defence attorney Keith Krakaur is one of the latest US lawyers to make the switch. Mr Krakaur’s decision to head for the City reportedly came after repeated requests from one of his key corporate clients. He told the Financial Times:
‘If you look back eight years, I’m not sure I ever had a single case in my docket that took my outside the United States. Since that time, the vast majority of what I’ve done involves foreign issues of one kind or another, such as cross-order investigations that have a US-led legal enforcement component,’ he said.
Roger Burlingame, a former assistant US attorney for the Eastern District of New York now with boutique US litigation firm Kobre & Kim, landed in London in 2013. His firm, which often represents individuals involved in high-stakes investigations, is in the process in recruiting attorneys to London after a similar drive in Hong Kong.
‘The pitch was: you can provide something unique in London; or you can be in New York [where] you’re offering the same thing as dozens of other ex-AUSA’s,’ he said.
Source: Global Legal Post
