MoForever Alumni News - Winter 2019

13 | MoForever Winter 2019 Michael D. Birnbaum , former Senior Trial Counsel at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), joined the firm as a partner in the Securities Litigation , Enforcement + White Collar Defense Group . While at the SEC, Michael was involved in matters regarding domestic and foreign financial companies, including commercial and investment banks, audit and accounting firms, investment advisers, and broker-dealers. He has a wide range of investigative experience, including in insider trading, Investment Advisers and Investment Company Act violations, disclosure fraud, data breaches, and cryptocurrency matters. Michael’s practice focuses on regulatory enforcement proceedings, internal and government investigations, and civil securities litigation. (J.D. 1999, New York University School of Law) New York Office John E. Smith , former Director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), joined the firm as co-head of the National Security Practice Group , and as a partner in the Global Risk + Crisis Management Group and Investigations + White Collar Group . Over the last decade, Mr. Smith has been centrally involved in all aspects of developing, implementing, and enforcing U.S. government sanctions laws. As OFAC Director, he oversaw every OFAC enforcement case against global financial institutions and corporations. Prior to his 11-year tenure at OFAC, Mr. Smith served as a trial attorney at the DOJ. John brings unmatched experience in economic sanctions, enforcement, and national security to MoFo. (J.D. 1993, Columbia Law School) Joseph Benkert also joined the firm as a senior advisor in the National Security Group . Joseph previously served as a leading civilian official in the Department of Defense from 2003 to 2009 under both the Bush and Obama administrations, including as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Global Security Affairs. He advises clients on critical national security matters pertaining to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), export controls, and various regulatory and compliance issues, complementing the firm’s already strong capabilities in this area. More recently, Mr. Benkert served as a vice president of a leading global consultancy group, under former Secretary of Defense William Cohen. (M.P.P. 1979, Harvard University) UNITED STATES Washington, D.C. Office