Cadwalader Expands Transatlantic White Collar Practice with Addition of Leading City Partners Mark Beardsworth and Kevin Roberts

Arrival of New Partners Reinforces Cadwalader's Aggressive Growth Strategy in London

LONDON, Jan. 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP has expanded its transatlantic white collar defense and investigations practice with the addition of two market-leading London partners, Mark Beardsworth and Kevin Roberts. The new partners bolster the firm's global litigation group, adding depth to its London disputes group and providing a specific focus on UK- and EU-based regulatory and criminal investigations and defense, as well as compliance matters, particularly in cross-border cases.

Beardsworth, who joins from Brown Rudnick, where he was co-head of the firm's global White Collar Defense & Government Investigations Practice Group, focuses his practice in the defense of serious fraud and criminal matters and has been involved in prosecutions brought by the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Conduct Authority, HM Revenue and Customs and the Financial Reporting Council. He advises corporates on criminal and regulatory enforcement issues and conducts corporate internal investigations.

Roberts joins Cadwalader from Morrison & Foerster. His practice focuses on regulatory compliance and investigations and white collar crime and ranges from regulatory matters dealt with by the Financial Conduct Authority, Medicines Healthcare Regulatory Authority or the Health and Safety Executive to prosecutions brought by the Serious Fraud Office.

"We are very pleased that Mark and Kevin are joining our expanding white collar defense and investigations team," said Pat Quinn, Cadwalader's managing partner. "They are both exceptional, market-leading lawyers who have led a number of successful representations in recent years. With these important additions, we have made significant strides in growing our Global Litigation Group and, specifically, our transatlantic white collar defense and investigations practice." 

Added Jodi Avergun, chair of Cadwalader's white collar defense and investigations practice, "We feel very fortunate to bring to our clients two white collar practitioners of Mark and Kevin's stature. The combination of two well-respected colleagues, along with our well-established U.S.-based practice, will enable us to provide the highest level of service and comprehensive expertise to our UK and U.S. clients." 

Cadwalader's White Collar Defense and Investigations practice represents financial institutions, investment firms, broker-dealers, corporations, boards of directors, audit committees, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings, trials, and appeals. The group has extensive expertise advising clients on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act 2010, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Proceeds of Crime Act, the False Claims Act, and the Commodity Exchange Act, as well as global sanctions, money laundering and asset forfeiture laws.

The new partners in London bring extensive capabilities to the practice and are currently involved in several significant matters before UK authorities.

Highly ranked in Chambers and Legal 500, Beardsworth advises on cases that are often complex, high profile and international in nature. He has a special interest in cases with ancillary civil and professional disciplinary proceedings and has a practical knowledge of representing a client's wider interests in these situations. Beardsworth conducts internal investigations for corporates, regulators and other entities and advises companies and their directors on governance issues. He helps clients to avoid compliance and criminal risk in a wide range of scenarios. Additionally, Beardsworth has represented clients in relation to confiscation and restraint issues, including cash seizures. He has been involved in many of the most significant cases before the Serious Fraud Office in the last 20 years, including BAE Systems, Independent Insurance, Rolls Royce, Libor, Euribor, Forex and Unaoil.

Roberts advises corporations and individuals in money laundering compliance and investigations, anti-corruption and regulatory compliance, asset tracing and recovery, tax investigations and fraud. As part of his international practice, he advises on mutual assistance requests and extradition. He also advises clients in relation to Parliamentary Select Committee appearances. Also highly ranked in the legal directories, Roberts is a frequent speaker on money laundering, anti-corruption compliance, confiscation, and asset recovery, and is a contributing author to the leading text, Smith, Owen and Bodnar on Asset Recovery (Oxford University Press) and to Asset Tracing in Insolvency. He is Treasurer of the European Criminal Bar Association.

"I am very excited about joining Cadwalader and, especially, joining with Kevin, someone I've known and respected for years," Beardsworth said. "Cadwalader's white collar team in the U.S. is exceptional and has been extremely successful with corporate and individual representations ? a model very similar to our success here in London."

"Client needs in the white collar space continue to grow," Roberts said. "Cadwalader has assembled an outstanding transatlantic team, and I look forward to working with Mark, who I know very well, and with London disputes partner Melis Acuner to continue to provide world-class representation to clients."

The addition of Beardsworth and Roberts are part of an active expansion plan in London. Already a leading practice in The City, Cadwalader recently announced plans to move into a new building at 100 Bishopsgate that doubles the firm's headcount capacity.

The firm now has 18 partners in London, an increase of 7 in of the last 12 months alone. Recent additions have included fund finance partner Samantha Hutchinson and real estate finance partner Duncan Hubbard, as well as the recently announced election to partner of fund finance lawyer Nathan Parker and corporate lawyer Joanna Valentine.

Said London managing partner Gregory Petrick, "This has been another very active and successful year for our firm in the City. We are delighted to have Mark and Kevin on board to expand our transatlantic white collar defense and investigations capabilities, and we remain very active in our efforts to grow across all practice areas."

About Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, established over 225 years ago, serves a diverse client base, including many of the world's leading financial institutions, corporations and funds in more than 50 countries. With offices in New York, London, Charlotte, Washington and Brussels, Cadwalader offers legal expertise in antitrust, banking, corporate finance, corporate governance, executive compensation, financial restructuring, health care, intellectual property, litigation, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, private wealth, real estate, regulation, securitization, structured finance, tax and white collar defense. For more information, visit www.cadwalader.com.

Contact:
Ron Brandsdorfer +1 212 504 6712 
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