By Lawdragon News | May 27, 2014 | Press Releases
Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that Alan Lieberman has rejoined the Firm as a partner in the Corporate Litigation group. Mr. Lieberman was formerly Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel in the Division of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) Washington, D.C. headquarters, and had been an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Lieberman’s experience as lead counsel at the SEC, previously at the Department of Justice, and in private practice includes federal securities fraud, white collar defense, complex commercial litigation, RICO, and antitrust criminal defense. He is based in the Firm’s Washington D.C. office, and will also practice out of the Philadelphia and New York offices.
“Alan was lead trial counsel on some of the highest-profile litigation involving major corporations that the SEC pursued during his tenure, and his private practice experience in white collar defense and corporate governance is second to none,” said Alan J. Hoffman, Blank Rome Chairman and Managing Partner. “With Alan, any company, fund, or other business entity that falls within the SEC’s regulatory mandate gets a counselor that possesses intimate, first-hand knowledge of the government’s approach to investigation and prosecution, and a finely tuned understanding of the client’s needs and how to meet them. He is an excellent addition to our litigation team, and we are delighted to welcome him back to Blank Rome.”
In more than 25 years in private practice, Mr. Lieberman represented and advised boards of directors and senior executives on federal criminal and regulatory matters. He was responsible for planning and executing internal corporate investigations, and he advised special board committees and executive officers on litigation risk, self-reporting, remediation, compliance programs, and Sarbanes-Oxley certification requirements. He also successfully defended executives and professionals charged with tax evasion, Sherman 1 conspiracies, and perjury before a federal grand jury. He first joined Blank Rome in 1999 as a partner, spending five years at the Firm’s Philadelphia and New York offices. Prior to Blank Rome, he served as a partner at Schnader Harrison.
Mr. Lieberman began work at the SEC in 2004, having been a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where he was Chief of the White Collar Crime Unit from 1973 to 1978. During his tenure at the SEC, Mr. Lieberman litigated major securities fraud cases in federal courts throughout the country, including financial accounting and reporting fraud, insider trading, and market manipulation actions. He worked closely with SEC staff on major matters pending before the Division of Enforcement, including pre-filing investigations and investigatory tactics, charging decisions, Wells conferences, the presentation of cases to the Commission, settlement negotiations, working with the Director of Enforcement and General Counsel on charging decisions and settlements, and on the recent application of the Commission’s policy requiring admission of guilt in egregious cases.
Mr. Lieberman was trial counsel and participated in the investigation of the following noteworthy cases at the SEC, among many other high-profile matters:
· In the Matter of Ernst & Young LLP, et al., involving charges of accounting fraud against the firm and six current and former partners.
· SEC v. Conaway, a financial fraud case concerning the former CEO of Kmart.
· SEC v. Samuel E. Wyley, et al., concerning fraud by directors of NYSE-listed companies using offshore trusts to hide beneficial ownership of shares in a trading scheme.
“Blank Rome has a fantastic strategy, energy, and reputation for delivering outstanding work and client service,” said Mr. Lieberman. “I am eager to rejoin my many former partners, including Alan Hoffman, Bob Mittman, and Jim Smith, and have the opportunity to practice law again alongside the many talented attorneys at the Firm.”
Mr. Lieberman earned his J.D. from Villanova University, where he was elected to the Order of the Coif and served as an editor of theVillanova Law Review, and his B.A. from Franklin and Marshall College. He currently is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.
About Blank Rome LLP
With 500 attorneys serving clients around the globe, Blank Rome is an international law firm representing businesses and organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-up entities. Founded in 1946, Blank Rome advises clients on all aspects of their businesses, including commercial and corporate litigation; consumer finance; corporate, M&A, and securities; environmental, energy, and natural resources; finance, restructuring, and bankruptcy; intellectual property and technology; labor and employment; maritime, international trade, and government contracts; matrimonial; products liability, mass torts, and insurance; real estate; tax, benefits, and private client; and white collar defense and investigations. Blank Rome also represents pro bono clients in a wide variety of cases and matters. For additional information, visit www.BlankRome.com.