DOJ Prosecutor Ryan Rohlfsen Joins Ropes & Gray as a Partner in Chicago

CHICAGO, Feb. 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ropes & Gray LLP announced today that Ryan Rohlfsen, senior trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice's Criminal Division, Fraud Section, has joined its government enforcement practice in Chicago as a partner.

Recognized among his peers as a leading attorney with a broad understanding of criminal and civil actions, Mr. Rohlfsen is a versatile and capable individual with experience handling securities fraud, shareholder derivatives suits, class action litigation, Ponzi schemes, accounting fraud, and broker-dealer investigations. Furthermore, Mr. Rohlfsen was part of an elite group of federal prosecutors responsible for the global enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and is the only attorney practicing in Chicago having worked in the DOJ's FCPA unit.

"Ryan understands deeply the issues that matter most to the criminal and civil authorities in investigating cases and determining whether to bring criminal charges or civil enforcement actions," said Asheesh Goel, co-chair of Ropes & Gray's award-winning global anti-corruption and international risk practice, and the managing partner of Ropes & Gray's Chicago office. "We are thrilled Ryan brings his depth of experience to our expanding government enforcement practice, which has counseled major international corporations through significant investigations and compliance matters."

Mr. Rohlfsen brings meaningful international experience to his role. Based in Washington, D.C. and in Chicago at the DOJ, he led numerous global investigations into possible FCPA violations and related crimes by several major international companies spanning scores of countries on six continents; he prosecuted a major U.S. technology company for violations of the FCPA, which resulted in over $100 million in combined penalties and fines. Mr. Rohlfsen also convicted a defendant after a jury trial on charges related to a securities investment fraud, and conducted a review into alleged "robo-signing" practices in the mortgage industry, resulting in a guilty plea by the responsible corporate executive officer and a $35 million fine paid by the publicly-traded parent company.

Mr. Rohlfsen joins Ropes & Gray's expanding anti-corruption practice, which includes the recent addition of Patrick Sinclair, former prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, to supplement the firm's roster of Asia-based enforcement partners in Hong Kong. In 2014, the Ropes & Gray also named Cori Lable a partner in its government enforcement practice in Hong Kong, Marcus Thompson and Amanda Raad partners in its government enforcement practice in London, Mimi Yang a government enforcement partner in its Shanghai office, and in New York the firm added Marc Berger, former Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York.

In the firm's Chicago office, which has grown from just three lawyers in 2008 to more than 60 in 2015, the addition of Mr. Rohlfsen brings the firm's partner count to 13, including the recent addition of Matthew Posthuma to the firm's private investment funds practice in Chicago, announced in January, and Nick Berg, named a partner in the firm's business & securities litigation practice in 2014.

"Ropes & Gray's enforcement practice is internationally renowned for its success counseling multinational clients through complex investigations," Mr. Rohlfsen said. "The depth of counsel Ropes & Gray brings to its clients on criminal and civil matters is unparalleled."

Before joining the DOJ, Mr. Rohlfsen was a litigator with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP in the firm's Chicago and London offices.

Mr. Rohlfsen received his J.D. from Drake Law School with high honors, including Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers, and he served as a senior editor for the Drake Law Review. He received his B.A. in psychology, political science and history from Drake University, Phi Beta Kappa. 

About Ropes & Gray LLP

Ropes & Gray is one of the world's premier law firms, with more than 1,100 lawyers and legal professionals serving clients in major centers of business, finance, technology and government. The firm has extensive experience handling anti-corruption and litigation matters in Asia for multinational companies in response to U.S. Department of Justice Securities and Exchange Commission investigations, whistleblower complaints, and inquiries by local governments.

The firm has offices in Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Silicon Valley, London, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, and has consistently been recognized for its leading practices in many areas, including government enforcement, private equity, M&A, life sciences, health care, finance, investment management, hedge funds, tax, intellectual property, litigation, securities litigation, and privacy & data security.

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Ropes & Gray
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+1 617 235 4403

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