Latham greets ex-Criminal Division Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid

Latham greets ex-Criminal Division Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid

Nicholas McQuaid has returned to the Washington, D.C., and New York offices of Latham & Watkins LLP as a partner in the White-Collar Defence & Investigations Practice and a member of the Litigation & Trial Department, according to the firm's announcement.

The White-Collar Defence & Investigations Practice at this business is strengthened with the addition of Nicholas McQuaid, who has extensive expertise at the highest levels of government and in crisis management. Previously, McQuaid worked in the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice as the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General.

McQuaid served as Acting Assistant Attorney General for the first six months of the Biden Administration, from January to July 2021, during which time he oversaw the Criminal Division. McQuaid joins Latham with strong credentials and extensive white-collar expertise after serving in a number of top government positions for almost ten years, including Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York and Deputy Counsel to President Barack Obama.

Daniel Lennon, the Managing Partner of Latham's Washington, D.C. office, expressed his excitement about Nick's return to the company. "Nick is a thoughtful advisor with amazing talent, and his background in both government and private practice will be a great addition to our team of top white-collar attorneys in Washington, New York, and throughout the world."

McQuaid has managed over 600 federal prosecutors as either the Acting Assistant Attorney General or the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division. Legal concerns involving international affiliation, child exploitation, international narcotics trafficking, human rights violations, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, money laundering, Bank Secrecy Act violations, and public corruption were all under his watchful eye as he led investigations and prosecutions.

Nick has always been a leader in every position he has held, both in the government and at Latham, said Doug Greenburg, global chair of the practice's White-Collar Defence & Investigations department. His background as a federal prosecutor, defence attorney, and senior Justice Department official has prepared him to represent clients in the most complex enforcement cases.

From 2017 until his early 2021 departure for the Criminal Division, McQuaid was a partner at Latham. For Latham, he was a partner who handled sensitive investigations, crisis management, and government problems on behalf of clients. In addition to providing advice on white-collar issues that came up in the context of corporate deals, he also provided strategic and reactive advice to senior executives and boards of directors on how to handle such investigations.

According to Marc Jaffe, Managing Partner of Latham's New York office, "Latham's white-collar team offers unrivalled experience, good judgment, and commercial insight to the most high-stakes situations." Nick embodies these traits, and we're thrilled to have him back on the squad. His clients will appreciate his brilliance and his hands-on, attentive approach to solving even the most difficult legal problems.

McQuaid handled delicate litigation and investigation-related matters for four and a half years in the White House Counsel's Office before joining Latham in 2017. He worked closely with congressional committees on a wide range of inquiries and helped prepare a large number of high-ranking White House officials and Cabinet members to testify before Congress. Along with advising President Obama and senior White House personnel on risk management, ethics, and compliance issues, McQuaid worked as the DOJ's point person on civil and criminal litigation matters. Additionally, McQuaid has experience as an Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he successfully prosecuted eight cases through trial and briefed and argued three appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. There, he oversaw the prosecution of crimes including sophisticated criminal networks, money laundering, wire fraud, bank fraud, and securities fraud.

In Washington, DC, McQuaid joins former Deputy White House Counsel Danielle Conley and Jonathan Su, while in New York, Christopher Garcia and Raquel Kellert, both of whom are regarded as among the best trial lawyers in the country, join significant figures in the field.

It is with great enthusiasm that I look forward to returning to Latham's elite white-collar staff. Both those who are new to the company and the ones I have had the pleasure of working with in the past, it is an honour to work with some of the most successful advocates in the business, said McQuaid. The focus of my future client representation will be on white-collar investigations and litigation, regulatory enforcement issues, congressional investigations, and crisis management.

McQuaid attended Wesleyan University and later Columbia Law School, where he earned his Juris Doctor with Highest Honors. After finishing law school, he worked as a law clerk for both the Honorable Denise Cote of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Robert Katzmann of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.