Kathleen M. Hamann
Kathleen Hamann is an internationally recognized authority in the field of white-collar enforcement and compliance matters. Drawing on her nearly 20 years of service to the federal government, in roles at the US Department of Justice and Department of State, Kathleen helps clients navigate the complexities of U.S. and transnational criminal liability and multijurisdictional government investigations.
Since returning to private practice, Kathleen has represented clients in a number of transnational matters, conducting global risk assessments, designing compliance programs, and addressing multijurisdictional investigations that required navigation of conflicting national laws. She also represents a number of clients in enforcement actions by the multilateral development banks, proceedings conducted under principles of international law. She also serves as an international compliance consultant for the African Development Bank.
While at the Department of Justice, Kathleen successfully prosecuted many high-profile criminal matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and designed and implemented the first FCPA self-monitorships and hybrid monitorships. Her casework as a prosecutor across a broad range of countries and industries included the design and negotiation of the first-ever simultaneous settlement by the DOJ, the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the UK Serious Fraud Office.
Appointed as the DOJ’s international policy counsel on anticorruption in 2010, she represented the Department at the multinational Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) Working Group on Bribery, where she played a key role in its evaluation of bribery law in Canada and the UK, and was invited to advise Chile on its corporate criminal liability statute. Kathleen was recognized for her outstanding work at the OECD by receiving the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Service, the Criminal Division’s highest award for employee performance.
Prior to joining the DOJ, Kathleen served as a Foreign Service Officer for the US Department of State, where she provided additional international exposure to a variety of jurisdictions, including Latin America and Germany. As the deputy director of anticorruption and governance initiatives in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, she developed and negotiated a range of international policies and commitments to combat international and transnational crime.
With her extensive international experience, Kathleen’s global perspective on white collar enforcement, compliance, and policy issues allows her to provide skilled representation to clients around the world, and to assist in developing robust, efficient, and integrated compliance systems.
Before joining Pierce Atwood, Kathleen was a partner in the Washington, DC office of White & Case LLP.
Kathleen speaks and writes regularly on issues such as anticorruption, the FCPA, multijurisdictional and international investigations, and conflict of laws. She is also an adjunct professor at American University Washington College of Law.
- Recognized in the "Top 100 Women in Investigations," Global Investigations Review (2015)
- Named an "Attorney Who Matters," Ethisphere magazine (2010-2012)
- Assistant Attorney General's Award for Exceptional Service (2010)
- Steering Committee, Boston Bar Association White Collar Section
Speaking Engagements
- Panelist, "Updates from Prosecutors" - Global MedTech Compliance Conference, Dublin, Ireland (2016)
- Moderator, "Government Leaders Dialogue - Supporting Ethical Business Environments" - APEC Business Ethics Forum, Manila, Philippines (2015)
- Panelist, "Shocking That There is Corruption in FIFA" - International Law Weekend, New York, NY (2015)
- Speaker, "Global Transparency Meets Global Enforcement - What's Next?" - R-Squared Compliance Exchange, New Brunswick, NJ (2015)
- "Third-Party Risk and Compliance Management" - APEC Business Ethics Forum, Nanjing, China (2014)
- "Declinations - Is Cooperation Paying Off in Corruption Prosecutions?" - American Bar Association International Section Spring Meeting, New York, NY (2014)
- "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act - Impact on Pharmaceutical and Biotech Industries" - Pharmaceutical Compliance Congress, Washington, DC (2014)
- Co-author, Companies Must Address Growing Chatbot Class Action Risk - Law360 (2023)
- Co-author, "Building a Compliance Wall: Transnational Compliance, Investigations, and Enforcement in the Construction Industry," - Journal of the ACCL, Vol. 12 No. 2 (2018)
- Author, "An Investigation in Sheep's Clothing: Multilateral Development Bank 'Audits,'" - ABA Forum on Construction Law's Under Construction Newsletter, Vol. 18 No. 3 (2017)
- Author, "Toxic Chemical Agents: Evading Third-Party Due Diligence Controls," How to Pay a Bribe - Thinking Like a Criminal to Thwart Bribery Schemes (2016)
- Co-author, "New Restrictions on Disclosures of Personal Data to Non-EU Courts Will Not Apply in the UK," Privacy Laws & Business UK Report (2016)
- Co-author, "No Safe Haven: DOJ Can and Will Seize Proceeds of Wholly Foreign Corruption," Kutafin University Law Review (2015)
- Author, "The Globalization of Anticorruption Enforcement - It's Not Just the FCPA Anymore," International White Collar Enforcement (Inside the Minds) (2015)
- Author, "Dr. Davis Wants His Candy: 'Pay to Prescribe' Bribes in the Life Sciences," How to Pay a Bribe: Thinking Like a Criminal to Thwart Bribery Schemes (2014)