The strategic addition of Chambers-ranked talent in New York and Washington, D.C., is the largest such acquisition in recent years.

NEW YORK and WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 16, 2020)—Perkins Coie announced today the addition of 17 white collar and financial services litigation attorneys from the prominent firm of Richards Kibbe & Orbe (RKO), marking the largest such practice expansion in the country in recent years. The addition of the Chambers-ranked group, which serves a range of financial institutions, significantly expands Perkins Coie’s New York office and its national White Collar & Investigations and Securities Litigation practices.

The RKO group has decades of experience representing institutional and individual clients in significant government investigations and enforcement actions and in securities and business litigations. These cases involve allegations of financial fraud, antitrust, securities and commodities law violations, insider trading, bribery, money laundering, OFAC violations, and FCPA violations, among others. The RKO group also brings extensive prosecutorial and regulatory litigation experience; partners Lee Richards and David Massey are both former Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of New York.

“Adding this preeminent, well-known litigation team is another step in Perkins Coie’s strategy to deepen its investment in our national Litigation and White Collar & Investigations practices, as well as adding additional talent in our growing New York office,” said Markus Funk, firmwide chair of Perkins Coie’s White Collar & Investigations practice. “As the financial services sector and fintech continues to rapidly evolve—driven in part by new technologies and platforms—we are now positioned to serve an even broader range of highly sophisticated clients in New York, Washington, D.C., and nationally.”

In addition to Richards and Massey, other veteran partners joining Perkins Coie’s New York office from RKO include Shari Brandt, Rowan Gaither, Arthur Greenspan, Margaret Meyers, Matthew Riccardi, James Q. Walker, and Daniel Zinman. Joining Perkins Coie’s Washington, D.C., office will be partners David Daniels and Jamie Schafer. The partners will be joined by counsels Rachel Mechanic and Andrew Podolin, and associates Rebecca Salk, Jacob Taber, and Hellen Park. 

Perkins Coie launched its New York office just nine years ago in the aftermath of the 2008-2010 global financial crisis. Today, New York is a cornerstone of Perkins Coie’s growth initiatives. In 2019, the firm relocated to a 66,000-square-foot midtown office space at 1155 Avenue of the Americas.

“The addition of this exceptional group of lawyers provides a unique opportunity for Perkins Coie to further expand its presence and investment in Manhattan and beyond, and we’re truly excited to welcome them to the firm,” said Keith Miller, Perkins Coie’s New York office managing partner. “The breadth of the group’s experience will strengthen the bench of the talented litigators in the New York office and reflects our confidence in an expected rebound of white collar and regulatory enforcement investigations and related litigation in the New York and national markets.”

Along with notable growth in both revenue and lawyer headcount over the past five years, Perkins Coie has one of the highest lateral retention rates in the legal industry. In addition to being named to Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For®” list for the past 18 years, the firm has been widely recognized for its diverse and inclusive culture, earning recognition from (among others) Microsoft and Intel for the diversity of its legal teams and from the Human Rights Campaign as a best place to work.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high-value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.

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