Law360 (September 13, 2021, 3:59 PM EDT) -- Morrison & Foerster LLP has hired a pair of federal prosecutors for its white collar defense group, the firm announced on Monday, adding to its roster of revolving door hires.

Katherine Driscoll, a former assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Nathan Reilly, a former senior litigation counsel in the Eastern District of New York, will join the firm as counsel for its New York-based investigations and white collar defense practice.

"The addition of Kate and Nathan will enhance our ability to serve our clients operating in the healthcare, life sciences, financial services, and technology industries in particular, as these sectors will continue to be a focus of major government investigations in the coming years," Chuck Duross, the group's global co-chair, said in a statement. "Their experience, insights, and trial skills will expand our capabilities and will be invaluable to our clients facing parallel federal and state investigations."

Driscoll formerly served as a prosecutor in the criminal division in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, specializing in white collar crime. She prosecuted health care-related crime, including fraud related to COVID-19 aid, as well as trade secrets theft, money laundering, and other types of white collar fraud.

"I was attracted to the momentum of the firm's white collar investigations and criminal defense practice, the broad array of sophisticated clients and challenging matters, and the quality and character of the firm's diverse team," Driscoll said. "I am looking forward to helping our clients, corporate and individual executives alike, understand government compliance expectations and respond to government investigations."

As senior litigation counsel for the federal prosecutor's office in Brooklyn, New York, Reilly led investigations and prosecutions related to public corruption, investment fraud, commercial bribery, money laundering and tax fraud. Among the cases he handled was the indictment of a half-dozen correctional officers charged with smuggling narcotics and a cell phone into Rikers Island, New York City's largest jail complex. He has also worked on the state level, serving in the state attorney general's special investigations unit and the office of the state governor.

"Nathan's breadth of experience as both a federal and state prosecutor, and his deep knowledge of anti-corruption, bribery, [the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act], and [the Foreign Agents Registration Act], build upon our ability to assist clients facing multidimensional and cross-office investigations, as well as the expansion of investigations by state attorneys general and other local and state law enforcement and regulatory agencies," Carrie Cohen, who leads the firm's state and local government enforcement group, said in a statement.

The hires come as a number of firms add heft to their white collar defense bench in anticipation of sterner federal enforcement under the Biden administration.

"In light of the increased coordination between federal and state prosecutors and the uptick in enforcement action by state regulators and prosecutors, I am excited to bring a unique view of investigations to our clients," Reilly said in a statement. "I look forward to working with my new MoFo colleagues, some of whom I previously worked alongside, to help the firm's clients navigate these complex matters."

The pair join a number of former federal prosecutors at Morrison & Foerster, including Brian Kidd, who formerly led the Market Integrity and Major Frauds unit at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Brandon Van Grack, the former chief of the DOJ's Foreign Agents Registration Act unit.

--Editing by Nicole Bleier.

Originally published by Law360 13 September 2021.

Because of the generality of this update, the information provided herein may not be applicable in all situations and should not be acted upon without specific legal advice based on particular situations.

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