Press Release
June 29, 2015

Holland & Knight Partners John Brownlee and Anthony DiResta Recognized as “Regulatory & Compliance Trailblazers” by National Law Journal

WASHINGTON (June 29, 2015) – Holland & Knight is pleased to announce that partners John Brownlee and Anthony DiResta have been named "Regulatory & Compliance Trailblazers" by the National Law Journal (NLJ). They are among a select group of attorneys recognized as outstanding practitioners who have made a difference navigating the ever-changing mandates of regulatory and compliance and helping their clients achieve improved outcomes.

Mr. Brownlee is the chair of the firm's National White Collar Defense and Investigations Team and a former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia. Mr. DiResta is a well-known governmental consumer protection investigations attorney and a former Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regional director. Both were profiled in a special "Regulatory & Compliance Trailblazers" supplement, which was published in NLJ's June 22 issue.

The publication reports that Mr. Brownlee has successfully defended numerous companies alleged to have violated the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). It also quotes him on the rapidly growing number of federal government investigations and the increasing importance of companies understanding the regulations and having systems in place to test compliance. "When there is an issue, it's important to show that clients have a robust compliance program. But the government wants more. For example, just having a hotline is not enough. They want to know, ‘Who's manning it? What's the callback rate? Who's doing the callbacks?' Companies will need to be able to demonstrate their best efforts in enforcing compliance," he states.

Mr. DiResta has defended companies and individuals in more than 50 investigations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the FTC and state attorneys general since entering private practice, with most closing with no public announcement and no injunctive relief or fines, NLJ reports. It also notes his belief that the role of the lawyer will change and advocacy before the government will be reevaluated as the CFPB begins coordinating a significant number of integrated governmental actions. "We need to play where the law is going to be. Where are the regulators going? How can we get our clients to be positioned to be prepared for what their mindset and philosophy will be?" he says.

Related News and Headlines