O’Melveny & Myers LLP announced that Mary Patrice Brown, departing Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Division of the US Department of Justice (DOJ), has joined the Firm as a partner. Brown will be a member of the White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice and will reside in O’Melveny’s Washington, DC, office.
“We are fortunate to welcome to our ranks such a prominent and highly respected former prosecutor,” said Daniel Bookin, Chair of O’Melveny’s White Collar Defense and Corporate Investigations Practice. “Our clients will benefit not only from Mary Pat’s extensive senior experience at the DOJ, but also her courtroom experience at both the trial and appellate levels, her sharp intellect, and her good judgment.”
In the course of her distinguished 22-year government career, Brown has held a number of senior leadership positions at the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. As Deputy Assistant Attorney General, she had supervisory responsibility for both the Public Integrity Section, which investigates and prosecutes public corruption offenses involving government officials, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, which reviews sensitive investigative and prosecutorial actions. Brown also served as a top adviser to the Assistant Attorney General on a range of sensitive issues, including DOJ’s recent prosecution of former US Senator John Edwards, the investigation of international corruption, and a variety of international law enforcement issues.
Brown previously served as head of DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility and, before that, Chief of the Criminal Division in the US Attorney’s Office in DC. Over the course of her career as a prosecutor, she has supervised numerous high-profile cases, including the investigation and prosecution of members of Congress and other elected officials for bribery, fraud, and other federal violations. She also was involved in the DOJ’s deferred prosecution agreement with Dutch-owned bank ABN AMRO for sanctions violations, the negotiation of a plea agreement with a major American corporation for providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the prosecution of the former DC-based Riggs Bank for violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, and the conviction at trial of the leadership of the Washington Teachers’ Union for embezzling member dues.
“Corporate enforcement actions are on the rise; therefore, the demand for Mary Pat’s diverse and in-depth experience will continue to grow,” said Randy Oppenheimer, Chair of O’Melveny’s Litigation Department.
Brown received a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1978 and a J.D. in 1984 from Georgetown University Law Center, where she served as a member of the American Criminal Law Review. Brown began her legal career as a litigation associate at a well-known DC law firm. Over the past 15 years, she has regularly taught trial practice and evidence classes for AUSA and DOJ trial attorneys.
