John C. Kocoras is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s White Collar & Securities Defense practice group and is based in the Firm’s Chicago office. John focuses his practice on internal investigations, white-collar criminal defense matters including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) cases and complex litigation.
Prior to joining McDermott Will & Emery, John served for four years as Managing Director and Regional Counsel of the global investigations company Kroll, where he directly supervised investigators, forensic accountants and computer forensics professionals on FCPA matters and other international investigations. He also served for over five years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, where he represented the United States in federal criminal matters throughout investigations, trials and appeals, including cases involving white collar crimes, public corruption, terrorism and other violent crimes. John has worked as investigative counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee and as a law clerk to former Chief Judge James C. Cacheris of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
John has received numerous awards for his work including the Investigation of the Year Award, National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association; the Award for Excellence, President’s Council for Integrity & Efficiency; and the Inspector General’s Integrity Award, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. He has been named one of Chicago Lawyer’s 2010 “40 Under Forty Illinois Attorneys to Watch” and as a Rising Star on Ethisphere Magazine’s 2010 and 2011 lists of “Attorneys Who Matter,” a publication dedicated to sharing best practices in Ethics and Compliance. John was also ranked as a leading data protection and privacy lawyer by The Legal 500 United States 2011.
John is admitted to practice in Illinois.
Representative Experience
- International Investigations: John has led multi-disciplined international investigations for global corporations, private equity firms and other law firms, and he has reported findings to corporate leadership and Audit Committees of prominent companies.
- FCPA: John’s FCPA experience includes complex internal investigations following bribery allegations, intensive due diligence investigations prior to sensitive transactions, and counseling on anti-corruption compliance improvements. He has conducted onsite FCPA interviews in a variety of countries and managed FCPA investigations throughout the world.
- Broad Industry Experience: John has assisted clients across a variety of industries, including health care, pharmaceutical and medical devices, oil and gas, and investment services.
Education
- Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D. (cum laude)
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B.A.
