Overview
International law firm McDermott Will & Emery continues to expand its New York litigation practice to meet growing client demand with the addition of Carlos Ortiz, a white-collar defense veteran serving global clients in high-stakes investigations.
“Carlos’ unique perspective as a high-level federal prosecutor for more than 15 years provides clients considerable insight to how best avoid and defend against tough governmental enforcement actions,” David Rosenbloom, head of McDermott’s litigation practice, said. “As part of a strategic plan to grow our capabilities where they are most needed in the current and future business climate, we are adding to our deep bench of trial lawyers to address the issues facing our business partners today—including international investigations, high-stakes tax controversies and anti-corruption, among others.”
Carlos represents US and multinational corporations, as well as individuals, in connection with matters before enforcement and regulatory agencies including the US Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service, the Securities and Exchange Commission and various state attorneys general. Since shifting to private practice after 15 years as a prosecutor for the Department of Justice Tax Division and at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey where he served as Deputy and Acting Chief of the Criminal Division, Carlos has achieved numerous criminal dismissals related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, tax controversies, anti-money laundering and allegations of fraud against government agencies, healthcare companies and financial institutions. Additionally, he has led numerous domestic and international internal investigations across several industries—pharmaceutical, financial services, healthcare, aerospace, energy and telecommunications—and understands the nuances and complexities involved.
“The McDermott advantage extends from superior client work to fostering a productive and collegial environment,” Carlos said. “I am thrilled to join the Firm’s fierce litigation team and leverage its world-class healthcare, life sciences and tax practices in conjunction with my current work.”
Carlos is the most recent addition to the litigation group, following three from Quinn Emanuel—entertainment litigator Jeff McFarland and New York-based insurance defense litigators Jane Byrne and Guyon Knight. Also based in New York, top class-action partners Joshua Simon, Warren Haskel and Dmitriy Tishyevich and their teams joined from Kirkland & Ellis in March.
Carlos holds a JD from Brooklyn Law School and BA from College of William & Mary. Shortly after graduating law school, he went on to earn a LLM in taxation from the University of Baltimore School of Law. Prior to joining McDermott, he was a trial partner at Norton Rose Fulbright and served as white-collar practice chair at previous firms.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective—and often unexpected—solutions that propel success. More than 1,200 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.
