William F. Johnson, Chief of SDNY Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, to Join Fried Frank

NEW YORK -

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP announced today that William F. Johnson, who most recently served as the Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, will join the Firm’s Litigation Department in New York as a partner.

Mr. Johnson, whose distinguished legal career spans both the United States Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), will be a member of the Firm’s Government Investigations and Regulatory Counseling Practice, which includes the White-Collar Criminal Defense, Securities Enforcement and Regulation, and Internal Investigations and Monitoring practice groups. His practice will focus on representing parties in investigations and litigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the SEC and other regulatory agencies.

“We are delighted to welcome Bill to the Firm. He brings a wealth of experience from his years at the United States Attorney’s Office and the SEC, complementing a department of enormously talented individuals across a host of areas,” said Valerie Ford Jacob, Fried Frank’s Chairperson, and Justin Spendlove, Fried Frank’s Managing Partner.

Mr. Johnson has served as the Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force since June 2007, leading a unit of prosecutors, law enforcement agents and staff in all aspects of fraud investigations, trials, appeals and other litigation. During his tenure there, Mr. Johnson supervised the investigation and prosecution of many notable cases, including fraudulent investment schemes (U.S. v. Bernard Madoff, U.S. v. Marc Dreier, U.S. v. Arthur Nadel); corporate fraud (Adelphia, Refco, Doral Financial); insider trading (Credit Suisse, UBS, Morgan Stanley); and options backdating (Monster, Safenet). He served as Deputy Chief the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force from 2005 to 2007. From 1996 to 2007, Mr. Johnson served as an Assistant United States Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney, during which time he investigated and prosecuted some of the nation’s highest-profile securities fraud cases, including those of former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers and CFO Scott Sullivan, Steven Madden, Michael Milken and others.

Prior to joining the United States Attorney’s Office, Mr. Johnson served on the staff of the SEC, as Senior Counsel leading investigations and litigation involving federal securities law violations in the Division of Enforcement, New York Regional Office, and in the Office of the General Counsel, Appellate Litigation Group.

“Bill will be an enormous asset to our practice. He brings great talent and an almost unique perspective from having served both at the SEC and the United States Attorney’s Office. Our practice already is known as a nationwide leader and we are excited to enhance that reputation by Bill joining us,” said Audrey Strauss (www.friedfrank.com/index.cfm?pageID=42&itemID=611), former Chief of the Securities Fraud Unit and Chief Appellate Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, and head of Fried Frank’s White-Collar Criminal Defense practice group.

“Bill is an exceptional lawyer. His background will complement and strengthen our practice and enhance our ability to advise clients,” said Carmen J. Lawrence (www.friedfrank.com/index.cfm?pageID=42&itemID=399), former Regional Director for the SEC’s New York Regional Office, and Dixie L. Johnson (www.friedfrank.com/index.cfm?pageID=42&itemID=349), co-heads of the Securities Enforcement and Regulation practice group.

“Fried Frank has a long-standing reputation for excellence in the government investigations practice area. I am eager to join such a distinguished group of practitioners and look forward to putting my government experience to work for our clients,” said Mr. Johnson.

Fried Frank’s Litigation Department is known for using high-level strategy to achieve ground-breaking results. The Firm’s Government Investigations and Regulatory Counseling Practice, which includes the White-Collar Criminal Defense, Securities Enforcement and Regulation, and Internal Investigations and Monitoring practice groups and partners, is recognized by Chambers and Partners, the Legal 500 and Benchmark Litigation for being the best in class. Fried Frank attorneys have extensive experience guiding clients through a wide range of government investigations, regularly defending corporations and individuals under criminal and regulatory investigation, including investigations by the United States Department of Justice, United States Attorneys’ Offices, the SEC, federal agency inspectors general and debarment officials, self-regulatory organizations, and various state regulatory and law enforcement agencies.

Mr. Johnson received his Juris Doctorate from Washington College of Law, The American University, where he was Note and Comment Editor of The American University Law Review. He received his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Ohio Wesleyan University. Following law school, Mr. Johnson served as a Law Clerk for The Honorable Noel Anketell Kramer, Associate Judge in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 550 attorneys in offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Fried Frank lawyers regularly represent many of the world’s leading corporations and financial institutions. The Firm offers legal counsel on antitrust and competition; bankruptcy and restructuring; benefits and compensation; corporate matters, including asset management, capital markets, corporate governance, financings, mergers and acquisitions, and private acquisitions and private equity; energy, alternative energy and climate change; financial institutions; government investigations and regulatory counseling including internal investigations and monitoring, securities enforcement and regulation and white-collar criminal defense; insurance; intellectual property and technology; international trade; litigation including arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, commercial litigation, environmental litigation, government contracts, securities and shareholder litigation; real estate; tax; and trusts and estates. The Firm has an association with Huen Wong & Co. in Hong Kong. More information on Fried Frank can be found at www.friedfrank.com.

Source: Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP

Paula Zirinsky, Director of Media Relations and Communications, +1-212-859-8818, paula.zirinsky at friedfrank.com