Laura N. Perkins is a partner in Hughes Hubbard’s Washington, D.C. office and serves as Co-chair of the Anti-Corruption & Internal Investigations practice group.
Laura represents corporate and individual clients in sensitive government enforcement actions and complex internal investigations. As a former federal white-collar prosecutor, Laura’s practice focuses on complex white-collar criminal matters, including conducting internal and independent corporate investigations across the globe, defending clients before government enforcement agencies and multilateral investment banks, and assisting with compliance counseling, risk assessments, and due diligence.
Prior to joining the firm, Laura spent nearly ten years at the Department of Justice, most recently serving as Assistant Chief of the FCPA Unit of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
While at the DOJ, Laura supervised and prosecuted some of the largest FCPA cases in the United States and was involved in the development of the FCPA Pilot Program and the drafting of the FCPA Resource Guide. Laura was the principal attorney on numerous FCPA corporate resolutions, tried several FCPA jury trials, and oversaw nearly a dozen independent compliance monitors. Laura also served as a U.S. Delegate to the OECD’s Working Group on Bribery and worked closely with prosecutors, law enforcement, and regulators from six continents on case and policy related matters.
In addition to FCPA cases, Laura successfully investigated and prosecuted complex securities fraud cases, healthcare fraud cases, and money laundering cases while at the DOJ. Laura also served as a Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division, where she advised DOJ leadership on white-collar criminal cases and policy matters.
Laura has extensive experience as a trial lawyer – both at the DOJ and in private practice. At the DOJ alone, she handled nearly two dozen federal jury trials and bench trials.
Recognitions
Named by Global Investigations Review as one of the top 100 Women in Investigations
Highlighted Lectures
Speaker, “The Grey Areas of Procurement, Sales & Marketing,” ACI’s Thirty-Fifth International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” November 2018
Speaker, “Your Global Strategy in Face of Heightened Jurisdictional Risks, Increased International Collaboration and Accelerated Coordinated Prosecutions,” C5’s 7th Annual Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery Conference, October 2018
Moderator, Stirring the PEP's Nest: Applying Global Magnitsky Sanctions to Prevent Abuse and Corruption," Compliance Week Sanctions Risk Management Conference, October 2018
"FCPA Compliance Report- Laura Perkins on the Hoskins Decision," Episode 398, Podcast, September 2018
“Investigations and Monitorships: Practitioner Panel," UC Berkeley Law Compliance Academy, July 2018
Speaker, “Former US Prosecutor Discusses New FCPA Corporate Enforcement Policy and Recent Cases Involving China,” ACI’s China Forum on Anti-Corruption, June 2018
Speaker, “Criminal Enforcement and Prosecution Trends in Relevant Jurisdictions (Topics, Industries, Crimes),” American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section- WisteV Conference on Global Corporate Criminal Liability and International Internal Investigations, May 2018
Moderator, "Challenges Maintaining Attorney-Client Privilege in Anti-Corruption Enforcement Actions," The George Washington University Law School, Emerging Issues in FCPA Enforcement Conference, March 2018
Co-Chair, ACI's 12th Houston Forum on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, January 2018
Speaker, "Taking Stock of FCPA Enforcement Priorities One Year into the New U.S. Administration," ACI's 12th Houston Forum on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, January 2018
“Hypothetical Scenario: Mock Whistleblower Complaint & Interview,” ACI’s Thirty-Fifth International Conference on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, November 2017
“Towards Global Corporate Criminal Liability?” International Bar Association Annual Meeting, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, October 2017
“No Longer Business as Usual: (What) a Year in Review,” C5’s 6th Annual Fraud, Asset Tracing & Recovery Conference, September 2017
“Does a defensible anti-corruption compliance program mean that it is understood in the field,” MetricStream GRC Summit, June 2017
Government Investigations & Civil Litigation Institute (GICLI) Annual Meeting, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, October 2016
Women, Influence & Policy in Law Conference, FCPA Spotlight: Department of Justice Pilot Program for Self-Disclosure, September 2016
“FBI and DOJ: Where We Are Today and the Road Ahead,” Protiviti, FCPA & Kleptocracy Conference, May 2016
“FCPA and U.S. DOJ Update: Inside the Role of the New U.S. Compliance Counsel, Impact of the Yates Memo and U.S.-Brazilian Investigation and Enforcement Cooperation,” American Conference Institute, 6th Brazil Summit on Anti-Corruption, May 2016
“FCPA Compliance Town Hall: The Latest FCPA Compliance Standards and How to Overcome Program Implementation Challenges,” American Conference Institute, FCPA & Anti-Corruption for the Life Sciences Industry, April 2016
“In the Crosshairs: Financial Institutions and the FCPA,” Financial Women’s Association, December 2015
“Data Privacy Case Studies: How to Manage the Risk of Foreign Data Privacy Violations in the Context of Internal and Government FCPA Investigations,” American Conference Institute, 32nd International Conference on the FCPA, November 2015
“Ask the Enforcers: The Most Significant Enforcement Trends and Greatest Risks in Global Commerce Today,” WESFACCA (The Association of Corporate Counsel for Westchester and Fairfield Counties), October 2015
“A New Look at FCPA Enforcement,” Compliance Week, May 2015
Highlighted Publications
Co-author, with Marie-Agnès Nicolas, “France Issues Inaugural Convention Judiciaire d’Intérêt Publica,” Revue Internationale De La Compliance Et De L’Ḗthique Des Affaires (International Review of Compliance and Business Ethics) (March 2018)
