PHILADELPHIA, January 9, 2024—Duane Morris LLP has named partner William M. McSwain, the former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, as co-chair of the firm’s White-Collar Criminal Defense, Corporate Investigations and Regulatory Compliance Division of the Trial Practice Group. McSwain joins partner Eric Breslin, who has been co-chair of the division since 2017. McSwain succeeds partner George Niespolo, who is retiring after helping to lead the division since 2008.
“George and Eric have put together a nationally prominent powerhouse group of white-collar attorneys with significant experience and deep understanding of the business and reputational issues at stake when individuals and corporations face white-collar issues,” said Duane Morris Chairman and CEO Matthew A. Taylor. “Our attorneys have specialized technical, policy and government experience across a wide variety of sectors, which enables them to mitigate risk for our clients and successfully guide our clients through an increasingly complicated landscape. We’re grateful to George for his many contributions to the firm in his 25 years with us and wish him well in his retirement.”
“Bill is well known both for his high-level government service and his experience as a top-notch trial lawyer and counselor in private practice. He provides a unique perspective on the sensitive and significant white-collar matters that our clients face and I am delighted that he is taking on this new role. Under Bill and Eric’s leadership, our team is well positioned to serve clients in an increased environment of investigations, shifting policies and compliance requirements across many industries. We have significant momentum in this division and will continue to grow and seek new opportunities to add talent.”
McSwain joined Duane Morris in 2021 after serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, one of the nation’s most populous districts, with nearly 6 million people residing within Philadelphia and its eight surrounding counties. As U.S. Attorney, McSwain served as the region’s chief federal law enforcement officer, responsible for all federal criminal prosecutions, investigations and civil litigation involving the United States.
McSwain’s efforts as U.S. Attorney included a specific emphasis on white-collar enforcement. For example, he spearheaded the creation of two new white-collar units: a regional Health Care Fraud Strike Force, in conjunction with the Fraud Section at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., in order to pursue criminal penalties against those who defraud U.S. government health care programs, and an Affirmative Civil Enforcement Strike Force that focused on expediting complex affirmative civil enforcement cases. McSwain strengthened and expanded his office’s relationship with financial regulators, including the SEC’s Philadelphia Regional Office and the Pennsylvania Department of Banking. He also served on the White Collar Fraud Subcommittee of the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.
This renewed emphasis on white-collar matters – including health care fraud, securities fraud, insider trading, tax fraud, Ponzi schemes, embezzlement, money laundering and political corruption – helped the U.S. Attorney’s Office to dramatically increase its number of criminal prosecutions, which rose over 40% during McSwain’s tenure. His office also achieved a record number of affirmative civil enforcement resolutions, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars from corporations and individuals under investigation for committing fraud against the United States. McSwain is currently ranked by Chambers and Partners for Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations.
“There is nothing more high stakes and stressful for clients than facing a government investigation, especially a federal criminal investigation,” said McSwain. “In such situations, clients need counsel who know exactly what they are doing, and we have a terrific team of such white collar lawyers at Duane Morris. I’m excited to help lead and grow this team that is so crucial to our clients’ success.”
McSwain is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review, and Yale University. He served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and is a former adjunct lecturer in law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Prior to law school, he served as an infantry officer and scout/sniper platoon commander in the U.S. Marine Corps.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
