Overview
(January 12, 2022, Washington, DC) — For the second time in four years, Steptoe & Johnson LLP partner and general counsel Brigida Benitez has been named to Latino Leaders magazine's "Top Latino Lawyers" list.
Benitez draws on almost 30 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes, complex disputes, and helping them navigate compliance matters and employee misconduct. She has litigated high-profile cases in trial and appellate courts throughout the United States, including the US Supreme Court, with a focus on civil litigation, internal investigations and global anti-corruption issues.
Benitez previously headed the Office of Institutional Integrity of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), an independent office responsible for investigating potential fraud and corruption in IDB-financed activities. In addition, the office oversees the implementation of compliance policies and procedures relating to anticorruption, anti-money laundering, offshore financial centers, and sanctions laws and regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Benitez has since represented clients in all phases of World Bank and IDB proceedings.
Fluent in Spanish, Benitez has conducted investigations throughout Latin America, where she routinely leverages her deep understanding of the multijurisdictional investigative process. She has represented a wide range of clients, including financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, universities, international development firms, and individuals, as well as boards of directors and special litigation committees of public company boards.
Benitez is a past president of the DC Bar, the second largest unified bar in the country with more than 100,000 members worldwide. She serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches a course on international business litigation. Benitez has previously been recognized by Hispanic Business magazine as a "Woman of the Year" and one of the "100 Most Influential US Hispanics."
About Steptoe
In more than 100 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
