Overview
(September 23, 2019, Washington, DC) — Steptoe & Johnson LLP is pleased to announce that prominent white-collar lawyer, veteran prosecutor and corporate compliance monitor Michael R. Bromwich is joining the firm's esteemed White-Collar Criminal Defense practice as a senior counsel. He will reside in the firm's Washington office and also have a presence in the firm's New York office.
Bromwich brings nearly 40 years of experience as a federal prosecutor, a special prosecutor, an inspector general, the country’s top offshore drilling regulator, the compliance monitor of major public companies and public agencies, and a criminal defense lawyer. Over the years, he has been called on countless times – by public corporations, private companies, federal, state, and local governments, cabinet secretaries, and the president of the United States – to deal with issues and problems of private and public significance.
In private practice, Bromwich has conducted internal investigations for private companies and other organizations, providing monitoring and oversight services, and represented institutions and individuals in white-collar criminal and regulatory matters and congressional matters. Most recently, his publicly disclosed representations have included Christine Blasey Ford and Andrew McCabe. He has also served as the independent monitor for two of the ten largest companies in the United States – Apple and Walmart.
Bromwich's celebrated career also includes serving as the Inspector General at the Department of Justice (DOJ), where he was responsible for investigating public corruption and systemic issues relating to waste, fraud, and abuse within the DOJ and its law enforcement agencies including the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). His work included investigations of the FBI Laboratory, the FBI's role in the Aldrich Ames affair, and the DEA’s involvement in the CIA-crack cocaine controversy. During his five years as Inspector General, Bromwich took a new and virtually anonymous agency within the DOJ and shaped it into an internal investigations powerhouse.
Bromwich previously served as an assistant US attorney for the Southern District of New York, and as associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel for Iran-Contra.
Bromwich's most recent public sector service took place in 2010-2011 when he was selected by President Obama to reform the regulation and oversight of offshore drilling and to serve as the country's top offshore drilling regulator in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill. During his tenure at the Department of the Interior, Bromwich implemented a series of far-reaching regulatory and organizational reforms that revamped the nation's regulation of offshore energy exploration, development, and production.
In welcoming Bromwich to the firm, Steptoe Chair Phil West commented: "Over the course of his career, Mike has repeatedly been tapped for complex and challenging assignments. Whether in corporate compliance, or representing high-profile individuals in national headline-making matters, he has deftly harmonized business, legal and political cross-currents. His experience will fit in perfectly at Steptoe, and our clients will have another reason to look to us as one of the country's premiere investigations and defense firms. We are thrilled to welcome Mike as the latest jewel in our crown."
Bromwich remarked: "Steptoe's white-collar team has an outstanding national reputation among prosecutors and the defense bar. I've known Reid Weingarten for more than 30 years and have been extremely impressed by the top-tier talent he has attracted to the Steptoe white-collar team. I am truly excited about this opportunity to work with him and the group."
Steptoe's white-collar criminal defense practice has represented some of the largest public and private companies in the world in major government and internal investigations. The team represented Volkswagen AG in the Department of Justice's diesel emissions case and successfully negotiated the largest corporate criminal and regulatory settlement in recent history.
Regarded as one of the best white-collar practices in the United States, the team has garnered many accolades, including recognition by both Chambers USA and The Legal 500 as a top-ranked practice in this field. The group was also named The National Law Journal's "Washington Litigation Department of the Year in White-Collar Crime" in 2014, 2017, and 2018, and has received Law360's "Practice Group of the Year in White-Collar" award three times. For the past four years, Global Investigations Review has named Steptoe to its GIR 30, an independent guide to the world’s best firms for international investigations.
Bromwich is the founder and managing principal of The Bromwich Group, which offers independent monitoring, crisis management, strategic advisory, public affairs, and law enforcement consulting services.
He serves as a non-resident senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. His pro bono work includes assisting The Innocence Project on various projects, and serving as a member of its lawyers' committee. This past May, the Innocence Project honored Bromwich for his multiple contributions to the organization and to the cause of ensuring fairness in the criminal justice system. Bromwich also serves as a member of the advisory board of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Bromwich received his J.D. from Harvard and his MPP from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government the same year. He earned his A.B., summa cum laude, from Harvard where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
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, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
