Co-leader of Ropes & Gray’s global anti-corruption and international risk practice and co-founder of R&G Insights Lab, Amanda Raad serves as a trusted advisor to clients seeking wide-ranging counsel on global and cross-border risk. Qualified in the United States and as a Solicitor in England and Wales, she leverages her extensive knowledge and experience of these active enforcement regimes to help clients navigate risk across jurisdictions. Amanda represents clients in criminal enforcement and regulatory matters, internal investigations, and compliance matters involving a range of misconduct, including financial fraud, corruption, sanctions and export control violations, money laundering, cybersecurity and data privacy issues, antitrust issues, and sexual misconduct. In summary of her practice, clients note she “counsels and advises with intelligence and caution and has tremendous credibility with regulators,” and “she is very experienced working in lots of different jurisdictions and able to provide good advice taking into consideration business direction and risks.”

Health care enterprises, life sciences companies, private equity firms, sovereign investors and organizations involved in corporate transactions, as well as their officers and directors, are among the clients that turn to Amanda for advice on specific U.S. and UK enforcement matters and related investigations, as well as for guidance in creating compliant cultures. Clients describe Amanda as “incredibly tactical,” and note that her “particular strength is providing practical, actionable legal advice.” 

Amanda publishes and speaks frequently on cross-border challenges in the areas of corporate crime and investigations, including those associated with sexual misconduct.

Amanda served as co-chair of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA) Programs Committee where she launched the Global Enforcement and Compliance Best Practices Series, and now co-chairs the WWCDA Annual Meeting.

Amanda is listed in Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK, Thought Leader in Who’s Who Legal, GIR’s Women in Investigations 2018, and New York Super Lawyers.

Deeply committed to pro bono work, Amanda co-chairs Ropes & Gray’s pro bono committee. Since 2016, she has also served on the board of Lawyers Without Borders.

Experience

Defense of Government Investigations

  • Go-to anti-corruption and investigations counsel to a global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer, assisting the client with investigations around the world, including government-facing investigations involving U.S. authorities, as well as authorities throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
  • Served as global anti-corruption counsel to a multinational medical device company in connection with globe-spanning investigations by DOJ, SEC, and foreign regulators.
  • After conducting an internal investigation for a global agricultural commodities merchant into allegations of fraud, counseled the client through reporting the issues to the UK Financial Conduct Authority and represented the client before the regulator.
  • Representing a leading global asset management firm and service provider in connection with an inquiry by the UK Financial Conduct Authority into alleged insider trading and market abuse by an employee.
  • Represented a major pharmaceutical company in connection with an independent investigation concerning allegations by Chinese officials that company employees paid physicians and hospitals to boost drug sales.

Internal Investigations

  • Regularly assisting one of the world's largest private equity firms in internal investigations into potential violations by the company's portfolio companies around the world.
  • Conducted an internal investigation into potential bribery of military officials by a sales agent and consortium partner in Pakistan of a Europe-based supplier of aviation equipment.
  • Represented a Europe-based digital engineering and software development company in an internal investigation related to alleged corruption in the bidding for public tenders, prompted by indictments of the company and several of its employees by Italian authorities.
  • Assisted a leading global financial institution in conducting an extensive internal investigation into allegations of misconduct by a former senior executive, including the exchange of confidential information, conflicts of interest, and improper workplace conduct, as well as advised the client on its reporting obligations to the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
  • Conducted an extensive internal investigation for a multinational company specializing in security products in connection with publicized allegations of corruption associated with a government tender in Africa.
  • Represented a Europe-based global private equity firm in an internal investigation into allegations of fraud, corruption, and misappropriation involving a portfolio company.
  • Conducted an internal investigation for a global ceramics manufacturer into allegations of fraud and bribery in Vietnam, which expanded to additional jurisdictions in Asia, Europe, and North Africa.

Compliance Advice

  • Designed and implemented pre-acquisition international risk diligence protocols for multiple private equity firms and assisted with post-acquisition implementation of enhanced compliance controls. Ropes & Gray and an American multinational private equity firm received the “Best Client-Law Firm Team” at the American Lawyer’s Annual Industry Awards in connection with this work.
  • Led anti-corruption and international risk assessments for multiple clients in the private equity, pharmaceutical, and energy sectors, resulting in the development and implementation of enhanced compliance controls.
  • Routinely advising clients across industries on the development of their compliance programs, particularly in the areas of anti-bribery/anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and trade compliance.
  • Advising a global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturer on a host of trade compliance issues, including conducting a risk assessment of the enterprise’s global trade compliance program and helping to develop and implement fulsome compliance guidance and programmatic enhancements as the client updates and modernizes its trade compliance program.
  • Following an extensive internal investigation into allegations of corruption in Africa and the Middle East, assisted a multinational company specializing in security solutions with designing its compliance program, targeting international risk areas including anti-bribery/corruption, anti-money laundering, tax evasion, sanctions, export control, antitrust, and data privacy; as well as designing and implementing relevant trainings for the company’s employees.
  • Advised an India-headquartered medical device company on a wide range of anti-corruption and sanctions compliance matters, including assisting the client in building out its anti-corruption and sanctions compliance program and acting as its compliance counsel in connection with the company’s planned initial public offering.
  • Provided proactive global risk advice to one of the best-known sports associations in the United States as it expands into new international markets.
  • Advised clients on the Modern Slavery Act and related obligations.

Transactional Counseling

  • Serving as global compliance counsel for five of the world’s largest alternative asset management firms, and representing 30 additional private equity and global asset management firms, providing compliance and risk assessment advice and conducting internal investigations related to the FCPA and UK Bribery Act.
  • Routinely advising firms on diligence, monitoring and compliance best practices across risk areas, including the world’s largest private equity and asset management firms on pre-acquisition anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and trade compliance due diligence with respect to prospective portfolio companies, as well as assisting clients with the ongoing monitoring of their existing portfolios.

Individual Representations

  • Representing a former banker charged in the U.S. with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, conspiracy to violate the FCPA, and conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with an alleged fraud against the government of Mozambique.
  • Advised a global financial institution and numerous individuals in investigations by the DOJ, SEC, and the CFTC, as well as the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority and Serious Fraud Office, concerning the alleged manipulation of certain benchmark rates, including the London Interbank Offered Rate, foreign exchange rates, and ISDAFIX.
  • Represented the former CFO of a multinational oil and gas company during a DOJ and SEC investigation into FCPA violations relating to the company’s activities in Argentina through a joint venture company.
  • Counsel to senior executive in international criminal investigation of alleged collusion among banks in the setting of LIBOR and other benchmark interest rates.
  • Represented a senior executive of a Chinese subsidiary of a U.S.-listed cosmetics company in a DOJ/SEC investigation into potential FCPA violations in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, India, Japan, and China.

Pro Bono

  • Partnering with multiple international organizations to create an anti-corruption curriculum and related tools for the rebuilding of Ukraine's infrastructure.
  • Led a team in partnership with APPEAL to clear the name of a man wrongly accused of rape after spending more than 17 years in prison.
  • Partnering with BlueCheck Ukraine to identify and vet frontline organizations/NGOs that are potential recipients of donor funds.
  • Participated in Lawyers Without Borders Kenya training of magistrates, prosecutors, and investigating officers on how to better investigate and prosecute wildlife crime.
  • Partnered with Lawyers Without Borders to evaluate potential supply chain training opportunities to identify and mitigate human trafficking.
  • Led a team representing inmates in New York City jails in a class action against the City of New York for guard brutality.
  • Served as lead counsel in a political asylum case, presenting on behalf of the National Immigrant Justice Center, and securing a positive outcome for the victim.

Areas of Practice

    Disclaimer

    Ropes & Gray International LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in Delaware, United States of America and is a recognised body regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (with registered number 521000).