Carmen J. Lawrence, Former SEC Regional Director, Joins King & Spalding; Further Enhances the Firm's Growing SEC Enforcement and White-Collar Practice

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Mar 7, 2014) -  King & Spalding today announced the addition of partner Carmen J. Lawrence in New York, continuing the firm's significant expansion of its special matters and government investigations practice over the past six weeks. Lawrence, a former director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Northeast region, joins King & Spalding from Fried Frank, where she was co-head of securities enforcement and white-collar criminal defense.

In late January King & Spalding hired as partners former Fried Frank practice co-heads Dixie L. Johnson in Washington, D.C., and William F. Johnson in New York. Last month, the firm recruited partner Robert K. Hur, former Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, in its Washington, D.C., office.

"Carmen's excellence, prominence and reputation in SEC enforcement matters, and her service to clients as a trusted counsellor on securities law issues, are a terrific addition to our team," said Christopher A. Wray, leader of King & Spalding's special matters and government investigations practice. "Carmen's arrival continues our deliberate decision to 'double down' on the firm's existing strengths in government investigations, white-collar criminal defense and securities matters, and we are very pleased to welcome Carmen aboard."

Lawrence represents clients in investigations and litigation conducted by the SEC, the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, self-regulatory organizations and state securities regulators. She also conducts internal investigations and advises companies on crisis management and compliance with their obligations under the federal securities laws. Lawrence spent nearly 20 years in the SEC's Division of Enforcement and served as director of the agency's Northeast regional office in New York -- the SEC's largest regional office, covering 14 states and the District of Columbia -- overseeing all of its enforcement and regulatory functions. Under Lawrence's leadership, the office handled some of the SEC's most significant cases. She is co-chair of the sub-committee on SEC enforcement and civil litigation of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section, and she will be co-chairing the Practicing Law Institute's 46th Annual Institute on Securities Regulation, the nation's most prominent securities law conference. Lawrence received a J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School and her undergraduate degree from Cornell University. 

"Government and internal investigations work is among King & Spalding's top priorities, which was a major factor in my decision to join the practice's talented team of lawyers," said Lawrence. "I was also attracted by the special matters group's culture of credibility with the government, which serves clients' best interests." On a personal level, I am delighted that Dixie Johnson and Bill Johnson will be my partners again, and I look forward to serving clients as part of King & Spalding's deep investigative and regulatory team."

Lawrence joins a government investigations and special matters practice at King & Spalding that includes 37 veterans of posts at the U. S. Department of Justice and the SEC, including four former U.S. Attorneys, two former Chief Assistant U.S. Attorneys, and numerous former Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Justice Department trial lawyers. Wray, the practice leader, previously served as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, and partner Gary Grindler re-joined the firm in 2013 from his role as acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General and Chief of Staff to Attorney General Eric Holder. 

About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 125 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 800 lawyers in 17 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.