Paul Hastings Bolsters Band 1 Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice with Former Senior Treasury Lawyer Roberto Gonzalez

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Further strengthening its elite, Band 1-ranked global Investigations & White Collar Defense practice, Paul Hastings LLP today announced that premier litigator and former deputy counsel of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Roberto J. Gonzalez has joined as a partner and chair of Sanctions & AML, based in Washington, D.C.

Joining from Paul, Weiss, where he served as co-chair of the Economic Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering practice and oversaw the firm’s consumer financial protection matters, Chambers-ranked Gonzalez represents leading financial institutions, fintech platforms and technology companies facing complex regulatory, enforcement and reputational challenges. He draws on experience in the Treasury Department, White House Counsel’s Office and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in advising corporations and senior executives on federal and state regulatory frameworks, criminal and civil investigations, congressional inquiries and sensitive internal investigations, often helping clients address crisis situations in which legal, business and public policy considerations intersect.

“The addition of Roberto to our top-ranked Investigations & White Collar Practice further reinforces Paul Hastings’ standing as the go-to destination for elite litigation talent and the premier law firm for advising clients on their most significant and complex matters,” said firm Global Managing Partner Sherrese Smith. “His extensive experience at the highest levels of government and in private practice provide him with unique, firsthand insight into the shifting regulatory landscape and its evolving enforcement risks. That knowledge, combined with his strong client relationships, will expand the depth and breadth of our litigation platform and position us for even greater momentum in this dynamic area.”

Having served as deputy general counsel at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, principal deputy general counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and White House associate counsel and special assistant to the president, Gonzalez has advised at the highest levels on regulatory, financial and constitutional matters. His distinguished legal background also includes clerkships for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens and U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Guido Calabresi.

As a former Supreme Court clerk, Gonzalez deepens Paul Hastings’ bench of lawyers with that invaluable experience, joining Appellate practice chair and former assistant to the U.S. solicitor general Ben Snyder and antitrust and competition partner Michael Murray.

With a practice spanning sanctions, anti-money laundering, export controls, cybersecurity, consumer protection, digital assets and payments, and False Claims Act matters, Gonzalez regularly represents clients in high-profile investigations and regulatory proceedings involving the Justice, Treasury and Commerce departments, the SEC and CFTC, the federal banking regulators, the New York Department of Financial Services, and various congressional committees. He has represented major U.S. and international banks, fintechs, investment companies and technology companies across a wide range of regulatory and compliance issues. His clients include Amazon, BlackRock, Block, Capital One, Citi, Google, JPMorgan, Shopify and Tencent.

“Paul Hastings has an impressive team, strong momentum and a collaborative culture that greatly appeals to me,” said Gonzalez. “The firm’s outstanding capabilities across investigations, fintech, consumer financial services and regulatory enforcement align closely with my practice and create substantial opportunities to provide clients with comprehensive and sophisticated counsel on their most complex and consequential matters.”

Gonzalez is the latest prominent addition to an elite Paul Hastings Litigation Department that has expanded with nearly 50 top-tier partner additions across practice areas globally over the past four years. He follows leading securities litigators Jennifer Burns Luz, Daniel Laguardia and Patrick Hein (Boston, San Francisco and New York) and Litigation partner and former senior U.S. Department of Justice official John Buretta (New York), and, in the White Collar and Investigations practice, preeminent litigator Antonin Lévy (Paris) and former federal prosecutor and accomplished trial lawyer Renato Mariotti (Chicago).

Paul Hastings’ Investigations & White Collar Defense practice has been recognized as a Band 1-ranked firm by Chambers, a Practice Group of the Year by Law360 and the Most Impressive Practice by Global Investigations Review (GIR), which also featured the team in the Top 10 of its GIR 100.

About Paul Hastings

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