Mark Mendelsohn, the U.S. government's top prosecutor in the area of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, has been known for some time to be
contemplating a move to the private sector. The WSJ announced today that Mendelsohn's destination is now known: law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. His last day at the DOJ is this coming Friday, and he is expected to start at Paul, Weiss next month.
Mendelsohn, who was a panelist on our excellent
FCPA Enforcement webcast last week, is Deputy Chief of the Fraud Section in the Criminal Division of the DOJ, where he is responsible for all criminal investigations and prosecutions under the FCPA, as well as principal policy responsibilities relating to the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.
FCPA defense work is a particularly hot area right now, and Mendelsohn is a very high-profile hire for Paul, Weiss. As the WSJ puts it, because the FCPA is particularly vague, it now often falls to the DOJ—"and specifically to Mr. Mendelsohn—to interpret the law."
The Main Justice blog
reports that Assistant Chief Charles Duross
will be named Acting Deputy Chief upon Mendelsohn’s departure, and a "vacancy listing" for the permanent position has now been posted online.