Firm hire: Kobre & Kim

Kobre & Kim has expanded its government enforcement defense and investigations practice across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas with the addition of six former U.S. government lawyers.

Jonathan Huth, a former trial lawyer at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will join the firm’s London office to focus on investigations in the UK/Europe, with an emphasis on matters relating to futures/derivatives and cryptocurrency. He was Associate General Counsel at HSBC Bank in London.

Wade Weems, a former prosecutor from the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division, has joined to practice in the firm’s Shanghai office, subject to approval by the Ministry of Justice of the People’s Republic of China. Mr. Weems, who has deep knowledge of government enforcement actions including international sanctions and investigations, is practicing in the firm’s Washington DC office pending such approval.

Daniel Lee, a former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor who served in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in Texas and Hawaii, also joined the firm’s Asia practice. Mr. Lee has joined to practice in the firm’s Seoul, Korea office, subject to approval by the South Korea’s Ministry of Justice. Mr. Lee is practicing in the firm’s New York office pending such approval.

Sean Buckley, another former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor who served as a unit chief in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, joins the firm’s New York office. Mr. Buckley is an experienced trial lawyer with deep knowledge of international government enforcement actions, money laundering, sanctions and related forfeiture issues, among others.

G. Scott Hulsey, a former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor who served as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in Washington DC, joins the firm’s Washington DC office from General Electric Energy Connections, where he was the global Chief Compliance Officer. Mr. Hulsey will focus on the firm’s international investigations and monitorship practice.

Martin De Luca, a former special U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, joins the firm’s Latin America practice, currently working from the firm’s New York, Miami and Latin America locations. He expects to permanently relocate to the firm’s Latin America operations after an initial period in the U.S. Mr. De Luca will focus on international government investigations, asset forfeiture defense and monitorships.

'We have and continue to hire talent to address growing demand for our firm’s international government enforcement defense and investigations services,' said firm co-founder Steven Kobre, also a former U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York). 

Co-founder Michael Kim, who was also a prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York) added, 'Our government enforcement defense and investigations practice has two aspects not commonly found in many other firms—one, our team is located throughout the world and offers local capabilities and language skills and two, we focus on fulfilling only a client’s specialised needs while working cooperatively with the client’s existing regular outside counsel.'