NEW YORK – Bracewell LLP announced today that Seth D. DuCharme, a high-ranking career lawyer in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), has joined the firm’s New York office as a partner in its government enforcement and investigations practice. DuCharme most recently served as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States.
“Seth is a highly credentialed lawyer and will be a terrific addition to the firm,” said Bracewell Managing Partner Gregory M. Bopp. “His distinguished career as a prosecutor will add further depth to our elite government enforcement and investigations team.”
DuCharme will focus his practice at Bracewell on advising companies and individuals on matters related to cybersecurity and breach response, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) diligence and litigation, export controls, sanctions compliance and anti-money laundering. He will draw on the experience gained through various leadership roles at the Eastern District, including as Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief of the National Security & Cybercrime Section and most recently as the Acting United States Attorney.
At the Eastern District, DuCharme played a leading role in:
- the trial of “El Chapo” Guzman
- the Huawei indictment
- the RICO prosecution of Keith Raniere in connection with the NXIVM cult
- the investigation of a global financial institution for its involvement in the 1MDB Malaysian bond deal, resulting in the largest criminal penalty ever obtained in an FCPA case
- the arrest and indictment of eight individuals charged with conspiring to act as illegal agents of the People’s Republic of China
- the conclusion of a deferred prosecution agreement over a major financial institution in connection with its potential exposure for international money laundering
From December 2019 through July 2020, DuCharme was the highest-ranking career lawyer in the DOJ, serving as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General of the United States. He worked directly with the Deputy Attorney General in overseeing all of the DOJ’s litigating components and law enforcement agencies. He helped resolve appeals of DOJ litigation positions by private counsel; supervised complex, high-profile matters brought by the Criminal, Civil, Antitrust and National Security Divisions; and advised the Deputy Attorney General and Attorney General on criminal and civil litigation matters, as well as national policy and the government’s COVID-19 response, on a daily basis.
“I’m excited to welcome Seth to the Bracewell team,” said Stephen L. Braga, chair of the government enforcement and investigations practice. “Corporations, even large ones with sophisticated legal and compliance departments, need experienced legal counsel to provide informed, strategic advice on internal investigations, criminal investigations and prosecutions, regulatory investigations and enforcement actions. Seth brings a real world understanding of what our corporate clients can expect from federal, state and foreign law enforcement authorities in these kinds of matters.”
“Seth supervised some of the biggest and most complex federal cases in New York,” adds Daniel S. Connolly, managing partner of Bracewell’s New York office and a former prosecutor in the Office of the Manhattan District Attorney. “This experience compliments the strengths of our existing team, which includes retired District Court Judge Barbara S. Jones and Paul Shechtman.”
DuCharme joins an established national practice, which includes Connolly, Rachel B. Goldman, Jones, Thomas F. Kokalas, David A. Shargel and Shechtman in New York; Kevin D. Collins and Timothy A. Wilkins in Austin; Matthew G. Nielsen in Dallas; Jeffery B. Vaden in Houston; and Braga, Paul S. Maco, Britt Cass Steckman and Robert J. Wagman Jr. in Washington, DC.
“I am excited to join a dynamic team of seasoned trial lawyers, former federal prosecutors and judges. I look forward to working with my new partners in serving the needs of our clients with the same judgment and creativity that I brought to my roles at the Eastern District and Justice Department,” said DuCharme.
DuCharme began his career as a Deputy United States Marshal in the Eastern District. He clerked with the Honorable Richard Owen of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York prior to beginning his legal career as an associate at an international law firm in New York. DuCharme earned his J.D., cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law and his B.A., with honors, from Hamilton College.
