New Partner Eric Russo and the Expansion of Our White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice in France

With the number and significance of government investigations in Europe growing dramatically, Eric Russo, a former prosecutor and judge, has joined QE’s white collar defense and investigations practice in France. Eric’s addition greatly expands our capabilities in this field.

Eric has 20 years of experience in the French court system. He has been primarily involved in criminal cases, in both trial and appellate courts. From 2015 to 2020, he was assigned to the PNF (Parquet National Financier), the leading French public prosecutor's office for economic and financial crimes, where he led many of the most important cases in France.

Although it is common in the U.S. and other jurisdictions for former prosecutors and judges to join private law firms, it is extremely rare in France. Eric is actually the first senior prosecutor to have moved from the prosecutor’s office to a law firm.

Eric brings to our firm an unparalleled advantage in credibility and subject matter expertise. His addition significantly enhances the already-outstanding reputation of QE’s Paris white collar platform led by Kami Haeri.

Investigations

Eric has been recognized for his leadership in conducting complex investigations. As a prosecutor, he led or was associated with more than 50 corruption, tax fraud, financial market infringement, and money laundering investigations, the vast majority involving major multinational corporations and high net worth individuals. With his deep knowledge of the investigation techniques and strategies employed by French investigators and prosecuting authorities, Eric can anticipate what will happen at each stage of a judicial investigation, what level of cooperation the authorities will expect, and the prosecutor’s responses to particular events during the investigation. Eric can analyze every situation and advise whether it calls for cooperation or an aggressive defense.

Eric’s extensive experience in criminal investigations also uniquely positions him to conduct internal investigations as necessary for our clients. He has extensive experience interviewing suspects, witnesses, and experts. He conducted hundreds of such interviews as an investigating magistrate and prosecutor. He is uniquely qualified to prepare clients for interviews by the police.

In the course of his cross-border investigation work, Eric has also developed strong and trusted relationships with enforcement authorities and regulators around the world, especially the US DOJ and the UK Serious Fraud Office. These relationships are invaluable in orchestrating a successful defense in cross-border matters.

Click here to read the full article.