Firm News: Edward O’Callaghan Joins Cahill as Partner and Co-Head of the Washington, D.C. Office, and Chair of Congressional Investigations Practice 08.13.2024

Edward O'Callaghan Joins Cahill as Partner and Co-Head of the Washington, D.C. Office, and Chair of Congressional Investigations Practice

Date: 08/13/24

Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP announced today that Edward O'Callaghan, formerly the principal associate deputy attorney general and acting deputy attorney general at the Department of Justice (DOJ), has joined the firm as a partner and co-head of the Washington, D.C. office. He will chair Cahill's Congressional Investigations practice and serve as a partner in the White Collar Defense & Investigations practice.

Edward's practice will focus on representing public companies, government contractors, financial institutions, and executives in congressional investigations, criminal prosecutions, and other government inquiries and investigations.

Edward served with the DOJ from November 2017 through December 2019. There, he was the principal counselor to the Deputy Attorney General, DOJ's second highest official, and also a key, direct advisor to the Attorney General. In his role as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, Edward helped manage 113,000 attorneys, agents, investigators, and administrators, 93 U.S. attorney offices, and all DOJ law enforcement agencies. He was also one of DOJ's key congressional liaisons helping steer the Office of Legislative Affairs' strategic decisions, working regularly with various committees, leadership members, and staffers in the House and Senate. Edward also previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and Co-Chief of the Terrorism & National Security Unit during the last three years of his tenure.

"When facing high-stakes congressional hearings and sophisticated investigations, DOJ officials, including the Attorney General, turned toward Ed to help them prepare," said Herb Washer, Chair of Cahill's Executive Committee. "Very few can match his deeply impressive government service at the highest levels of the SDNY and DOJ as a whole, and his long career defending companies and executives in bet-the-company government investigations. When our clients face parallel investigations by DOJ, Congress, and federal and state regulators, every decision must be carefully calibrated to assess the impact across all inquiries. The insights Ed brings to clients as a result of his extensive government career and private sector experience are deeply valued, and I look forward to joining forces with him."

"Having contributed to some of the government's most important investigations, including daily advice to the Attorney General, Ed is among the best lawyers in the country at helping clients quickly formulate strategies to navigate high stakes investigations effectively, whether they originate from Congress, DOJ, or other agencies," said David Januszewski, Chair of Cahill's Litigation practice. "In these critical situations, time is of the essence. Ed stands ready to lead tough internal investigations to help inform a client's options, anticipate and craft defenses, and guide strategic decisions, including whether to cooperate or push back."

"DOJ continually sought out Ed for his extensive experience as a prosecutor of national security cases and sophisticated fraud and corruption schemes during his tenure at SDNY, leveraging that experience and perspective to help guide some of the Department's most difficult policy and prosecutorial decisions," said Anirudh Bansal, Chair of Cahill's White Collar Defense & Investigations practice, himself a former Southern District AUSA. "I know Ed well from our service together at SDNY, and he will be a powerful and unyielding asset to Cahill's current and future clients."

Since returning to private practice in 2020, Edward has been a partner at an international law firm based in Washington, D.C., where he has represented some of the country's largest companies and their top executives in DOJ, congressional, and federal and state regulatory inquiries. He has prepared numerous CEOs and other top executives for congressional hearings and has represented two of the largest global financial institutions in high profile and high stakes congressional inquiries. Edward is currently counsel of record for companies facing some of the most significant DOJ inquiries during the current Administration.

Edward is the second partner to join Cahill's litigation practice in two months, arriving shortly after Kiersten A. Fletcher, who served as an AUSA in the SDNY, where she was a senior member of both the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force and the Money Laundering and Transnational Criminal Enterprises Unit. At Cahill, these prominent former prosecutors join Anirudh Bansal, who was co-head of the SDNY Complex Frauds Unit and currently serves as Chair of Cahill's White Collar Defense & Investigations practice, as well as Sam Enzer, who also came from the SDNY and currently co-leads Cahill's Digital Assets Practice and Emerging Technology practice.

"I have worked with Herb, Anirudh, and Sam across different phases of my career, and I am familiar with Kiersten's incredible reputation and track record. I could not imagine a stronger team of talented and determined litigators who fight for clients and win," Edward said. "Very few law firms have been able to match Cahill's broad success in litigation, or its long-standing dominance in the capital markets. With these combined strengths, the firm is well placed to continue to thrive and provide highest caliber advice to top tier clients. I am eager to be a part of this storied firm and its deep team of accomplished lawyers."

Edward received his B.A. from Georgetown University and his J.D. from New York University School of Law. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the late Hon. Kevin T. Duffy in the Southern District of New York.

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