Joan has more than 30 years’ experience handling complex criminal and civil litigation, primarily domestic and international white collar defense for companies involving anti-corruption, financial frauds, government contracting, false claims, securities and commodities violations, and trade compliance matters. She has tried scores of cases at the state and federal levels and handled more than 40 appeals in state and federal appeals courts. Joan also conducts domestic and international internal investigations for corporate clients to determine if legal and regulatory violations were committed and defends companies and individuals in negotiation and litigation with U.S. government agencies.
With her extensive experience in global corporate compliance, Joan routinely advises senior management and boards of directors on best practices for compliance with U.S. and international legal requirements and regulations and the consequences of law enforcement inquiries, including the development of a defense strategy, government disclosures, disciplinary actions, and the enhancement of compliance policies and procedures and internal controls. She has handled matters around the world for companies in the manufacturing, life sciences, mining and extraction, financial services, transportation and logistics sectors and assisted them in conducting global risk assessments and audits, developing and implementing compliance programs, creating remediation plans and developing emergency/crisis management strategies. Joan has been recognized multiple times by the National Association of Corporate Directors as one of the most influential professionals in corporate governance.
Before joining Benesch, Joan was a partner at Baker McKenzie for more than ten years, where she served as practice chair of the Compliance & Investigations group and as the Washington, D.C. office litigation chair. She also served as practice chair of Thompson Hine’s Government Enforcement, Internal Investigations and White Collar Defense Group. Before entering private practice, she held several high-profile government positions, including serving as senior counsel to the Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, where she advised on complex criminal litigation, including corporate frauds such as falsely inflating revenue, insider trading and accounting schemes, and managed the operation of the president’s Corporate Fraud Task Force. She also developed the Department’s corporate charging and monitorship policies. Joan also held a variety of positions in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Michigan, including First Assistant and Chief of the Criminal Division, and she was a criminal prosecutor in Chicago at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Additionally, she worked as a senior trial attorney in the Division of Enforcement at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission where she prosecuted investment frauds involving the commodity futures markets.