Leading global law firm Baker McKenzie has announced it is reappointing Joanna Ludlam and William “Widge” Devaney as Co-Chairs of its world-leading Global Compliance & Investigations Group.
Based in London, Joanna is a partner in the Dispute Resolution team, where she advises clients in the areas of administrative and public law, procurement law, litigation and investigations. She has particular experience in sectors including media, financial services, healthcare, technology, pharmaceuticals and medical devices, professional services, and consumer goods. In 2019, Joanna was awarded Compliance Innovator of the Year for Connected Compliance at the Women in Compliance Awards 2019, listed as a Role Model in the HERoes Women Role Model Lists 2019, awarded Admin & Public UK Lawyer of the year by ACQ5 2019, one of GIR’s “Top 100 Women in Compliance 2018,” named in The Lawyer’s “2016 Hot 100 List” for her practice, and is recognized by Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners and Who’s Who: Investigations.
Based in New York, Widge’s main practice areas are white collar criminal defense, investigations, compliance and complex civil litigation. He has significant trial and appellate experience, as well as significant experience leading cross-border investigations and multi-jurisdictional enforcement matters and assisting clients with corporate compliance, especially in the anti-corruption area. Widge is a former federal prosecutor, has been listed in New York Metro Super Lawyers in the Criminal Defence: White Collar category since 2011, he previously served on the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the South District of New York, representing indigent clients in federal criminal matters, and served as Co-Chair of the ABA’s Transnational Crime Subcommittee and as an officer of the IBA’s Business Crimes Committee.
As Co-Chairs, Joanna and Widge will continue to lead Baker McKenzie’s top-ranked Global Compliance & Investigations Group. Speaking after the announcement, Joanna and Widge commented:
“We are delighted to continue to lead the Global C&I team. We have had much success this year, handling some of the biggest and most challenging investigations in the world, while helping our clients navigate the novel compliance challenges that COVID-19 brought.
We are proud to continue to build on this momentum, bringing the best global team and cutting edge compliance and investigations innovation to our clients, cementing our position as the firm of choice for cross-border investigations, enforcement actions and compliance.”