On Tuesday, Pepper Hamilton LLP , the Philadelphia-based 122-year old law firm announced that former FBI Director Louis Freeh is joining the executive committee of the firm. Louis Freeh was the trustee overseeing the MF Global bankruptcy and was instrumental in exposing the Penn State sexual abuse scandal with his Freeh Report on the liability of the university and its senior officials in covering up Sandusky’s sexual abuse of minors for decades. Both the firms have affirmed the merger. Pepper Hamilton, which currently has about 500 lawyers and 12 offices around the country intends to strengthen its white collar litigation and investigation practice with the acquisition of Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan.
Freeh told the media that in recent years his firm had to turn down client work because of lack of staff. He said, “The combination gives us good resources to address really any major matter.” Currently, Freeh’s firm has an eight-member legal team, which includes former federal judges, prosecutors, and corporate litigators.
In a separate acquisition, Pepper Hamilton would also be acquiring from Freeh the Freeh Group International Solutions, a 16-person risk management-consulting group which includes former senior law enforcement officials, accountants, security and compliance experts and legal consultants. Freeh Group International Solutions would retain its name, but would be wholly owned by Pepper Hamilton.
Freeh’s boutique law firm brings along a veritable list of luminaries including former federal judge Eugene R. Sullivan, former Bank of America executive Omar McNeill, former federal prosecutor Thomas Souther, former federal prosecutor Joel Friedman, intellectual property litigator Eugene Sullivan and litigator Benjamin Scotti.
Nina Gussack, chairwoman of Pepper Hamilton’s executive committee said, “The Freeh Group will deepen and broaden Pepper’s already substantial corporate investigations, white collar advocacy and enforcement practice in key markets.”