Miller & Chevalier Elects Four New Members to Employee Benefits, International, and Litigation Practices
Miller & Chevalier Chartered elected four new members on January 1. Lauren Briggerman and Andrew Herman practice in the areas of white collar defense and complex criminal and civil litigation; Nathan Lankford focuses on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and business and human rights matters; and Erin Sweeney concentrates on employee benefits and ERISA policy and litigation.
“We congratulate Lauren, Andrew, Nate, and Erin on joining the firm’s Membership,” said Anthony F. Shelley, Chair of Miller & Chevalier. “These exceptional lawyers have already made demonstrable impacts on the areas of law in which they practice. Each brings a strong track record of success representing clients in extremely sophisticated and high-impact matters, and we are confident they will continue to build on these achievements as new Members.”
The firm’s news release continues:
Lauren Briggerman focuses her practice on criminal and civil matters, including government and internal investigations, white collar criminal defense, global antitrust and competition, and complex commercial litigation. Briggerman maintains a unique expertise in global cartel investigations where she has successfully defended companies and executives in some of the most notable international investigations spanning the auto parts, air cargo, freight forwarding, and pharmaceutical industries. Additionally, Briggerman has significant experience counselling clients through complex civil litigation. She served on the trial team defending two former executives of IndyMac Bank who were sued by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation for their alleged involvement in making negligent loans to homebuilders. Briggerman earned a B.A. from Northwestern University and a J.D., with honors, from The George Washington University Law School.
Andrew Herman advises clients in the areas of civil and criminal federal litigation with a focus on federal campaign and election laws, and congressional ethics and investigations. Herman has prevailed in the United States Supreme Court and represented clients before the United States Congress and Federal juries. He represents members of both the United States House of Representatives and Senate before their respective ethics committees, and advises campaign committees and politically active organizations on state and federal campaign finance laws, ethics rules, and disclosure issues. He has represented Fortune 500 corporations and national associations in complex federal regulatory and administrative matters before government agencies and in federal court. Herman earned a B.A., with high distinction, from the University of Michigan and a J.D., magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
Nathan Lankford focuses his practice on matters involving the FCPA, business and human rights, and other areas of international corporate compliance. He has created tailored compliance programs for U.S. and international companies in several industries and advised companies on all areas of compliance program implementation. He has conducted internal investigations, compliance audits, third-party due diligence, and due diligence in the context of mergers and acquisitions. Lankford also served as the primary Associate on a monitorship team tasked by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with carrying out a three-year anti-corruption compliance review and assessment pursuant to FCPA settlement agreements. In these matters, he has worked on location in many of the world’s most challenging business environments – including countries in Central and East Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Americas – and has developed a solid understanding of risks faced by the oil and gas industry, health care industry, telecommunications industry, and the high tech sector. Lankford is also a founding member of Miller & Chevalier’s Business and Human Rights practice, and has advised clients on matters of trade policy and compliance with U.S. export controls. Lankford earned a B.A., cum laude, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.
Erin Sweeney advises clients on all facets of healthcare reform, executive compensation and employee benefit plan administration, design, and qualification, including the application of Title I of ERISA to such plans. She counsels and represents parties in litigation regarding fiduciary obligations, including plan investments, fee disclosure, and prohibited transactions and exemptions. She also provides advice concerning health privacy (HIPAA), voluntary exit incentive programs, plan termination, downsizing, welfare and pension benefit claims, health insurance continuation (COBRA), withdrawal liability, post-retirement medical benefits, the employee benefits provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and employee benefits issues arising in corporate acquisition, financing, and restructuring transactions. In her prior role as Senior Benefit Law Specialist for the Office of Regulations and Interpretations at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Sweeney was a primary architect of the DOL’s default investment regulation proposal that impacts mutual funds, investment managers, employers, and plan trustees. Sweeney earned a B.A. and B.S., summa cum laude, from Ohio University; a J.D., cum laude, from American University Washington College of Law; and a M.A. in Law and International Affairs from American University’s School of International Service.
