William Devaney

Practice Areas

William (Widge) Devaney is the Chair of Baker's North American Litigation and Government Enforcement Group. A former federal prosecutor, Widge represents corporations and individuals in internal and government facing investigations and enforcement actions, often cross-border. An experienced trial lawyer, he also routinely represents clients in complex civil litigation and provides compliance advisory advice, particularly in the anti-corruption sphere.

Widge is ranked in Chambers for both White Collar Crime and the FCPA, as well as New York Super Lawyers. He is the author of multiple publications involving such topics as the FCPA, cross-border investigations and corporate compliance programs. He appears often in the print media commenting on current criminal matters.

Widge represents corporations and individuals in complex, typically cross-border and multi-jurisdictional investigations, both internal and government facing. He has significant trial and appellate experience, as well as significant experience in leading complex civil litigation. Widge also frequently advises on corporate compliance and governance matters, especially in the anti-corruption area.

He was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of New Jersey, where he was a member of the Securities and Healthcare Fraud Unit. Widge also headed the Money Laundering Task Force in the US Attorney's Office and served as the Tax Crimes Coordinator.

Widge is ranked in Chambers and New York Super Lawyers in the white collar defense categories and ranked in Chambers for the FCPA. He is a former co-chair of the ABA's Transnational Crime Subcommittee, and former officer of the IBA's Business Crime Committee. He also previously served on the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the Southern District of New York, representing indigent clients in federal criminal matters. Widge served as law clerk to the Honorable Oliver Gasch on the US District Court for the District of Columbia from 1993 to 1994.

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association (ABA) White Collar Crime Section, Sub-Committee on Transnational Crimes - Former Co-chair

• International Bar Association (IBA) Business Crime Committee - Former Officer

• Criminal Justice Act panel for the US District Court for the Southern District of New York - Past Member

• Federal Bar Council and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers - Member

Publications

Widge publishes frequently on topics involving anti-corruption, investigations and ESG, including recently a chapter in GIR's Practitioner's Guide to Global Investigations. He is a frequent speaker, including at conferences sponsored by ACI, ACC, Ethisphere, GIR and the ABA.

Education

Expert in these Jurisdictions

USA

Languages Spoken

English