Former Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel Mendell Joins Morrison & Foerster in Boston

BOSTON (March 1, 2022) – Morrison & Foerster, a leading global law firm, is pleased to announce that Nathaniel Mendell has joined the firm as a partner in its Investigations + White Collar Defense Group, based in the Boston office. Mr. Mendell joins Morrison & Foerster from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, where he most recently served as Acting U.S. Attorney and previously served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney. During his time with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Mr. Mendell supervised more than 120 federal prosecutors across three offices and oversaw numerous complex enforcement matters spanning corporate healthcare fraud, securities and economic fraud, national security, public corruption, and international money laundering.

Mr. Mendell brings to the firm nearly two decades of leadership experience as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and has tried more than 20 cases to verdict. He has been involved in several high-profile white collar prosecutions, including a criminal conspiracy case against several former pharmaceutical executives under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, pharmaceutical co-pay cases, the national college admissions fraud case, and international money laundering cases. In addition,
Mr. Mendell built his expertise in federal corporate enforcement policy as a member of the Corporate Crime Advisory Group, which advises the Deputy Attorney General.

Mr. Mendell is the 12th government official to join the firm since the start of 2021; other former officials who have recently joined the firm include Edward Imperatore, William Frentzen, Adam L. Braverman, Brian K. Kidd, Brandon Van Grack, Katherine Driscoll, and Nathan Reilly. These additions underscore the continued expansion of Morrison & Foerster’s multijurisdictional Investigations + White Collar Defense practice, enabling the firm to vigorously defend False Claims Act, healthcare fraud, and international financial fraud and corruption matters. Mr. Mendell joins an elite group of former prosecutors who help lead the firm’s white collar investigative teams.

“Nathaniel is a highly accomplished trial attorney who will be a key asset to our clients in Boston and in the Northeast in particular,” said Morrison & Foerster Global Litigation Department Co-Chair Bradley D. Wine. “Government investigations in the life sciences, technology, private equity, and banking industries are expected to increase. Nathaniel’s experience working in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and working closely with federal law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Criminal Investigations, will provide invaluable insight to our clients facing multi-agency, cross-border investigations in those sectors.”

Since opening in 2019, Morrison & Foerster’s Boston office has grown to more than 45 lawyers across multiple practices, including general corporate, finance, litigation, technology and life sciences licensing and transactions, patent, private equity investments and buyouts, venture capital and emerging companies, life sciences and healthcare, intellectual property, data privacy and security, real estate, and hospitality.

“Nathaniel is highly regarded in the legal community and local market,” said Anthony Fiotto, partner and head of Litigation in the Boston office. “His extensive experience in white collar matters and investigations will significantly enhance our ability to serve our clients in Boston. His arrival also underscores the rapid growth of our Litigation team in Boston, following the addition of commercial and securities litigation and M&A disputes capabilities last year.”

Mr. Mendell served as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office prior to relocating to Boston, where he prosecuted a dozen cases to juries including drug trafficking, armed carjacking, mail and wire fraud, and human smuggling matters. Before joining the Department of Justice, he was a litigation associate at a leading law firm. Mr. Mendell earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School, where he served as editor-in-chief of the Harvard Latino Law Review, and his B.A. from Amherst College.