International law firm McDermott Will & Emery is pleased to announce the addition of Chicago-based partner James Durkin to its Litigation Practice Group. James is a former assistant US attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, where he led high-stakes investigations and prosecutions within the National Security and Cybercrimes Section and into public corruption. James will draw upon his first-hand knowledge of how the government decides to pursue and resolve cases when helping clients navigate enforcement and regulatory actions.

“Government enforcement actions oftentimes create a complex web of issues for clients, especially in the cybersecurity, fraud and white-collar crime areas. As the government continues to ramp up these actions, James’ public service background and legal prowess will provide clients the counsel needed navigate these challenges successfully,” said Steven Scholes, global head of McDermott’s Litigation Practice Group. “While McDermott fully supports public sector service, we are delighted James chose McDermott for his return to private practice.”

James represents companies and individuals in matters ranging from healthcare fraud and anti-corruption cases to investigations brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Justice and other government agencies. While at the US Attorney’s Office, James led a variety of investigations and prosecutions involving cyber fraud, trade secrets theft, identity theft, trade sanctions, counterintelligence, foreign terrorism, domestic terrorism and civil unrest violations. He also supervised a high-profile investigation into public corruption that has resulted in numerous convictions of elected and public officials. James has significant experience handling cases involving healthcare fraud, mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, insurance fraud, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, international drug trafficking, firearms trafficking and violent robberies.

“I am thrilled to re-join McDermott, which feels like home to me. McDermott combines best-in-class legal counsel with a truly collaborative and collegial culture. I look forward to bringing the value of a public sector perspective back to private sector clients.”

Prior to his assistant US attorney role, James was a McDermott associate focused on internal investigations, government investigations, False Claims Act litigation and complex civil litigation matters.

James received his JD from Northwestern University School of Law and his BA, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.

James is the most recent addition to the Firm’s global Litigation practice after the arrival of partners Richard Salgado and David Genender in Dallas, Amy Frey in Paris, Jack Thorne in London, Joel Haims in New York and Jon Henry in Washington, DC.

McDermott Will & Emery partners with leaders around the world to fuel missions, knock down barriers and shape markets. Our team works seamlessly across practices and industries to deliver highly effective solutions that propel success. More than 1,400 lawyers strong, we bring our personal passion and legal prowess to bear in every matter for our clients and the people they serve.