Adam Safwat is counsel in Weil’s global White Collar Defense, Regulatory and Investigations practice and is resident in the Firm’s Washington, DC office. His practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement matters, and internal investigations.
Mr. Safwat previously served as a Deputy Chief of the Fraud Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division from 2012 to 2014. He also served in the Fraud Section as an Assistant Chief from 2008 to 2012 and as a Trial Attorney and Senior Trial Attorney from 2006 to 2008. During his time at the Fraud Section, he worked on a number of significant Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations involving companies operating in the commodities, oil services, logistics, and defense industries, and coordinated a multi-jurisdictional investigation resulting in one of the largest FCPA corporate settlements to date.
In addition, while at the Fraud Section, Mr. Safwat served on several complex securities fraud investigations of individuals and entities in the financial services industry, including matters involving alleged accounting fraud relating to complex derivative instruments and special purpose entities. In addition to his case work, Mr. Safwat worked on policy matters such as new criminal discovery initiatives within the Criminal Division and on proposed amendments to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines relating to corporate accounting fraud and insider trading.
In 1994, Mr. Safwat received his J.D. and LL.M. in International Law from the Duke University School of Law, where he graduated Order of the Coif and served as a notes editor of the Duke Law Review. He received his B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, where he graduated with high honors. He served as law clerk to the Honorable Walter K. Stapleton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Mr. Safwat has been recognized as a “recommended” lawyer nationwide for White Collar Defense by The Legal 500, while Global Investigations Review called him a “name to know” in its inaugural edition of the GIR 100. He has authored articles on a variety of white collar matters, the FCPA, and the FCA.