Kwame J. Manley is a partner in the Investigations and White Collar Defense practice at Paul Hastings and is based in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He focuses his practice on white-collar criminal defense, internal corporate investigations, and complex civil litigation. A former federal prosecutor, Mr. Manley defends individuals and companies before various agencies, including the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), Offices of the United States Attorneys (USAO), Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and other entities. His experience includes defending matters involving alleged U.S. sanctions violations, bank fraud, money laundering, procurement fraud, financial irregularities, and investigations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and the False Claims Act (FCA).
Mr. Manley has particular experience representing corporations and senior executives in significant DOJ and OFAC matters. He has represented multiple international banks in the UK and Middle East involving confidential investigations regarding alleged breaches of US, UK, EU, and UN sanctions laws. He appears regularly before DOJ, OFAC, and other regulators on behalf of corporate and individual clients.
Mr. Manley has been counsel to several Fortune 500 companies in FCPA investigations in Europe, Africa, and Latin America. He has represented Foreign Sovereign Governments and individuals in matters involving the DOJ Kleptocracy and Anti-Money Laundering initiatives. Mr. Manley has defended two White House appointees in separate Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigations, both of which were dismissed without any criminal and civil referrals.
Before rejoining private practice, Mr. Manley served as an Assistant United States Attorney and Deputy Chief at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, where he prosecuted white-collar, money laundering, and violent crime cases. Mr. Manley conducted multiple grand jury investigations and personally prosecuted more than 150 criminal matters. Prior to government service, Mr. Manley practiced criminal law at Williams & Connolly in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Manley has tried over 20 jury trials in federal courts and has represented multiple clients before the United States Courts of Appeal.
Among his professional recognitions, Mr. Manley has been listed in Super Lawyers, Washington, D.C., Criminal Defense: White Collar (2014 and 2015), and was given the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by a Criminal Assistant United States Attorney. He earned his J.D. in 2000 at Harvard Law School, where he was Notes Editor of the Harvard Law Review and also received a Master in Public Administration degree from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government the same year. He earned his B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude, from Morehouse College in 1996.
