New York – September 8, 2008 – LawFuel – Legal News Service – Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is pleased to announce that Helen V. Cantwell has joined the firm as counsel in the Litigation Department, resident in the firm’s New York office. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Cantwell served for eight years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, most recently as a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force where she prosecuted and investigated a wide range of complex white collar matters.
Ms. Cantwell joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in 2000, after four years as an Assistant District Attorney in the New York County District Attorney’s Office and a year working in Malaysia with the International Women’s Rights Action Watch under a fellowship grant from the Henry Luce Foundation. As a prosecutor, she tried 30 cases to verdict, briefed 23 appeals before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and argued 11 appeals. As a member of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Task Force, Ms. Cantwell worked closely with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodities Futures Trading Association and other law enforcement and regulatory agencies. She is a recipient of the Department of Justice Director’s Award for Superior Performance as a Federal Prosecutor.
Department Chair Mary Jo White said: “We are very excited to have Helen Cantwell join our firm and litigation practice. She is a highly talented and experienced lawyer whom we are pleased to welcome to our very busy white collar and SEC enforcement practice group.”
Ms. Cantwell said: “I am excited to join such a terrific practice, featuring many of the best litigators in the country.”
Ms. Cantwell received her J.D. cum laude in 1995 from Harvard Law School, where she was President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau and served as a summer law clerk for the Honorable Kenneth Conboy, Southern District of New York. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Wellesley College in 1992.
Debevoise & Plimpton LLP is a leading international law firm, representing a wide range of clients around the world. Founded in 1931, the firm has offices in New York, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Frankfurt, Moscow, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. The firm now has over 700 lawyers. For more information, please visit our website at www.debevoise.com
