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Experience:
Alex Lakatos practices in complex international litigation, particularly on behalf of non-US financial institutions. He also counsels financial institutions on banking and securities regulatory, enforcement, legislative, and strategic issues. He has significant experience in matters where these areas intersect - for example, the litigation of cross-border disputes in US court in tandem with an SEC or bank enforcement investigation. His matters often include parallel litigation in non-US forums. He is experienced in contesting issues of particular concern to non-US financial institutions, such as financial privacy, multi-jurisdictional discovery, choice?of-law conflicts, and asset forfeiture.
In addition, Alex advises clients on avoiding litigation and provides related regulatory advice in areas such as the USA Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, anti?money laundering compliance, and OFAC sanctions. He has represented clients as both plaintiffs and defendants, in state and federal courts throughout the country and abroad, in class actions and other controversies, on issues including securities fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of contract, civil RICO, federal jurisdiction and venue.
Notable Engagements:
Represented a Latin American bank: (1) in an internal investigation concerning whether the bank's relationship with a former head of state violated US anti-money laundering laws; (2) in the successful defense of a related suit against the bank alleging civil RICO and fraudulent conveyance claims; (3) as plaintiff in a civil RICO action against the head of state's agent; and (4) as plaintiff in a successful action against a US bank based on related asset transfers to the Latin American bank.
Represented a European bank that was a victim of a multimillion-dollar investment company fraud, bringing actions against the perpetrators in Utah, Switzerland, Spain, and Gibraltar, defending a countersuit in the British Virgin Islands, and ultimately freezing and recovering substantial amounts for the bank.
Represented a Swiss bank in connection with an action brought by a liquidating trust for a bankrupt corporation alleging that the bank aided and abetted breaches of fiduciary duty by the bankrupt corporation's officers and violated Swiss law by engaging in transactions with the proceeds of the officers' securities fraud. Obtained dismissal on forum non conveniens grounds.
Represented a Swiss cement company as a defendant in a class action alleging that it had violated the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) by aiding and abetting South African apartheid; the district court dismissed the case for lack of subject matter jurisdiction under the ATCA and a divided panel of the Second Circuit reversed. Khulumani v. Barclay Nat'l Bank Ltd., 504 F.3d 254 (2d Cir. 2007). Now seeking Supreme Court review.
Education:
University of California, Hastings College of Law, JD, Valedictorian, 1995, University of Maryland, BA, 1992. | 