Pfizer's Head of Government Investigations Joins Paul Hastings in New York

February 20, 2014

New York, NY - Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, announced today that Gary Giampetruzzi has joined the firm as a partner in the New York office. Mr. Giampetruzzi joins from Pfizer Inc., where he practiced for the past 13 years and most recently served as Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Head of Government Investigations.

“Gary’s addition marks a significant step forward for our Life Sciences and Litigation practices,” said Barry Sher, chair of the firm’s Litigation practice. “We represent leading life sciences companies across a range of complex matters, and Gary’s extensive experience with Pfizer, handling its most complicated regulatory challenges and government investigations brings another key dimension to our practice,” he added.

“Gary’s senior in-house knowledge rounds out Paul Hastings’ investigations, enforcement, and compliance practice,” said Palmina Fava, one of the leaders of the firm’s global compliance and investigations team. “Gary is highly regarded – by counsel, healthcare industry professionals, and regulators – for his strategic thinking and sound judgment in handling some of the major regulatory investigations in the pharmaceutical industry in recent years,” she added. “We are looking forward to Gary sharing his extensive industry experience on the front lines of multiple compliance areas for the benefit of other clients, particularly in the pharmaceutical and life sciences spaces,” noted Morgan Miller, another of the leaders of the firm’s global compliance and investigations team.

At Pfizer, Mr. Giampetruzzi helped originate the company’s global compliance program, which is now widely regarded as one of the leading programs across industries. He held various posts over the years, including as a Deputy Compliance Officer, where he led the build out of the company’s anti-corruption and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) programs, and developed a team of international assets. In more recent years, he was responsible for government investigations across the company’s multiple business units and operations globally, and associated government litigation with U.S. and international regulators. As a senior leader in the Fortune 50 organization, Mr. Giampetruzzi routinely operated at the executive leadership team and board levels.

Mr. Giampetruzzi has worked on some of the most significant compliance and enforcement issues facing the pharmaceutical industry. His work includes working on seminal settlements, multiple state AG consumer protection coalitions, and landmark FCPA resolutions. Mr. Giampetruzzi has extensive experience with all facets of anti-corruption and FCPA issues. He has been a leader in this growing area of practice for more than a decade, having led the development of cutting edge compliance programs and measures, conducted and overseen hundreds of internal investigations, and been on the ground in more than 40 markets worldwide (including Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Latin America). He was instrumental in the development of proactive market review approaches that have been incorporated into recent government resolutions, and acquisition due diligence techniques that were cited in the Justice Department’s FCPA Guidance document. He has the proven and longstanding ability to provide end-to-end support, from front-end compliance counseling and program build outs and enhancements, to the efficient conduct of global internal investigations, to the defense of companies before U.S. and international authorities, while keeping an appropriate eye towards the increasing risk of follow-on securities and other litigation.

Paul Hastings’ global compliance and investigations team, and several of its partners, were recognized by Main Justice and Ethisphere in 2013 for their leading work in the field of anti-corruption investigations, enforcement, and compliance. Paul Hastings’ Life Sciences practice was recognized as one of Law360’s 2013 Practice Groups of the Year, which honors firms that stand out for their preeminent work in the sector. Law360 noted that the practice’s “key wins and high-end work in 2013, earned the firm a spot on Law360's list of Life Sciences Practice Groups of the Year.”

Mr. Giampetruzzi’s arrival at Paul Hastings continues the expansion of the firm’s leading global compliance, investigations, and enforcement practice, with the addition of partners Nathaniel Edmonds, former Assistant Chief of the FCPA Unit in the Criminal Division of the Justice Department, and Sam Cooper, in March 2013.

Paul Hastings is a leading global law firm with a strong presence throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the United States. Through a collaborative approach, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to client service, the professionals of Paul Hastings deliver innovative solutions to many of the world’s top financial institutions and Fortune 500 companies.