Maria Beguiristain
Biography
Overview
Ms. Beguiristain is a Partner in the Firm's Global White Collar Practice. She focuses on white-collar investigations and complex commercial litigation with white-collar aspects. She assists clients in navigating internal investigations, government inquiries and civil litigation affecting multiple jurisdictions. She counsels foreign and domestic corporations and individuals in a broad range of subject areas, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), fraud and cross-border aspects associated with white-collar mandates.
Maria has extensive experience with anti-corruption compliance, having advised clients in multiple jurisdictions in conducting risk assessments and implementing world-class compliance programs. Maria’s experience includes creating and assessing compliance policies and training programs, customizing them with local laws and regulations for full effectiveness, and conducting and evaluating anti-corruption due diligence and compliance in the context of foreign investments and mergers and acquisitions. With a heavy emphasis on enhanced training, Maria works closely with in-house teams to strengthen internal processes and upgrade compliance programs. She also provides guidance on enhancing reporting.
Fluent in English, Spanish and French, Maria specializes in global investigations with a focus on Latin America. Clients benefit from her understanding of local markets, cultures and regulatory requirements and her ability to communicate in the native language. Recognized for her work across Latin America, Maria is named a "Next Generation Partner" in The Legal 500 2021 Latin America and in Global Investigations Review's (GIR) 100 "Women in Investigations 2015" report.
Prior to joining White & Case, Maria was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for five years. She also taught in the LLM program at the University of Miami School of Law.
Maria previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable K. Michael Moore, Chief United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida.
Experience
Conducted an investigation into allegations of third-party bribery and wrongdoing in Mexico in relation to a government contract with a prior administration
Conducted investigations for an international company traded on a United States stock exchange regarding possible circumvention of controls and related third-party misconduct at certain subsidiaries
Conducted an investigation for a multinational food manufacturer and distributor regarding alleged bribery activity involving customs agents
Conducted an internal investigation of the Brazilian subsidiary of a company that is traded on a United States stock exchange. The investigation involved allegations of accounting fraud and misconduct by senior company executives. Maria coordinated a large international team of lawyers and forensic accountants
Counseled a parent company during an investigation of potential corrupt payments or other illicit activity in the procurement and/or execution of a project in Latin America
Created a global compliance program and related policies for a multinational food manufacturer and distributor
Conducted a global risk assessment for a multinational food manufacturer and distributor with operations around the world and a significant presence in Latin America
Conducted a post-acquisition diligence and risk assessment across Latin America following recent acquisitions in the energy sector
Recognized in Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA (Florida) since 2021
Next Generation Partner, The Legal 500 Latin America, 2021 - 2023
