Kevin M. Lally, who prosecuted numerous high-profile cases over nearly two decades as an assistant U.S. attorney, has joined McGuireWoods’ nationally recognized Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department as a partner in downtown Los Angeles.
Lally served in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California since 2001, most recently as senior litigation counsel in the Major Frauds Section. His cases include RICO, money laundering, wire fraud, computer fraud, wiretapping and perjury prosecutions that resulted in convictions of organized crime figures and leaders of international fraud rings, among others. While leading the office’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Section, he founded a multi-agency Cartel Strike Force targeting drug kingpins that produced the FBI’s “top 10” transnational prosecutions of 2017 and 2018.
The Los Angeles County Bar Association named Lally its 2009 Prosecutor of the Year for prevailing in a three-month racketeering trial of celebrity private investigator Anthony Pellicano and four associates and a related wiretapping trial of entertainment lawyer Terry Christensen. Lally received a California Lawyer of the Year award from California Lawyer magazine in 2013 after winning a 10-week racketeering trial that included charges stemming from the murder of a 23-day-old baby.
Lally has argued 18 cases before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, including a sweeping victory in the consolidated Pellicano appeals. He earned the Director’s Award for Superior Performance by an Assistant United States Attorney for appellate matters in 2017, one of only two appeals recognized that year by the Executive Office for United States Attorneys.
“Kevin prosecuted some of the largest and most difficult cases brought by the U.S. attorney’s office in the Central District and distinguished himself as an outstanding trial lawyer,” said Todd Steggerda, chair of McGuireWoods’ Government Investigations & White Collar Litigation Department. “Given his tremendous experience as a federal prosecutor and his reputation among the West Coast white collar bar, Kevin’s arrival deepens our California bench and makes our nationally-recognized government investigations and white collar practice even stronger.”
“The depth and breadth of Kevin’s experience in federal criminal law provides powerful advantages for our clients,” added Hamid Namazie, managing partner of the firm’s downtown Los Angeles office.