Dan Becker Joins Ward and Smith to Lead White Collar Defense and Government Investigations Practice Group

Ward and Smith welcomes attorney Dan Becker, who joins the firm to lead its White Collar Defense and Government Investigations Practice Group.

Dan helps clients respond to government investigations and enforcement actions, conduct internal investigations of significant allegations of wrongdoing, and design compliance frameworks. He has represented companies, audit committees, and executives in investigations involving a wide range of subject matters, including the FCPA, accounting and financial fraud, insider trading, and the False Claims Act. He has advised clients across the United States and conducted cross-border investigations for clients with operations abroad.

“Dan’s experience gives our clients a real advantage when they face a government inquiry or need to investigate internally,” said Brad Evans, Co-Managing Director of Ward and Smith. “He knows how regulators approach enforcement, and he knows how companies respond from the inside. That perspective will strengthen our White Collar Defense and Government Investigations team and the clients we serve.”

Dan has more than 16 years of experience handling complex investigations and enforcement matters, both as defense counsel and in-house counsel. Most recently, he spent seven years as in-house investigations counsel at a large professional services firm. In that role, he conducted hundreds of internal investigations, managed the intake, assessment, and escalation of whistleblower reports, built internal investigations protocols to standardize intake and response, and designed and oversaw risk-based training and monitoring programs. That experience gives him practical insight into how companies respond to internal whistleblower reports and build compliance programs that hold up under scrutiny.

Before that, Dan spent nearly a decade at a large, global law firm, first as a litigator in New York, and then in the white-collar defense practice in Washington, D.C. There, he represented clients in government-facing and internal investigations, working directly with the SEC and DOJ. He also litigated fraud, contract, and securities disputes in federal and state courts.

Dan holds a J.D. from Duke University School of Law and a B.A. in Economics from Cornell University.

Dan is based in the firm’s Wilmington office and will work firmwide. He is currently licensed in New York and the District of Columbia. His application for North Carolina licensure is pending.

Get in Touch with Dan Becker:

• dwbecker@wardandsmith.com
• 910.794.4829