Elizabeth Prewitt, a partner with Latham & Watkins/courtesy photo

Latham & Watkins has hired Elizabeth Prewitt, a former high-ranking U.S. Department of Justice official, as a partner in its global competition practice and litigation department.

Prewitt, who will split her time between Latham's Washington and New York offices, joins the firm after a multiyear stint at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, which she joined in 2015; shortly after that, The American Lawyer recognized her move as one of the splashiest hires of the year.

Prewitt's government experience included heading up investigations into the manipulation of benchmark interest and foreign exchange rates.

Her transition to private practice came after some 16 years at the Justice Department, where she rose to become assistant chief of the agency's antitrust division in New York between 2012 and 2014. In that capacity, she led investigations into financial institutions accused of manipulating the key benchmark London Interbank Offered Rate and foreign exchange rate manipulation. Toward the end of her time in government, Prewitt served a secondment at the European Commission, the European Union's antitrust regulator based in Brussels, Belgium.

Prewitt's experience in private practice has built on the internationally focused work she did at the DOJ. Her practice includes defending global and large U.S. companies in criminal and civil antitrust investigations, with specific work on guiding companies through cross-border, anti-cartel enforcement efforts by governments in Europe and Asia, according to Latham.

“The experience and inside knowledge that Liz brings to the table from her 16 years of government service in particular further solidifies Latham's status among the top echelon of truly global antitrust groups that can offer best-in-class counsel to companies around the world as they address their most complex antitrust and competition law challenges,” said a statement by Amanda Reeves, co-chairwoman of Latham's global antitrust and competition practice.

The head of Latham's Washington office, Michael Egge, who formerly co-chaired the firm's competition group added that Prewitt's hire was well timed, as the firm's cartel defense practice “has exploded over the last 15 years,” he said.

“Adding another seasoned U.S. criminal cartel litigator on the east coast with deep government experience provides our clients even more access to market-leading capabilities in the jurisdictions that present the most daunting exposure,” Egge said in a statement. “Liz does that and so much more because she has guided clients globally, not just in the U.S.”

Explaining her reasons for the move, Prewitt pointed in part to existing relationships she had with other members of Latham's antitrust practice who she overlapped with at the DOJ, including Niall Lynch in the firm's San Francisco office and Larry Buterman in New York. She also noted the expertise of other Latham antitrust lawyers, including Maggy Sullivan in the firm's D.C. office. The firm's roster of antitrust lawyers, said Prewitt, have burnished Latham's reputation as a leader in competition law.

Beyond those relationships and the firm's reputation, Prewitt said her practice aligned well with the firm's strategic focuses on adding to its existing expertise representing financial services and life sciences companies in antitrust cases. She also said she views Latham's antitrust group as a genuinely global one that works seamlessly across borders, a platform that also matches well with Prewitt's practice.

“That's just tremendous experience to tap into,” she said. “We really have truly European practitioners and practitioners all over the world.”