“Evan’s experience as a veteran defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York will be very attractive to our U.S. and global clients who may find themselves in the crosshairs of various regulatory authorities in New York,” said Michael Lowell, chair of Reed Smith’s Regulatory and Investigations Group. “His background, judgment and stellar reputation will perfectly complement our existing white collar team.”
Evan will join Reed Smith’s 200+ attorney Regulatory and Investigations Group alongside other recent former prosecutors, including Mark Bini, (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York), Daniel Ahn (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California) and Rizzy Qureshi (U.S. Attorney’s Office, Washington, D.C.). “Our clients are increasingly relying on us to handle their most challenging investigations and enforcement matters. Evan will play a major role in supporting our clients on their most important matters while helping us to continue developing our global practice in this area,” Lowell said.
Barr, who routinely appears in Chambers USA among the top white-collar lawyers in New York, joins the firm from Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP, where he was a litigation partner for eight years. Earlier in his career, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York where he also served as chief of the Major Crimes Unit.
Barr has successfully defended clients facing allegations of a wide array of white-collar offenses, including securities fraud, public corruption and antitrust violations. He has tried 12 criminal cases to verdict in federal court and has briefed and argued numerous cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He is widely known for having persuaded prosecutors and regulators in numerous matters to abandon investigations or decline to bring civil, criminal, or administrative charges against his clients. Barr also has extensive experience in the area of asset forfeiture, and has represented clients for years in matters involving stolen and looted art and antiquities.