(September 22, 2009, Washington, D.C.) – The Washington Business Journal named two Reed Smith lawyers among the region’s top legal professionals for 2008-2009 yesterday at its annual awards ceremony in the nation’s capital.
A. Scott Bolden, the firm’s Washington, D.C. Managing Partner and member of its Global Regulatory Enforcement Group, took top honors in the White Collar Crime category for his body of work, with a focus on his recent high-profile defense victory in a $48.1 million embezzlement case, the largest in D.C. government history. On September 16, 2008, U.S. Attorneys dismissed the case against Mr. Bolden’s client, lead defendant Diane Gustus, a District employee and one of 12 defendants charged following a nine-month investigation.
Mr. Bolden regularly represents individuals and corporate clients in state and federal trials and grand jury proceedings, as well as conducts internal investigations for major public and private corporations, advises clients on white collar criminal issues as well as corporate compliance with the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, and defends witnesses in depositions before House and Senate Investigation Committees.
He is a 1987 graduate of Howard University School of Law.
The WBJ also honored Reed Smith partner Olivia Shay-Byrne as one of four finalists in the Real Estate category for her cutting edge work on behalf of the Pew Charitable Trusts in its acquisition of the office building at 901 E Street NW in Washington, D.C., to serve as Pew's new headquarters. Pew occupies about 40 percent of the building; the remainder is dedicated to reversing the troubling trend of tax-exempt organizations moving out of the District because of escalating rental costs by offering office space to nonprofits at below-market value.
A member of the firm’s Finance/Real Estate Group, Ms. Shay-Byrne focuses her practice on real estate transactions, public-private partnerships and public finance, and she is actively involved with Reed Smith’s Pro-Bono Committee. Her extensive experience working with the District Revenue Bond Program in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development includes active involvement in the District’s revitalization.
A 1982 graduate of the University of Toledo Law School, she earned a LL.M. in taxation at Georgetown University Law Center in 1987.
About Reed Smith
Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with nearly 1,600 lawyers in 23 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation services in multi-jurisdictional matters and other high-stakes disputes; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.
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