Nicholas Surmacz Email & Phone Number

Experienced trial lawyer and investigator who has served as lead counsel in numerous high-profile, cross-border matters involving fraud, bribery and other misconduct. I represent corporations, executives and high net worth individuals facing investigations, enforcement actions and asset forfeiture efforts by global criminal and civil regulators, including the various components of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), where I was a supervisor in the DOJ’s Fraud Section in Washington, D.C. I have significant experience navigating cross-border treaty requests, including extradition, Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) requests for evidence and INTERPOL matters.As an investigator, I was recognized as one of the world’s leading young investigations specialists by Global Investigations Review, having been named to its global “40 Under 40” list. In this area, I have led and supervised cross-border investigations in matters involving complex securities, commodities, accounting, health care and government procurement fraud as well as a variety of bribery and money laundering matters, including investigations into alleged violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).Before joining Kobre & Kim, I held the position of Assistant Chief, DOJ Fraud Section in Washington, D.C., where I worked closely with global civil and criminal regulators, including the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as well as the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and National Crime Agency (NCA). As the only former DOJ Fraud Section supervisor in private practice outside the United States, my practice focuses heavily on cross-border matters across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.Earlier in my career, I practiced at White & Case LLP in New York, where I represented clients in criminal white-collar and antitrust investigations by government agencies as well as in parallel civil actions. Before my legal career, I earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and was licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the United States.