Clifford Chance

Robert E. Rice Joins Clifford Chance's Americas Litigation & Dispute Resolution Team

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance LLP today announced that Robert E. Rice has joined its Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice as a partner in New York. Rice, who brings 25 years of white-collar experience in the Government and the private sector, has previously served as Chief Counsel to United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White, as Head of the Litigation and Regulatory Investigations Practice Group at a global financial institution, and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York.

Rice will focus his practice at Clifford Chance on regulatory enforcement investigations and proceedings, and criminal investigations and prosecutions. In his role as Chief Counsel to SEC Chair White, which he held from 2013 to 2015, Rice provided advice and counsel on a broad range of regulatory matters across the SEC’s divisions and offices, focusing on enforcement actions, policy and strategy; examinations of SEC registrants, including broker-dealers and investment advisers; and cross-border coordination with other regulatory agencies. Before serving as Chief Counsel to SEC Chair White, Rice was, from 2004 to 2013, a senior in-house lawyer at a global financial institution, where he oversaw domestic and global regulatory, criminal enforcement, litigation and governance matters.  Rice has also been a partner at two separate AmLaw 100 firms, where he focused on white-collar matters, and was, for more than nine years, a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, ultimately becoming a Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division.  In that role, Rice investigated and prosecuted a broad range of federal crimes, including securities fraud, money laundering and public corruption. 

Rice is the latest addition to Clifford Chance's expanding white collar and regulatory practice in the US.  In March 2016, the Firm hired Dan Silver from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, where he was Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and Chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Section.

"We are delighted to have someone with Bob's judgment, experience and reputation join our Firm," said David DiBari, head of Clifford Chance's Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice in the Americas. "His domestic and international expertise is a perfect fit for our practice, and further increases our depth for guiding domestic and global clients through their most serious and complex issues."

Evan Cohen, regional managing partner of the Americas, said: "Bob's experience working at the highest levels of the SEC and a top-tier global bank positions him to deliver the superior insight and counsel clients need when facing with an investigation by the US government or a foreign regulator.  During the past five years, our litigation practice has expanded steadily through a number of key lateral hires, including four former federal prosecutors. Adding Bob further strengthens our client offerings here in the US and internationally."  

"I am excited to join one of the world's preeminent law firms" said Rice. "With its large global footprint and integrated Litigation & Dispute Resolution practice across all major regions, the Firm is particularly well suited to handle the complex cross-border investigations by US and international regulators that are now commonplace, and I look forward to working collaboratively with my new colleagues across the Firm on these types of matters."

Rice earned his JD from St. John's University School of Law in 1987, where he was Managing Editor of the Law Review.