Lee Cortes, Former Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Joins Arnold & Porter’s White Collar Defense & Investigations Practice
NEWARK, N.J., and NEW YORK, March 25, 2024 — Arnold & Porter is pleased to announce the continuing growth of its Newark office with the arrival of Lee Cortes, former Executive Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. Cortes has joined the firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations practice as partner, resident in the firm’s Newark and New York offices.
Former U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman, head of Arnold & Porter’s Newark office and the firm’s Crisis Management and Strategic Response team, said, “Lee is a talented litigator with excellent judgment, outstanding integrity, and a wonderful reputation with the bench and bar. His experience overseeing the full range of complex criminal, civil, and appellate matters will be a great addition to our firm’s sophisticated and highly regarded team.”
Cortes spent almost 14 years in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey. As the Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, Cortes was a member of the senior leadership team and was responsible for all criminal, civil, and appellate matters. Before his promotion to the front office, Cortes served as Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit, where he led investigations and prosecutions of wide-ranging, complicated health care fraud schemes, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, as well as civil False Claims Act matters. Prior to his role as the leader of that unit, Cortes was Deputy Chief of the Special Prosecutions Division, where he both worked on and supervised public corruption and criminal civil rights matters.
In joining the firm, Cortes said, “I am excited to return to Arnold & Porter, where I began my legal career and have so many mentors and friends. The firm’s White Collar Defense & Investigations practice has a sensational group of top attorneys across the United States and worldwide, who understand how to problem solve for clients on the most complex issues. I look forward to collaborating with them and all of my new colleagues across the firm’s practice groups to leverage the full breadth of my experience with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Department of Justice, and other federal and state enforcement authorities.”
Cortes received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Fordham Urban Law Journal, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Fordham Law Alumni Association. He received his B.A. from King’s College, summa cum laude. Cortes is an active member of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey and the Hispanic National Bar Association, and is an Advisory Board Member of the Federal Bar Association’s Qui Tam Section.
Cortes is the latest former Assistant U.S. Attorney to join the firm, a list that includes Giselle Joffre in Boston; Valarie Hays in Chicago; Suneeta Hazra in Denver; Paul Fishman and John Fietkiewicz in Newark; Marcus Asner, Stephen Cha-Kim, Jonathan Green, Judge Joseph Greenaway, Michael Kim Krouse, Manvin Mayell, Nancy Milburn, Michael Rogoff, Sara Shudofsky, and Craig Stewart in New York; Meredith Osborn in San Francisco; and James W. Cooper, Deborah Curtis, William Hoffman, Amy Jeffress, Craig Margolis, John Nassikas, Howard Sklamberg, and Baruch Weiss in Washington, D.C.
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Arnold & Porter combines sophisticated regulatory, litigation, and transactional capabilities to resolve clients’ most complex issues. With over 1,000 lawyers practicing in 15 offices worldwide, we offer deep industry experience and an integrated approach that spans more than 40 practice areas. Through multidisciplinary collaboration and focused industry experience, we provide innovative and effective solutions to mitigate risks, address challenges, and achieve successful outcomes.
