Brigida Benitez Email Address

Partner

Steptoe & Johnson LLP is an international law firm widely recognized for vigorous advocacy in complex litigation and arbitration, successful representation of clients before governmental agencies, and creative and practical advice in guiding business transactions. The firm has more than 500 lawyers and other professionals in offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Palo Alto, Phoenix, and Washington.

Brigida solves challenging problems that stem from business disputes. With a focus on complex litigation, internal investigations, and global anti-corruption issues, she has represented a wide range of clients, including financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies and international development firms, as well as boards of directors and special litigation committees of public company boards. She litigates high-profile cases in courts throughout the US, including the US Supreme Court. Brigida draws on almost 30 years of experience handling high-stakes, complex disputes. Brigida conducts internal investigations relating to FCPA, financial fraud and corruption, employee misconduct, ethics, codes of conduct violations, accounting irregularities, and whistleblower complaints. Having served as Chief of the Office of Institutional Integrity of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), she has deep knowledge of the investigative and sanctions procedures of international financial institutions (IFIs). While at the IDB, Brigida oversaw all investigations of fraud and corruption in IDB-financed activities, and implemented compliance policies and procedures relating to anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, offshore financial centers, and sanctions administered by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). She helped develop the General Principles and Guidelines for Sanctions and oversaw the implementation of the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, entered into by the IDB, the World Bank, and several other leading IFIs. She has since represented clients in all phases of World Bank and IDB proceedings – audit and investigation, litigation of allegations, and argument before the World Bank Sanctions Board and the IDB Sanctions Committee – and has advised clients on compliance with IFI anti-corruption guidelines. She also has represented clients before the Asian Development Bank. In addition to representing clients in investigations and litigation, Brigida serves as Steptoe’s General Counsel. Brigida is a past president of the DC Bar, the largest unified bar in the US, with more than 100,000 members worldwide. She serves as adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches a course on international business litigation. She has been recognized by Hispanic Business magazine as a "Woman of the Year" and by Latino Leaders magazine as one of the "25 Most Influential Hispanic Lawyers."