King & Spalding today announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Otlewski has joined its Special Matters & Government Investigations practice as a partner in the Chicago office. The third former federal prosecutor to join the Chicago office since its launch this past fall, Otlewski further fortifies the firmwide Special Matters & Government Investigations team’s deep bench of former trial-tested prosecutors and enforcement officials.

“Patrick and I worked together at both the U.S. Attorney’s office and in private practice, so I know first-hand that his skills as an investigator and trial lawyer are impeccable,” said former U.S. Attorney Zachary Fardon, office managing partner and head of litigation for the firm’s Chicago office. “In his seven years at the U.S. Attorney’s office, Patrick led some of its highest profile investigations and prosecutions and achieved an incredible record of success. I am very excited to work with him again, and especially for the contributions he will make to the momentum of our new Chicago office.”

During his time as Assistant U.S. Attorney, Otlewski took 12 cases to trial – varying in length from three days to four months – each of which resulted in guilty verdicts against the charged defendants. He was the lead prosecutor of the infamous Hobos street gang, one of the most significant Chicago violent crime prosecutions in the past decade.  He also tried the largest fraud case by dollar amount in the district’s history. Starting in January 2017, Otlewski served as Deputy Chief of General Crimes. In this role, he was responsible for training new Assistant U.S. Attorneys and supervising all aspects of their matters.

Prior to joining the U.S. Attorney’s office, Otlewski spent three years as an associate at Latham & Watkins in Chicago, where he also worked with Fardon, including on the representation of a lead witness in the investigation and prosecution of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich.

“Patrick’s superb trial record speaks for itself, and he is a great addition to King & Spalding’s well recognized court room capabilities and stable of trial lawyers”, said Wick
Sollers, leader of the Special Matters & Government Investigations practice. “Patrick has broad experience handling complex, technical, and high-stakes matters involving cybercrime, theft of trade secrets, and financial fraud – all of which dovetail with the firm’s strengths and will benefit a wide swath of clients. We are delighted to welcome him to the firm.”

Otlewski received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his J.D. from Washington University School of Law, where he was an Editor of the Law Review.  After law school, Otlewski clerked for the Honorable Richard C. Wesley of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York.

“When I heard Zach was opening a Chicago office for King & Spalding — a firm with a premier reputation in litigation and government investigations — I knew it would be the right next step for me,” Otlewski said. “The opportunity to be part of this dynamic team and to build this office alongside Zach, Patrick Collins, Jade Lambert and the other attorneys was one I couldn’t pass up. I am thrilled to be at King & Spalding.”

King & Spalding’s Special Matters & Government Investigations practice is comprised of over 100 lawyers in 14 offices globally, dedicated to white collar criminal defense, government and internal investigations, and related civil fraud litigation, making it one of the largest and most respected such practices in the world. The team was acclaimed as White Collar Practice Group of the Year in 2017 by Law360, among other recognitions. The Special Matters group has handled investigations before more than 70 of the 93 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the United States and every litigating division of the Justice Department. It also has appeared before the Securities and Exchange Commission and all 12 of its Regional Offices, as well as all its specialized enforcement units. The team has led multinational investigations involving approximately 80 countries.