Ex-FinCEN official joins O’Melveny as law firms bulk up white-collar groups

Signage is seen outside of the law firm O’Melveny & Myers at their legal offices in Washington, D.C. May 10, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

(Reuters) – O’Melveny & Myers has hired AnnaLou Tirol, who recently left her role as deputy director of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), the law firm said on Monday.

Tirol, also a former U.S. Department of Justice official, joins the 800-lawyer firm on Oct. 3 as a partner in Washington, D.C., O’Melveny said.

Tirol oversaw FinCEN’s anti-money laundering programs in her most recent role at the agency, the firm said. She was promoted to deputy director after working in the bureau’s strategic operations unit since Sept. 2019, according to an April 2021 FinCEN statement.

She previously worked in a variety of positions at the Justice Department, including as acting chief of the criminal division’s public integrity section.

An O’Melveny spokesperson said Tirol left the Treasury Department on July 31.

Another FinCEN official, former enforcement and compliance head Alessio Evangelista, joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in August.

Tirol will be part of Los Angeles-founded O’Melveny’s white collar defense and corporate investigations group, a practice area that other large firms have also recently expanded.

Morrison & Foerster said last week that Deborah Connor, most recently chief of the Justice Department’s money laundering and asset recovery section, had joined the firm.

Weil, Gotshal & Manges and Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft also added white collar defense and investigations partners from rival firms last week.

Tirol also joins O’Melveny’s financial technology and national security groups, the firm said.

Fintech group chair William Pao said in a statement that her knowledge of issues like anti-money laundering are “critical to our cryptocurrency and fintech clients.”

Read more:

Justice Department anti-money laundering chief lands at Morrison & Foerster

Weil, Cadwalader pick up N.Y. white-collar leaders from rival law firms

Skadden hires former FinCEN enforcement head in Washington, D.C.

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