Searby Law is pleased to announce our membership in the U.S.- Ukraine Business Council (USUBC), an organization dedicated to advancing U.S. trade and investment interests in Ukraine’s emerging market. Since its founding, the USUBC has worked to improve conditions for bilateral trade, promote strong U.S.-Ukraine ties, and advocate for the U.S. business perspective within Ukrainian public and private sectors. As a member, Searby Law looks forward to supporting the Council’s mission and its members. Our firm is committed to contributing to Ukraine’s market growth and business development by providing legal support in high-stakes litigation, guidance on compliance with US domestic law and sanctions, advice on anti-corruption matters, and immigration.
Searby Law Sponsors “The Politicization of Criminal Justice: A Non-Partisan Forum" at the Cosmos Club
We were honored to sponsor “The Politicization of Criminal Justice: A Non-Partisan Forum,” held last month at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. The event brought together distinguished speakers to discuss specific cases and to examine the existing guardrails—or lack thereof—intended to prevent potential abuses of prosecutorial and judicial power. Distinguished speakers included counsel for President Biden, Hunter Biden, the Office of White House Counsel, former President Trump, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and the U.S. House of Representatives January 6th Committee, as well as leading journalists and a federal district judge.
The sponsors of the event were Searby PLLC, Schertler Onorato, Mead & Sears LLP, Winston & Strawn LLP, and Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP. The discussion addressed both the genuine risks of prosecutorial abuses as well as false narratives of such abuses occurring. The panel fostered an impartial, informed dialogue on these critical issues.
Please see some of the event highlights in the photos below.
Searby Law Client World Forest ID Garners Publication in the Wall Street Journal
On June 10, 2024, Washington nonprofit and Searby Law client World Forest ID garnered publication of an article in the Wall Street Journal regarding their efforts to identify sanctioned timber originating from Russia. The article describes their work using wood samples, AI, and statistical models to help European Union member states identify and successfully prevent the importation of Russian timber. World Forest ID will continue to expand their database to include other goods often tied to human rights abuses, including cotton, soy, and cacao, presenting an opportunity for governments to apply this technology to more adequately enforce these sanctions. Searby Law has assisted World Forest ID with raising funds.
Bruce Searby’s remarks on prosecutorial practices with witnesses reported in Global Investigations Review
On May 22, 2024, an article in Global Investigations Review reported the comments of Bruce Searby about cooperating with federal prosecutors, in the context of an upcoming foreign bribery trial this September in New Jersey.
Searby PLLC Joins the FACT Coalition’s Environmental Crimes Working Group
Searby PLLC is proud to announce our membership in the Financial Accountability and Corporate Transparency (FACT) Coalition and our active participation in its Environmental Crimes Working Group.
This initiative underscores our commitment to addressing the intersection of environmental crime and illicit finance. By collaborating with FACT’s specialized working group, we aim to advance policy solutions that combat financial secrecy, disrupt the laundering of proceeds from environmental crimes, and promote sustainable practices.
At Searby PLLC, we are dedicated to fostering accountability, ethical business conduct, and global environmental protection.
Bruce Searby Ranked By Chambers and Partners for 2024 As Leading White-Collar Crime Lawyer
Bruce Searby was ranked by Chambers and Partners for 2024 in White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations. Chambers quotes: “Bruce is well regarded for his expertise in white-collar criminal defense. He offers particular experience in matters concerning environmental crimes, as well as allegations of fraud." Chambers also quoted someone as saying "Bruce is a fantastic lawyer who thinks creatively about every matter he works on" and another as saying “"[he] is excellent on the law, outstanding at complex work and cares about his clients." Chambers is an independent research company operating across 200 jurisdictions delivering detailed rankings and insight into the world's leading lawyers.
Goodyear's Malaysian Subsidiary Shutters Operation Accused of Illegal Labor Practices
In March 2024, a Goodyear subsidiary in Shah Alam, Malaysia closed its tire-manufacturing plant after workers reached a settlement agreement in 2022 compensating them. The company stated that it was closing its doors due to cost cutting strategies. Two years prior to the settlement, a Searby client led a civil society investigation into alleged labor rights violations involving hundreds of foreign migrant workers.
Searby Law Advocates to Preserve Ukrainian Mountain Range
Searby PLLC, acting as a agent of a foreign principal registered with the Department of Justice for Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), a Swiss NGO, continues to take action to protect a Ukrainian mountain range from harmful development. Europe's last mostly-pristine natural landscape known for its biodiversity, virgin forests, highland meadows, mountain lakes and rivers, the Carpathian Mountains face danger from plans for new ski resorts that lack long-term economic feasibility but that will provide short-term profits to controversial developers and their associates.
Searby Law Persuades Fish and Wildlife Service To Reverse Decision Adverse to Client
On February 21, 2024, Searby Law convinced the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reverse its decision denying a client's request for an import permit, on the basis that a permit would be consistent with the purposes of the Endangered Species Act and its implementing regulations.
Swiss NGO, Searby Law Lobby Capitol Hill About FBI Building Leased from Foreign Owners Tied to Deforestation
In January and February 2024, Bruce Searby acting as an agent of a foreign principal registered with the Department of Justice for Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), a Swiss NGO, lobbied several Senate and House members on Capitol Hill to examine more closely the FBI's lease of an office tower in Seattle tied to Malaysian ownership. BMF has contended for years that the building likely belonged to the powerful politician Abdul Taib Mahmud, under whose leadership there occurred epic deforestation.