- +1 202 261 3349
- d.brett.kohlhofer@dechert.com
- +1 202 261 3333
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Washington, D.C. Office1900 K Street, NW, Washington, DC, United States of America 20006-1110
D. Brett Kohlhofer is a problem solver and litigator, focusing on government enforcement and investigations. He also represents clients in litigated commercial, securities, and administrative law disputes in courts around the country.
Mr. Kohlhofer's clients often operate in highly regulated industries, including the financial, automotive, and healthcare sectors. In particular, Mr. Kohlhofer has significant experience representing clients in asset management, for whom he often handles cross-border internal investigations and government-facing enforcement matters involving, among others, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). He has long been a part of Dechert's Asset Management Litigation & Enforcement Team.
Over the past decade, Mr. Kohlhofer has established himself as a thought leader, publishing many articles on issues relevant to his enforcement practice. His writing has been featured in The Investment Lawyer, The Journal of Federal Agency Action, FCPA Professor, Competition Policy International, and Law360.
In his pro bono practice, Mr. Kohlhofer recently secured the dismissal of an Immigration Court removal proceeding that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been pursuing for nearly 20 years. Earlier in his career, on behalf of a human trafficking victim, he won a sizeable civil judgment against a foreign diplomat for violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Currently, he represents the District of Columbia in a civil action against dozens of individuals and groups involved in planning and carrying out the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.
Mr. Kohlhofer is Dechert’s 2023 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow. He previously served on Dechert's Global Associates Committee as well as the firm's Washington, D.C. hiring committee.
Prior to joining Dechert, Mr. Kohlhofer was an extern at the Administrative Law Division of the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. He was also a law clerk for the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. Before law school, he was a consultant at Mercer, where he focused primarily on executive compensation issues.
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- Southern Methodist University, B.A., Political Science, 2008, Pi Sigma Alpha
- Southern Methodist University, B.B.A., Finance, 2008
- Boston College Law School, J.D., 2013, cum laude, Order of the Coif, Development Editor of Uniform Commercial Code Reporter-Digest, Recipient of the John D. O'Reilly, Jr. Award for Overall Contribution to the Boston College Law School Community
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- District of Columbia
- Massachusetts
- New York
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
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- American Bar Association, Section of Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice
- Hispanic National Bar Association
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (2023 Fellow)