Contact: Jennifer Gronwaldt, 281.536.1870 or jgronwaldt@baretzbrunelle.com
LOS ANGELES – April 22, 2021 – Davis Wright Tremaine LLP announced today it has added former Assistant United States Attorney Alexander F. Porter as a partner in the firm's white-collar, investigations, and government controversies group. With extensive trial experience, including more than eight years as a federal prosecutor, he brings significant depth to the firm's financial services and healthcare groups, particularly in connection with healthcare fraud investigations. He is the firm's fifth California addition with extensive healthcare experience in the past year.
Porter most recently served as a senior prosecutor in the Major Frauds Section of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Los Angeles. During his tenure as an AUSA, he prosecuted a broad range of white-collar criminal cases and developed extensive experience leading parallel criminal and civil government investigations involving healthcare and securities fraud matters. Porter was appointed the health care fraud coordinator for the Central District of California in 2017. In that capacity, he coordinated healthcare fraud law enforcement activities with federal and state agencies, including the FBI and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services within the country's most populous federal judicial district, covering most of Southern California, including Los Angeles and Orange counties. Porter also served as acting deputy chief for the Major Frauds Section. Previously, he worked as a trial attorney within the U.S. Department of Justice's Fraud Section, where he served as a member of the Health Care Fraud Strike Force and prosecuted violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute and other healthcare offenses.
"Alex has proven himself as a leading white-collar prosecutor in Los Angeles with great trial experience. He already has a reputation as the one to call for major healthcare fraud actions on the West Coast," said Mark Bartlett, chair of Davis Wright Tremaine's white-collar, investigations, and government controversies practice. "He immediately deepens the bench of our white-collar practice and provides a great complement to our healthcare group as it continues to grow across California."
"I'm looking forward to putting the insights I've gained during the last eight years as a federal prosecutor to work for DWT's clients in healthcare, technology, and financial services. With the anticipated uptick in government enforcement actions and False Claims Act cases, I am well-suited to help clients navigate this difficult regulatory environment," said Porter. "The firm's strengths in white-collar and healthcare work made DWT an obvious destination for me."
During his time in government, Porter tried seven white-collar federal jury trials and handled multiple appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. Previously, he practiced as a litigation associate at Irell & Manella LLP in Los Angeles, focusing on white-collar criminal defense and securities litigation. There he represented corporations and executives in complex civil litigation and government investigations, including the former CEO of a Fortune 100 company in defense of multiple shareholder class action securities lawsuits and an SEC enforcement action. He joined Irell & Manella following a federal clerkship in the Central District of California. Porter received his undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco, summa cum laude, and his law degree from the University of Southern California.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is a national law firm with more than 550 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.