Farella Braun + Martel Names William Keane Chair of Complex Litigation Department

SAN FRANCISCO, CA, April 10, 2013 (Press-News.org) Farella Braun + Martel has appointed Partner William P. Keane to chair its Complex Litigation Department. Keane will oversee the firm's Business Litigation, Employment and White Collar Crime and Internal Corporate Investigations practice areas.

"We are very pleased to have Bill lead the Complex Litigation Department. He is a talented partner, who is recognized both within the firm and in the legal community for his outstanding trial skills, excellent client service and strong leadership qualities," said firm chairman Steve Lowenthal.

Keane has extensive trial experience in complex criminal and civil litigation with an emphasis in white collar criminal defense, and commercial and intellectual property litigation. He has recently defended federal criminal and enforcement actions involving allegations of accounting and insider-trading fraud, tax violations, trade-secret theft, Medicare fraud and antitrust violations, and has litigated civil patent-royalty, software-licensing and other commercial disputes. Keane also regularly leads corporate internal investigations, including on accounting, fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and pharmaceutical-industry matters.

Prior to joining Farella, Keane served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Silicon Valley Office in San Jose, where he handled white collar criminal prosecutions. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is listed in the 2013 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Keane is a member of the board of directors of the Tony Patiño Fellowship, a non-profit corporation that awards merit-based scholarships to law students at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, the University of Chicago Law School and Columbia Law School who "demonstrate leadership, a commitment to public service, and outstanding academic and personal achievement."

Keane is a long-time member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel for the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California. He served as a law clerk in the same court for the now-retired Honorable Eugene F. Lynch. Keane earned his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (1986), where he was editor-in-chief of the Hastings Law Journal.

Farella Braun + Martel represents clients throughout the United States and abroad in sophisticated business transactions and high-stakes commercial, civil and criminal litigation. Founded in 1962, the firm is headquartered in San Francisco and maintains an office in the Napa Valley focused on the wine industry. Farella Braun + Martel lawyers are known for their imaginative legal solutions, dynamism and intellectual creativity. With an unwavering service ethic and interdisciplinary team approach, the firm is committed to advancing clients' objectives in the most effective, coordinated and efficient manner. http://www.fbm.com

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