Adria L. Perez
Partner

1100 Peachtree Street NE Suite 2800, Atlanta, GA USA 30309

701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 200, Washington, DC USA 20004

“Adria is a rising rock star in the white-collar Bar.”
“She is incredibly knowledgeable in this space…She works fiercely on behalf of her clients.”
“Her leadership, expertise, professionalism and commitment to her clients and colleagues is absolutely outstanding.”
Chambers USA

Overview

Adria Perez is a member of the Government Enforcement & Investigations Team and serves as co-leader of the firm’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Practice. Ms. Perez focuses her practice on representing both corporations and individuals in white collar criminal defense matters, government enforcement issues, as well as internal, criminal and SEC investigations. Her experience includes handling issues relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, commercial bribery, False Claims Act (including government contracting, healthcare and tax matters), environmental crimes and Civil Investigative Demands. Ms. Perez assists clients in responding to inquiries from and government investigations conducted by the DOJ, SEC, OCC and Office of Inspector General from a variety of federal agencies. She also counsels clients on developing and strengthening compliance programs and policies.

Ms. Perez had a significant role on the Volkswagen AG Independent Compliance Monitor & Auditor team that oversaw VW AG’s compliance with Plea Agreement and Consent Decree obligations arising from parallel criminal and civil cases concerning emissions fraud with regard to the company’s diesel-powered cars sold in the United States. She led and managed working groups of attorneys, auditors, and consultants in reviewing, auditing and testing aspects of the company’s anti-fraud remedial measures and compliance program improvements.

Ms. Perez was listed in the 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 editions of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of White-Collar Crime and Government Investigations Litigation. She was recognized by The Best Lawyers in America® in 2023, 2024 and 2025 for White Collar Criminal Defense. In 2020 and the eight years immediately preceding, Super Lawyers magazine recognized Ms. Perez as a "Georgia Rising Star" in the area of White Collar Criminal Defense. The Daily Report recognized Ms. Perez as "Best Mentor" during its annual Southeastern Legal Awards in 2023 and Corporate Counsel also named her "Best Mentor" at its 2023 Women, Influence, and Power in Law Awards. She was named one of the “American Bar Association Business Law Section Women Business and Commercial Advocates” in 2022 for standing out in the legal community and setting a path for other women lawyers to follow by. Ms. Perez was named to American Lawyer Daily Report’s second annual list of Georgia Trailblazers in 2020. The Atlanta Business Chronicle selected Ms. Perez as one of the 2018 "Women Who Mean Business" honorees, while Atlanta Magazine recognized Ms. Perez as one of the 2018 "Women Making a Mark." The Hispanic National Bar Association selected Ms. Perez as a 2017 "Top Lawyers Under 40.” She was also named one of Georgia Trend's "40 Under 40" for 2017. The Daily Report recognized Ms. Perez as an "On the Rise" honoree in 2016. She was listed as a Georgia Trend "Legal Elite" in the area of Criminal Law. In 2011, Ms. Perez was recognized as a "40 Under 40 Rising Leader" by the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Ms. Perez is fluent in Spanish. Para ver esta biografía en español, presione aquí.

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Experience

Obtained a complete declination by Department of Justice and SEC of an FCPA matter for a public company client. Conducted a multi-national FCPA investigation and provided a voluntary disclosure to DOJ and SEC on behalf of an Audit Committee. Also assisted with training and instituting compliance improvements.

Performed an internal investigation into allegations of commercial bribery and conflicts of interest arising from a client’s supply chain in Asia.

Conducted an internal investigation for a portfolio company into a whistleblower’s allegations concerning cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

Advise clients on ESG-related enforcement trends, including providing training to corporate legal and compliance departments, policies and checklists.

Assisted client with Congressional inquiries and responses, including preparation for testimony.

Performed an internal investigation with regard to alleged FCPA, fraud and export issues for a company's Audit Committee with regard to conduct all over the world, including Kuwait, Vietnam, Costa Rica, and Egypt. Also, aided in strengthening the company's compliance program.

Conducted an internal investigation in China concerning potential crimes and breaches of internal policies and procedures, and advised the public company’s Audit Committee on next steps and remedial measures.

Conducted an internal investigation for a federal government contractor into False Claims Act allegations and possible breaches of internal policies and procedures.

Conducted an internal investigation in the United States, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey and Dubai into anticorruption issues for a Fortune 100 company in response to a government inquiry. Assisted company with government disclosures to DOJ.

Conducted an internal investigation in China concerning potential commercial bribery, money laundering, and conflicts of interest, and advised the public company’s Audit Committee on remedial measures.

Performed an internal investigation for a federal government contractor, in response to an internal whistleblower, into potential violations of the False Claims Act and corporate policies. The investigation included the auditing of certain expenses.

Conducted a cross-border internal investigation on behalf of an Audit Committee of a European company into potential breaches of FDA regulations, the False Claims Act, and corporate policies.

Conducted an internal investigation and represented a healthcare practice in responding to a civil investigative demand and investigation into whether the practice violated the False Claims Act. After over two years of investigating, the DOJ decided to close the matter without taking any action against the practice.

Represented an executive at a public construction company during parallel investigations by the SEC & DOJ and convinced the DOJ to use the executive as a cooperating witness during a criminal trial.

Represented a former broker during the DOJ’s largest antitrust investigation and convinced the DOJ to use the client as a cooperating witnesses as well as successfully obtained a lenient sentence for the client.

Conducted an internal investigation into alleged FCPA, conflict of interest and code of conduct violations in Mexico for a public company.

Persuaded the Department of Justice not to take any action against a financial institution for alleged violations of fair lending laws despite a referral to the DOJ by the FDIC.

Conducted an internal investigation for a public company concerning potential bid-rigging and bribery.

Performed an internal investigation for an international public company into Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues in Brazil, Portugal, and Africa.

Persuaded U.S. Attorney’s Office not to indict a government contractor after a two year False Claims Act investigation.

Conducted an internal investigation for a company concerning alleged fraudulent conduct in the Philippines by company employees and third-party agents, and recommended measures to further improve the company’s compliance program.

Represented a group of employees in an investigation by a U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Immigration & Customs Enforcement relating to the export of medical devices to sanctioned countries.

Performed an internal investigation in India concerning potential crimes and advised the public company’s Audit Committee on next steps and remedial measures.

Conducted a privacy assessment concerning the maintenance of customer data in Mexico after a Fortune 50 company acquired two Mexican companies.

Internal investigation for special committee of board of directors of a bank related to misuse of bank resources by executive officers, including reports to special committee, board of directors, outside auditors and regulators.

Conducted an internal FCPA investigation for a manufacturer relating to conduct in Argentina. The investigation included reviewing materials in Spanish and conducting interviews of Argentine and Chilean employees in both Spanish and English. The investigation’s findings were favorable to the client.

Conducted an internal investigation into Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues in the Caribbean for a public company and later, provided extensive training to executive officers, the legal department as well as employees.

Represented executives and employees of a pharmaceutical manufacturer in an off-label marketing investigation initiated by a False Claims Act lawsuit.

Led an internal investigation into a fraudulent scheme conducted by an officer of a medical group.

Advised an international consumer goods manufacturer on its global anti-corruption program as well as assisted in drafting its FCPA policy, guidelines and contract language.

Performed an internal investigation for an international construction company into Foreign Corrupt Practices Act issues as well as conducted training for employees.

In less than four months, convinced the Civil Division of the Department of Justice that a whistleblower’s claims against a company did not merit the Government’s intervention into a sealed qui tam litigation. Soon after, the whistleblower voluntarily dismissed her litigation.

In less than three months, we convinced the Department of Justice not to take any action against a client employee for allegedly stealing trade secrets from a competitor. During the investigation, our client continued to be a witness and did not have any criminal exposure.

Convinced the Department of Justice to decline prosecution of a construction company, after the DOJ had previously identified the company as a target of an environmental crime investigation.

Reached a favorable settlement with a relator, the federal government and State of Georgia for a medical practice in a Federal False Claims Act litigation brought by a former employee.

Advised corporate clients, including manufacturers, oil and energy companies, information management corporations and retail companies, on potential and actual sales and transactions in Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Iraq, Russia, Myanmar, Libya, Venezuela, Cuba, and Sudan.

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Insights
Education

Columbia University J.D. (2004)

Florida State University B.A. (2001) International Affairs and Spanish, summa cum laude

Parker School of International Law Certificate in Comparative and International Law

Admissions

District of Columbia (2023)

Georgia (2004)

Court Admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

Professional & Community Activities

Atlanta Volunteer Lawyers Foundation, Board of Directors, Immediate Past President

Georgia Latino Law Foundation, Co-Founder and Advisory Board Member

Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Board of Directors, Member

Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2024

Law360, White Collar Editorial Board (2021-2022)

Hispanic National Bar Association, Latina Commission, Member (2015-2017)

Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Fellow (2016)

LEAD Atlanta Class of 2012, Member

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