Jacqueline Pruitt

JACKIE PRUITT focuses her practice on white collar criminal matters, internal investigations, government enforcement actions, professional liability matters, compliance counseling, and litigation, including matters involving challenging accounting and financial issues. Jackie graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and holds a Master in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and Certified Fraud Examiner, and has been profiled in Fraud Magazine.

Jackie has extensive experience conducting complex domestic and international internal investigations on a variety of matters, including but not limited to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), accounting fraud, domestic bribery, healthcare fraud, anti-money laundering, securities regulations, and other employee misconduct. She represents clients before law enforcement and regulatory agencies, including the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Financial Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), state attorneys general, and other federal and state regulators.

In addition, Jackie has a robust compliance counseling practice and regularly assists clients in evaluating, designing, and implementing global compliance programs, including policies, procedures, and internal controls. Further, she has substantial experience conducting anti-corruption due diligence in the business transaction context and routinely advises clients on anti-corruption and other compliance-related contractual provisions.

Jackie maintains an active pro bono practice, including civil rights and federal criminal matters, and the firm’s Capital Litigation Project and Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Project. Jackie is a recipient of the firm’s Thomas H. Morsch Award for Pro Bono Achievement in connection with her work on a capital litigation matter and also received an award from Chicago Volunteer Legal Services in connection with her victory on behalf of a CVLS-referred client in a landlord/tenant dispute. She is an administrator of the firm-sponsored brief bank for the Appleseed Project/Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition partnership and is a past member of the Committee overseeing the firm’s adoption of the Kanoon Magnet School.

Jackie is also actively engaged in the civic, legal, and professional communities at large. Among other organizations, she is a member of the Women’s White Collar Defense Association, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and the American Bar Association, and was previously a member of the Hispanic National Bar Association. She serves on the Ambassadors Board of Uniting Voices Chicago (formerly the Chicago Children’s Choir) and previously served on the Young Professionals Board of the Better Government Association and as a volunteer income tax preparer through Ladder Up.

• Representation of the Audit Committee of an international company in an internal investigation and subsequent DOJ proceedings on allegations of fraud, embezzlement, bribery and other corruption.
• Representation of a China-based affiliate of a Big Four accounting firm and several of its professionals in a PCAOB enforcement action (one of the first conducted China pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act) related to various auditing issues.
• Representation of a prominent family investment fund in an internal investigation concerning fraud allegations.
• Representation of a publicly traded global manufacturing company in an international internal investigation concerning allegations of fraud, embezzlement and accounting irregularities.
• Representation of a Fortune 50 company in SEC enforcement actions and related securities fraud and shareholder derivative litigation.
• Representation of a Fortune 100 company in conducting its anti-corruption and compliance due diligence review in anticipation of a multi-national business combination transaction.
• Representation of a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (NRSRO) in an internal investigation and SEC enforcement action related to allegations concerning conflicts of interest and ratings integrity.
• Representation of a publicly traded manufacturing company in a DOJ enforcement action related to allegations of securities fraud and accounting irregularities.
• Representation of a Big Four accounting firm and its professionals in a PCAOB enforcement action related to issues of complex revenue recognition and general auditing practices.
• Representation of a large accounting firm and its professionals in PCAOB and SEC enforcement actions arising out of revenue recognition fraud on the part of the accounting firm’s client.
• Representation of a Fortune 100 company in connection with the creation and implementation of its merger and acquisition anti-corruption due diligence protocol.

• Women’s White Collar Defense Association
• Association of Certified Fraud Examiners
• Uniting Voices Chicago, Ambassadors Board Member
• American Bar Association
• Former:
  • Better Government Association, Young Professionals Board Member
  • Hispanic National Bar Association
  • Ladder Up, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance