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Naana Frimpong

Naana Frimpong

Partner
U.S. representative on the DLA Piper Africa Board
Atlanta
About

Naana is a former federal prosecutor and trial lawyer with over 17 years of experience conducting a broad array of investigations both in private practice and in the public sector. She has extensive experience defending companies and individuals in high-profile civil and criminal matters brought by a wide variety of prosecutors and regulators in the US and in countries all over the world as well as across a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, automotive manufacturing, nuclear construction, and private equity. Her practice includes white-collar criminal defense, internal corporate investigations and government enforcement actions, including violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, compliance consulting, international arbitration, and international disputes. Although Naana's practice is global in its reach, she has a particular focus on Africa.

Naana served for four years as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago). During her tenure as a federal prosecutor, she served as lead counsel on dozens of felony investigations and prosecutions, including various financial fraud schemes and transnational narcotics trafficking matters. She presented and obtained federal grand jury indictments on dozens of cases and appeared in federal court for numerous legal and evidentiary hearings. She also successfully tried several financial fraud jury and bench trials to verdict and briefed and argued appeals before the US Courts of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Areas of FocusLitigation, Arbitration and InvestigationsAntitrust and Competition
Bar admissionsGeorgiaNew York
CourtsUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitUnited States District Court for the Northern District of GeorgiaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of New YorkUnited States District Court for the Southern District of New York

EXPERIENCE

Naana's representations include the following significant matters:
  • A global pharmaceutical company in connection with various U.S. congressional investigations
  • A global pharmaceutical company in an off-label promotion and False Claims Act investigation being conducted by the DOJ
  • A global pharmaceutical company in connection with an internal investigation concerning allegations of improper marketing practices
  • A global pharmaceutical company in connection with an electronic health record investigation conducted by the DOJ
  • The audit committee of an engineering and manufacturing company in a global FCPA investigation (in particular with respect to certain African jurisdictions)
  • An automotive manufacturer in an investigation conducted by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and numerous state attorneys general on vehicle safety concerns
  • A large defense contractor in a False Claims Act investigation being conducted by the DOJ
  • A U.S. based power company in connection with a parallel DOJ and SEC enforcement action
  • A U.S. based corporation conducting an internal investigation of its operations in Southeast Asia to assess potential FCPA exposure
  • A luxury retailer in connection with an FCPA-focused compliance assessment
  • A private equity firm in connection with allegations of race discrimination
  • A federal institution in connection with allegations of race and sex discrimination in promotion and hiring
  • An individual in connection with alleged multi-million dollar healthcare RICO scheme
  • An African government in a series of ICC arbitrations and related enforcement and set-aside proceedings
Education
  • LL.M., International Crime and Justice, University of Torino and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
  • J.D., Yale Law School
  • B.A., Amherst College
    magna cum laude

Bylines

  • Co-author, "Taking the Granston Memo to the Next Level: Early and Close Coordination with Agencies on Qui Tam Actions," Washington Legal Foundation, December 2019
  • Co-author, "A Brewing Anti-Corruption Enforcement Storm: Private Equity Investments in Sub-Saharan Africa," Africa Bulletin, September 2019

Seminars

  • Speaker, "Advancing with Africa as an Export and Investment Destination," U.S. Chamber of Commerce Africa Business Center, September 2022
  • Moderator, Investing in Women and Youth – Sustainable Growth, US-Africa Business Summit in Morocco, July 2022
  • Speaker, "Small and Big Law Synergies: Success Stories and Opportunities," Women’s White Collar Defense Association, April 2021
  • Moderator, "Insights from Successful African Entrepreneurs," Africa Webinar Series (COVID-19: Opportunity in Crisis Part Three), November 2020
  • Moderator, "General Counsel Forum," Africa Webinar Series (COVID-19: Opportunity in Crisis Part One), September 2020
  • Co-chair, "Arbitration Institute Seminar," Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 2022
  • Speaker, "Compliance and Risk Management for Legal Agreements in African Private Equity," African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, October 2019
  • Faculty, "Trial Advocacy, Persuasive Writing and Training of Trainers in Lagos, Nigeria," National Institute of Trial Advocacy, October 2019

Media Mentions

  • "DLA Piper Taps Ex-King & Spalding Atty For Global Work," Law360, July 2021
  • "Destination Africa: The Rise of Arbitration Across the Continent," Law.com International, July 2020
  • "An Interview with Naana Frimpong, J.D. Yale Law School '04," Yale and the World, October 2020
  • "Two Black Female Lawyers On The Importance of Education for All," Law.com International, October 2020

Memberships And Affiliations

  • Board of Trustees for Amherst College
  • DLA Piper's Global Scholarships Program Board
  • Yale University President’s Council on International Activities
  • Women's White Collar Defense Association, Co-Chair of the Awards Committee
  • American Society of International Law
  • International Bar Association
  • Leadership Council on Leadership Diversity, 2019 Fellow

My latest insights

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Best Practices for Corporate Compliance Programs

9 March 2023 .2 minute read

Publication
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Black In House Counsel 2022 Annual Report

31 March 2022 .1 minute read

News
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Naana Frimpong appointed to DLA Piper Africa Board

25 October 2021 .5 minute read

View All

Connect

Phone

+1 404 736 7835
(Work, Atlanta)
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