Reed Smith Gets Former Federal Prosecutor for New York, Miami

Reed Smith brought aboard veteran prosecutor Mark Bini in part to expand its practice in southern Florida, where firms have been increasingly focusing their operations during the coronavirus pandemic.

Bini, a former state and federal prosecutor, will “be active” in the firm’s Miami office though he will be based in New York as a partner in the regulatory enforcement practice, he said in an interview.

“South Florida is becoming increasingly important in the private equity world and also in the crypto industry,” he said. “It’s going to become increasingly important as a legal market.”

Miami is increasingly drawing attention from Big Law as sectors such as technology and finance shift to low-tax Florida. In May, litigation powerhouse firm Quinn Emmanuel Urquhart & Sullivan opened a Miami office staffed with commercial litigation and other partners from rival law firms. Last year, the Miami area drew a little over $1 billion in venture investments in startups, according to Pitchbook, a research firm.

Bini sad he’s planning to help Reed Smith, among the top 20 top-earning law firms, expand its practice advising individuals and corporations in the private equity and other sectors on navigating regulatory and white-collar issues.

He was at the Justice Department for nearly a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York and the Middle District of Florida prosecuting financial and corporate crime. Prior to that, he was an assistant district attorney for the New York County District Attorney’s Office for five years.

Prior to becoming a prosecutor, Bini spent five years at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher in New York handling civil litigation and white-collar matters.

Bini said he has tried 25 cases, including financial fraud. One of them was winning the conviction of a stock promoter for a $130 million securities fraud and market manipulation scheme.

He said he also has led cross-border investigations of corporations not only in the U.S. but also in the U.K., Latin America and other regions. His experience includes investigations involving securities fraud, cybercrime, bank fraud, money laundering and violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Bank Secrecy Act.

“Mark knows what the game looks like from the inside, said Mike Lowell, chair of the firm’s regulatory practice, in a statement. “He knows the factors that go into a prosecutor’s thinking and how the decision to prosecute, or not, is made.”