WilmerHale is pleased to announce that Amanda Masselam Strachan, until recently the Criminal Division Chief in the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, will return as a partner in the firm’s industry leading white-collar practice.
Masselam Strachan, who practiced for nine years at WilmerHale, will draw on both her private sector experience and 18 years as a federal prosecutor to help clients navigate inquiries by federal and state authorities and private litigants.
Among other areas, Masselam Strachan will focus on helping health care sector entities and individuals navigate complex legal and regulatory questions and defending them against health care fraud allegations. She will also assist clients facing complex allegations involving securities and financial fraud, cyber and crypto fraud, national security, money laundering, and government procurement fraud. She is scheduled to officially start at the firm in late April and will be based in Boston.
As Criminal Chief, she supervised approximately 100 federal prosecutors and every criminal matter in the district, including health care fraud and other complex corporate investigations, securities fraud, national security, government contract fraud, money laundering, public corruption, and cyber fraud. Before her promotion to Criminal Division Chief, she was the Health Care Fraud Unit Chief. Under her leadership, the Unit was the national leader in the US Department of Justice’s efforts to combat fraud and abuse in the health care industry.
Masselam Strachan handled some of DOJ’s most significant health care fraud matters, including the prosecution of the infamous New England Compounding Center (NECC). In that case, 13 owners, executives, and employees of the defunct company were convicted on criminal charges for producing contaminated pharmaceuticals that led to a nationwide fungal meningitis outbreak affecting 753 patients, of which more than 100 died.
For her work, Masselam Strachan received the prestigious J. Michael Bradford Award for Most Outstanding Assistant US Attorney from the National Association of Former US Attorneys, and twice received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service.
“We’re delighted by Amanda’s return to us after her exemplary career in government,” said Anjan Sahni, WilmerHale’s managing partner. “Her extraordinary leadership experience in a major U.S. Attorney’s Office, combined with her previous private practice success, make her an invaluable counselor to clients and an exceptional resource within our firm.”
“I’m thrilled to be back at WilmerHale, a firm dedicated to excellence in the practice of law and client service and with a long tradition of honoring public service,” Masselam Strachan said. “I look forward to joining my colleagues in bringing solutions to our clients’ biggest challenges.”
Masselam Strachan earned her BA degree, cum laude, from Bowdoin College and her JD, cum laude, from Boston University School of Law.