Ropes & Gray has hired corporate criminal investigations lawyer Patrick Sinclair as a partner for its government enforcement practice in Hong Kong.

Sinclair was previously the deputy chief of the general crimes section in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York.

In his work for the U.S. government, Sinclair supervised prosecutors conducting investigations, hearings trials, and appeals, and served as lead prosecutor in a case that convicted a CEO of commercial bribery, FCPA violations and tax evasion.

He also investigated and prosecuted individuals and organisations in connection with the 2008 economic collapse.

In private practice, Sinclair specialises in large-scale corporate criminal investigations involving multiple agencies, international aspects and parallel civil suits.

Sinclair will first join Ropes & Gray in New York before relocating to Hong Kong early next year.

Sinclair’s appointment follows the hire of New York-based corporate criminal investigations partner Marc Berger, the previous head of the securities and commodities fraud task force in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office.