Speaker details

Biography

Naana is a partner in DLA Piper’s white collar defense group, the U.S. representative to DLA Piper’s Africa Board, a board member of DLA Piper’s Global Scholarship Program, and a member of Yale University President’s Council on International Activities. As a former U.S. federal prosecutor with over 15 years of experience conducting a broad array of investigations both in private practice and in public service, she has extensive experience defending companies and individuals in high-profile civil and criminal matters brought by various prosecutors and regulators in the U.S. and all over the world. 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. While Naana's practice is global in its reach, she has a particular focus on Africa and is spearheading DLA Piper’s US/Africa business engagement. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), she served as lead counsel on dozens of felony investigations and prosecutions, including various financial fraud schemes and transnational narcotics trafficking matters. She obtained federal grand jury indictments on dozens of cases, 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. Naana obtained a B.A. from Amherst College, a J.D. from Yale Law School and an LL.M. in International Crime and Justice jointly from the University of Torino and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute. Naana is a dual US/Ghana national, was raised in Ghana and Botswana and her native language is Twi/Ashanti. Naana regularly speaks, writes and trains on topics related to anti-corruption and good governance, white collar crime, corporate compliance, trial advocacy, international arbitration, and Africa-related issues generally.