Carsten Reichel is an experienced former federal prosecutor and trusted business advisor who brings an insider’s edge to corporations and individuals in government investigations, enforcement actions, and litigation. He also provides strategic counsel to businesses to navigate and mitigate compliance risks and represents whistleblowers and other complainants wishing to report potentially illegal conduct to the government.

Carsten has almost fifteen years of experience as a federal prosecutor in the US Department of Justice (DOJ). At DOJ’s Antitrust Division, he investigated, litigated, and negotiated resolutions to dozens of complex white collar and antitrust offenses. He spearheaded several of the DOJ’s most significant cartel matters across a range of sectors and in government procurements, including investigations in the maritime shipping, pharmaceutical, auto parts, air cargo, and financial services industries. Carsten also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Maryland and has worked extensively with numerous other federal and state enforcers, including DOJ’s Criminal and Civil Divisions, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and inspectors general at dozens of agencies.

He has litigated jury trials, sentencing issues, and evidentiary disputes in federal courts and appeared extensively before federal grand juries across the country. Additionally, he managed numerous matters involving applicants to the Antitrust Division’s leniency program and oversaw the work of the first-ever corporate compliance monitor imposed under a Division plea agreement. In recognition of his accomplishments, the Antitrust Division awarded Carsten its prestigious Assistant Attorney General Award six times.

In private practice, Carsten leverages his prosecutorial experience to vigorously advocate for companies and individuals in litigation and government investigations and to design and implement robust compliance programs. Carsten joined Heise Suarez Melville after partnerships in the litigation, antitrust, and white-collar practices at two large international law firms. He has represented corporations across a full range of litigation settings (class actions, government enforcement litigation, mediations, and private party actions; both defending and prosecuting claims; as parties and non-parties) and in investigations by multiple DOJ components (the Antitrust, Civil, and Criminal Divisions, as well as U.S. Attorney’s Offices), the Federal Trade Commission, and several state attorneys general. He also has represented individuals – from C-Suite leaders to line employees – in federal investigations. He balances his deep knowledge of enforcers’ priorities, policies, and playbooks with a profound appreciation for the risk, disruption, and cost that clients face in any interaction with the government to ensure that their interests are best protected and advanced, whether as a witness, whistleblower, or subject of an investigation.

Carsten brings a unique global perspective to his clients. Throughout his legal career, he has worked across cultures and geographies through his deep involvement with matters in which his clients, evidence, or subjects were located outside of the United States, several of which involved exposure in multiple jurisdictions. While at DOJ, he worked directly with officials at foreign enforcement agencies in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia on enforcement and policy issues, coordinating investigative activity (e.g., dawn raids) and training agency personnel on key enforcement techniques. He developed a program that was adopted by the International Law Enforcement Academy and is used on an ongoing basis with procurement officials and enforcers around the world. He serves as a DOJ-appointed non-governmental advisor to the International Competition Network and has been a member of the ABA Antitrust Section’s International Cartel Task Force.

He has especially deep experience in Latin America. He previously led the LatAm antitrust and regulatory practice at one of the world’s largest law firms, and he acted for several years as a litigation advisor for a publicly traded U.S. company defending government litigation in a South American jurisdiction. As a prosecutor, he led multiple investigations that centered on the region and worked directly with agencies in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Additionally, he worked in Mexico for months on a special assignment to assist its national competition enforcer in the development of its investigative and litigation capacities.

The Legal 500 and Latin Lawyer have recognized Carsten as a recommended practitioner in cartel defense, antitrust litigation, and class action defense. He is also a noted thought leader on antitrust enforcement issues through numerous published articles, speaking engagements, and media mentions in global publications.