Our Team

MICHAEL VOLKOV, Principal, has over 30 years of experience in practicing law.

A former federal prosecutor and veteran white-collar defense attorney, Mike is an expert in compliance, internal investigations and enforcement matters. Mike was a federal prosecutor for over 25 years, and has extensive trial experience in federal court. He also served as chief crime and terrorism counsel for the Senate and House Judiciary Committees.

Mike maintains a highly popular FCPA blog – Corruption, Crime & Compliance. He is a regular speaker at events around the globe, and is frequently cited in the media for his knowledge on criminal issues, enforcement matters, compliance and corporate governance.

Mike is licensed in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

SUSAN M. SIMPSON, Associate, specializes in litigating civil and criminal proceedings under the FCPA, antitrust laws, and other regulatory frameworks. Her trial experience includes a wide range of commercial litigation matters, including the successful representation of clients in actions for breach of contract, commercial torts, defamation, civil conspiracy, fraud, and infringement of intellectual property. She also has experience in civil and criminal appellate litigation before state and federal courts.

Susan is licensed in Virginia and the District of Columbia.

MATT STANKIEWICZ, Senior Associate, specializes in the realm of corporate compliance and ethics, with additional background in various white-collar matters. Matt has considerable experience advising Fortune 500 corporations in compliance best practices to help navigate their specific risk profiles. In addition, Matt has also served on a corporate monitorship team appointed by the DOJ and EPA to oversee criminal and debarment settlement agreements for a Fortune 100 corporation.

Matt is licensed in New York and New Jersey.

KARIN SWEIGART, Senior Associate, focuses on litigation as well as ethics and compliance concerns for both for-profit and non-profit entities. Karin spent nearly a decade working as a Legislative Counsel in the United States House of Representatives before switching her focus to litigation. Karin excels in motions and appellate practice, and has extensive experience with government investigations.

Karin is licensed in Pennsylvania and California.

MARCEL DE CHERMONT, Senior Associate, has extensive experience providing advice on complex compliance and regulatory matters for global corporations and consultancy firms.  Marcel has focused his career advising multi-national entities on matters relating to operational issues and regularly advises on Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and Bribery Act compliance matters, anti-trust and competition, and privacy and data protection.  Marcel specializes in the design and implementation of realistic corporate policies, adequate procedures, and other internal controls that ensure minimal disruption for the client’s business.  He regularly conducts international due diligence and internal investigations for corporations on matters such as fraud, corruption, embezzlement, misappropriation of funds and other potential misconduct.

Marcel is licensed in Texas.

COLLEEN HURSON, Senior Associate, specializes in international trade controls, and assists corporations in identifying their export compliance obligations, building comprehensive compliance programs, and providing disclosures to U.S. enforcement authorities for resolution.  She also provides counsel on government contract, FCPA, facility security, and legislative matters.  Her background includes senior positions with Committees of the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and various private sector entities as in-house counsel.

Colleen is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame Law School and is licensed in the District of Columbia.

STEPHEN T. CHENG, Associate, specializes in corporate compliance and ethics issues, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-corruption laws, third-party due diligence, internal investigations, and corporate governance. Before joining The Volkov Law Group, Stephen was employed by a Fortune 100 global defense and aerospace corporation, where he was responsible for managing its anti-corruption compliance program.  Prior to that position, Stephen clerked at the U.S. Department of Justice’s FCPA Unit and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s FCPA Unit, respectively, where he assisted in the investigation and prosecution of FCPA violations.

Stephen is licensed in the District of Columbia.

NOAH M. SMITH, Associate, has focused his career on criminal litigation. Prior to joining The Volkov Law Group, Noah handled white collar matters and expedited criminal trials as a judicial clerk for the Hon. Malachy E. Mannion at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. Before his clerkship, Noah worked on regulatory compliance and ethics issues at the U.S. Department of Justice, and he assisted with internal investigations at the Library of Congress. Noah earned his J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.

Noah is licensed in New York.

VINCENT RUIZ, Of Counsel, focuses on anti-corruption compliance and investigations. He has over 30 years’ experience as a litigator, appellate attorney and regulatory compliance counsel. Fluent in Spanish, Mr. Ruiz has represented American clients with business interests in Mexico. Mr. Ruiz served as a mediator for the California Court of Appeal and a judicial arbitrator for the San Francisco Superior Court. Mr. Ruiz earned his J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, where he was an associate editor of the California Law Review. Following graduation, he worked as a research attorney for the Central Staff of Chief Justice Rose E. Bird of the California Supreme Court. He then served as a court law clerk and civil motions attorney at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, working for a time as a clerk in chambers for the Hon. Arthur L. Alarcon.

Mr. Ruiz is licensed in California.