Kami Haeri | کامی حائری

Kami Haeri

Kami Haeri chairs the White Collar and Investigations practice in Paris and is a Partner in the Commercial Litigation Group.

Kami advises French and international clients on commercial disputes, class actions, white collar crime, investigations and compliance.

He has more than 25 years of experience across a wide range of industries including financial services, technology, media, manufacturing and industrial.

In 1997, Kami was appointed to the prestigious Conférence du Stage, the French Bar’s 200+-year-old moot court competition, which annually selects the 12 best candidates out of more than 150 applicants. As part of his duties as Conférence Secretary, Kami tried over 150 criminal cases as lead counsel and pleaded extensively before French criminal courts of all levels.

Kami was commissioned by the French Minister of Justice Jean-Jacques Urvoas to prepare a report on the Future of French Lawyers (“L’avenir de la profession d’avocat”), that was presented to the Minister of Justice in 2017. Kami was also commissioned in 2020 to prepare a report regarding the professional training of lawyers in France (“La réforme de la formation initiale et continue des avocats”), which was presented to the French Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti in 2020. The report offers suggestions of reforms to improve both the initial and continuing education of lawyers.

Kami is a former member of the Paris Bar Council, serving from 2011 to 2013, and regularly serves on the faculty of several Universities and Institutions, namely the Paris Bar School, EFB, Sciences Po, the University of Paris XI and the University of Paris XIII.

He has delivered lectures on a diverse range of topics, encompassing compliance, corporate entity criminal liability, class action litigation, digitalization trends in the legal field, trial advocacy, and criminal law.

Sources describe Kami as “a brilliant and very sharp guy who is efficient and results-oriented.” He is also praised by clients for his “strategic vision.” Kami is regularly featured in rankings as a top tier litigator and, in 2021, was listed as one of the “Top 40 lawyers of the French CAC 40” by Forbes Magazine / Lettre des Juristes d’Affaires (LJA). He has also been regularly listed by GQ Magazine as one of the 30 most powerful legal practitioners in France.

Prior to joining White & Case, Kami was Chair of the commercial litigation and white collar practices at an international law firm.

Chambers Europe 2024, White-Collar Crime, France
Chambers Europe 2024, Litigation: Elite, France

Bars and Courts
Paris

Education

• DESS, LLMUniversity of Paris Nanterre
• DESS, LLB University of Lyon

Languages

• English
• French
• Spanish
• Persian

Experience prior to joining White & Case

• Advising and representing one of the foremost car manufacturers in several cross-border criminal investigations related to a large-scale corporate fraud committed by its former CEO.*
• Advising and representing a large, global technology company in the first class action in France arising out of data protection issues, with a potential financial stake of €28 billion.*
• Advising and representing one of the leading aerospace groups in several cross-border criminal investigations.*
• Advising and representing a French launch service provider as the main creditor in chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings with global ramifications opened against a satellite operator in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.*
• Representing a French leader in the chemical industry in commercial litigation and arbitration concerning the sharing of utilities, the supply and purchase of products and insurance.*
• Representing clients operating in the banking sector in shareholder disputes (criminal and civil litigation).*
• Representing the leading worldwide tobacco manufacturer in the coordination of anti-smuggling and anti-counterfeiting actions in France and in 28 countries.*
• Representing leaders in the media sector in various shareholder dispute and unfair competition claims.*
• Representing several motion picture producers in enforcing and defending their IP rights.*
• Representing one of the world’s largest industrial companies in matters of trade secret protection, patentability of a supply chain traceability system.*
• Representing a car manufacturer in negotiations regarding the transfer and manufacturing of technological developments and patent ownership.*
• Representing one of the founders of a leading French brand of audiophile equipment in matters of ownership claims of several patents.*

Professional Activities

• Regular contributor to the AFJE (Association Française des Juristes d’Entreprise) and to the Cercle Montesquieu
• Expert at Club des Juristes
• Expert at the Institut Montaigne

Teaching engagements

• “Règlement des différends” (Dispute Resolution) at Sciences Po.
  “Stratégie et Tactique du Procès” (Trial Strategy and Tactics) at the EFB Bar School.
• “Droit pénal et entreprises innovantes” at the University of Paris XI.
• “Transformation des professions du droit” at the University of Paris XIII.

Teaching engagements

• “Règlement des différends” (Dispute Resolution) at Sciences Po.
  “Stratégie et Tactique du Procès” (Trial Strategy and Tactics) at the EFB Bar School.
• “Droit pénal et entreprises innovantes” at the University of Paris XI.
• “Transformation des professions du droit” at the University of Paris XIII.

Speaking Engagements

• Speaker, Conference “Cross-perspectives on the current status of business criminal law: France, UK and US” organized in Paris, with the participation of Darryl Lew (US partner) and Neill Blundell (UK partner), May 2024
• Speaker, “Rencontre France-Canada”, organized at White & Case Paris in partnership with Davies Ward Philips & Vineberg law firm, April 2024
• Speaker, White & Case Webinar, “What to remember from 2023 in matters of litigation, arbitration and criminal business law”, alongside partners Diane Lamarche, Félix Thillaye, Alexandre Kiabski, Charles Nairac and Elizabeth Oger-Gross (all Paris) February 2024
• Speaker, Governance Conference – Towards a new balance (Conférence Gouvernance Vers de nouveaux équilibres), organized by LJA and NextStep, on the following theme “Governance and crisis management” (La Gouvernance face à la gestion de crise), November 2023
• Speaker, “The lawyer: metamorphoses…” Conference, Lyon Bar Association, on the following theme “Boosting training” (Dynamiter la formation), October 2023
• Speaker, Grenelle du Droit 4, on the following theme “Societal challenges and the role of legal players? What role to play? Legal professionals are called upon to take part in the transformations of our society, but is this their role? What is their role?” (Défis sociétaux et acteurs du droit, un rôle à jouer? Quel rôle à jouer? Les professionnels du droit sont sommés de prendre part aux transformations de notre société, mais est-ce leur rôle? Quel est leur rôle?), December 2022
• “Criminal Justice Negotiation: Lessons from Two Years of CJIP,” Morning Information Sessions 2019/2020, Litigation Department, February, 2020
• “Reform of Established Commercial Relationship Termination: Toward Clarification?” Morning Information Sessions 2019/2020, Litigation Department, February, 2020
• “AFA Inspections: How to Prepare? How to Best Defend Company Interests?” Morning Information Sessions 2019/2020, Litigation Department, January 30, 2020
• “Gathering Evidence Pre-litigation in the Era of Trade Secrets Law,” Morning Information Sessions 2019/2020, Litigation Department, January 2020

Publications

• Interview, Le Club des Juristes, The slow, and exciting, learning of negotiated justice (« Le lent, et passionnant, apprentissage de la justice négociée »), September 2024
• Publication, GIR’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa Investigations Review 2024: France chapter, June 2024 Client alert, “EU establishes harmonized enforcement and penalties for sanctions violations”, May 2024
• Client alert, “Practical and legal implications in France following the EU harmonization of enforcement and penalties for sanctions violations”, May 2024
• Article, “When negotiated criminal justice returns to the fore”(« Quand la justice pénale négociée revient sur le devant de la scène »), Option Droit & Affaires, Kami Haeri and Malik Touanssa, February 2024
• Client alert, “Negotiated Criminal Justice and French Guilty Plea Procedure: Improved Rights for the Prosecuted Individuals”, Kami Haeri and Malik Touanssa, February 2024
• Article, « Affaire Prologue : cassation partielle et précisions inédites en matière d’offres publiques et de recours contre les décisions de l’AMF », Bulletin Joly Bourse, Kami Haeri and Robin Hassid, January 2024
• Article, Le grand témoin, “Les entreprises seront plus exposées aux risques de contentieux”, Kami Haeri – Le Figaro, December 2023
• “Rachat de Crédit Suisse et AT1 bonds : quelles suites?”; Kami Haeri; Robin Hassid – N°18, March 2023
• Newsletter: “Publication des nouvelles lignes directrices sur la mise en œuvre de la CJIP;” Kami Haeri, Malik Touanssa; – N°37, January 2023
• “La responsabilité du dirigeant face aux faits de corruption: un risque à plusieurs visages; ” Kami Haeri – Revue internationale de la compliance et de l’éthique des affaires, December 2022
• Article, “Mesures restrictives de l’UE à l’encontre de la Russie : l’émergence d’un droit européen de sanctions économique”, Kami Haeri – L’Observateur de Bruxelles, September 2022
• Impacts de la crise en Ukraine sur les entreprises, Kami Haeri, Cahiers de droit de l’entreprise, LexisNexis, July 2022
• Synthèse des sanctions économiques de l’Union européenne en réaction à l’invasion de l’Ukraine, Kami Haeri, Cahiers de droit de l’entreprise, LexisNexis, July 2022
• Baux commerciaux, paiement des loyers et pandémie de Covid-19 : la Cour de cassation rejette les pourvois des preneurs, Kami Haeri, Alexandre Kiabski, Robin Hassid, July 2022Activité des entreprises en zone de conflit – Quelles applications à la crise ukrainienne ?, Kami Haeri, Cahiers de droit de lentreprise, LexisNexis, July 2022
• Article, “Iran, une sortie imminente du tunnel”, LJA Magazine, March-April 2022
• Professional Secrecy: Internal Documents Embedding Defense Strategies Elaborated by Outside Lawyers Should Be Protected Now on, Kami Haeri, Revue de la Compliance et de l’Ethique des affaires, April 2022
• Synthèse du dispositif de sanctions de l’Union Européenne, des Etats-Unis et du Royaume-Uni en réaction à l’intervention de la Russie en Ukraine – Mise à jour au 21 mars 2022 de notre synthèse des sanctions, Kami Haeri, Newsletter, March 2022
• Synthèse du dispositif de sanctions de l’Union Européenne, des Etats-Unis et du Royaume-Uni à l’encontre de la Russie, Kami Haeri, Newsletter, March 2022
• Le Parlement adopte un nouveau statut en faveur des lanceurs d’alerte, Kami Haeri, Newsletter, February 2022
• Le Conseil constitutionnel déclare contraires à la Constitution les dispositions relatives au manquement d’entrave aux enquêtes et contrôles de l’AMF, Kami Haeri, Alexandre Kiabski, Robin Hassid, Flash February 2022
• Revue internationale de la compliance et de l’éthique des affaires/International Review of Compliance and Business Ethics – LexisNexis ; “China Enforces Counteracting Rules against Extra-Territorial Sanctions”, Kami Haeri, April 2021
• Dalloz actualité; “Spécialisation de la justice pénale environnementale: retour sur la loi du 24 décembre 2020”; Kami Haeri, Malik Touanssa, January 2021

Awards and Recognition

• Recognized as “Leading Individual” (Corporate and commercial litigation) by Legal 500 EMEA 2024 for Dispute Resolution: Commercial Litigation in France
• Recognized as “Leading Individual” by Legal 500 EMEA 2024 for Dispute Resolution: White Collar Crime
• Litigation and White-Collar Crime Ranked Lawyer by Chambers Europe 2024:
  “Kami is able to identify and understand strategies almost immediately. He is a great lawyer to foresee events and come up with strategies, keeping in mind the bigger picture and the possible outcomes. Kami is someone who brings real added value to cases.”
  “Kami Haeri has a very helpful attitude, he can come up with solutions that work and he is a magician at winning people over through incredible legal knowledge, which he can communicate in simple words.”
  Chambers Europe 2024, White-Collar Crime, France
• “Kami Haeri wins the confidence of clients and comes up with solutions that work. He has an incredible legal knowledge and can communicate it in simple words.”
  “Kami Haeri showed the perfect level of aggression for litigation and he is a great strategic thinker.”
  Chambers Europe 2024, Litigation:Elite, France
• Recognized as “Best Lawyer” in Litigation by The Best Lawyers in France, 2023
• Recognized as “Best Lawyer” in International Arbitration by The Best Lawyers in France, 2023
• Recognized as “Best Lawyer” in Criminal Defense by The Best Lawyers in France, 2020-2023
• Recognized as “Global Leader in Business Crime Defense – Corporates & Individuals” by Who’s Who Legal: France, 2023
• Recognized as “National Leader in Asset Recovery, Business Crime Defense & Investigations and Commercial Litigation” by Who’s Who Legal, France, 2023
• Recognized as “Global Leader in Commercial Litigation” by Who’s Who Legal: France, 2022
• Listed as “One of the ‘Top 40 lawyers of the French CAC”, Forbes France / Lettre des Juristes d’Affaires (LJA), 2021
• Recognized as “Rising Star” by Legal 500 EMEA 2021 for Compliance in France