Bio

Over the course of a legal career that has encompassed both public service and private practice, Valarie Hays has tried 16 federal jury trials, argued cases before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and supervised more than 100 criminal investigations. During her tenure as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois, Valarie prosecuted serious crimes including fraud, public corruption, illegal guns, narcotics and other violations of federal law. Her remarkable dedication and tenacity earned her the Department of Justice Special Achievement Award an impressive four times. Since entering private practice, she has focused her attention on white-collar criminal defense, complex civil litigation, corporate internal investigations, and compliance program counseling. If Valarie wasn’t practicing law, she’d be teaching it. She served as an Adjunct Lecturer of Communication and Trial Advocacy at Northwestern University and continues to assist with various trial advocacy training programs. She puts these skills to good use helping corporate clients develop strategies for improving their anti-corruption compliance programs, investigating potential Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) violations, conducting FCPA due diligence, and training employees on anti-bribery compliance.