Jan Lawrence Handzlik

Jan Handzlik is an accomplished investigations and trial lawyer with a national and international practice. He represents individuals and companies, both foreign and domestic, in criminal investigations and prosecutions, complex civil litigation and regulatory investigations. An experienced trial lawyer, Jan has tried well over 100 jury trials and numerous bench trials to verdict in the US Federal and State courts.

Jan is a nationally recognized authority on financial fraud investigations and prosecutions, regulatory offenses and transnational criminal investigations. These include civil and criminal securities fraud, money laundering, bank fraud, tax fraud, commercial bribery and public corruption, as well as bribery and “books and records” violations under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He represents both U.S. and foreign individuals and companies in a broad range of investigations and prosecutions.

Earlier, Jan served as a federal prosecutor in the Major Fraud & Special Prosecutions Section of the United States Attorney’s Office Los Angeles. In that position, he worked closely with federal law enforcement agencies, conducted grand jury investigations and prosecuted fraud cases at trial and on appeal. In private practice, Jan was one of the first independent law compliance monitors appointed under the FCPA. For three years, he evaluated the operations of a Swiss multinational corporation, monitoring its compliance with a deferred prosecution agreement. Jan is also one of only a handful of US lawyers to have successfully defended a corporation and its CEO at trial in federal court in a major FCPA prosecution, U.S. v. Lindsey Manufacturing Company, et al.

This combination of invaluable experience, notable accomplishments and an outstanding reputation in the legal community gives Jan extensive knowledge and deep insight into civil and criminal justice matters on both the federal and state levels. It enables him to devise and execute the most efficient and effective strategies for the defense of his clients. Jan has a long record of securing successful outcomes for his clients during investigations and, in the event charges are filed, at trial. 

Jan has been recognized for his abilities and accomplishments in numerous national and international publications. These include, from 1983 through 2022, all 28 editions of Best Lawyers in America-US News & World Report.* Best Lawyers is one of the most respected peer review publications for the U.S. legal profession. Its companion publication, Best Law Firms in America, has again recognized Handzlik & Associates for 2022.

The prestigious British publications, Who’s Who Legal and Global Investigations Review, published by Law Business Research Ltd. in the U.K., have again recognized Jan as a Who’s Who Legal Thought Leader: GIR 2022 (United States). They once again name Jan as a Global Leader in two areas, Business Crime Defence for both Corporates & Individuals and Investigations. These respected publications identify law firms and “practitioners [who] are among the very best in the world in their respective fields, without exception.” Based on thousands of votes and nominations, Who’s Who and Global Investigations Review rank Jan as one of the “world’s foremost…business crime defence…lawyers.”

Jan has again been recognized by Euromoney’s Expert Guides in its 2022 edition as one of the leading white collar crime practitioners in the United States. Euromoney Guides are published in the U.K. by Legal Media Group Ltd. California’s leading legal newspaper, The Daily Journal, named Jan one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California,” an honor given to “the state’s most influential attorneys.” He also received a California Attorney of the Year Award (CLAY Award) from California Lawyer Magazine for “extraordinary achievement” in criminal law.

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) honored Jan with its annual White Collar Criminal Defense Award. He was also honored by the Criminal Courts Bar Association of Los Angeles, which presented him with the Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Memorial Award. This annual award is presented for “exemplary commitment, exceptional skill and great achievement benefiting both his clients and the criminal justice community.” Further recognition has come from The American Lawyer Magazine; Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers; and Martindale-Hubbell’s The Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers.**           

For two years, Jan served as Chair of the American Bar Association’s National White Collar Crime Committee. He had previously served as Chair of the ABA’s West Coast White Collar Crime Committee for two years. Jan also served two-year terms as Vice Chair and then Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Business Crime Committee. There he helped organize and present the IBA’s annual Transnational Crime Conference in São Paulo, Berlin and Panama City, Panama. He also organized and presented mock trials at the IBA’s Annual Conferences in Vienna, Dublin and Washington, DC.

Jan also served for six years on the Governing Council of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section and five years on the ABA President’s Task Force on the Attorney-Client Privilege. Currently, Jan is Vice Chair of ABA committees on International Anti-Corruption and International Criminal Law.

Jan is a graduate of the University of Southern California and UCLA School of Law, where he earned a juris doctor degree. He is admitted to practice before all U.S. District Courts in California and U.S. Courts of Appeal for the 2nd, 9th and District of Columbia Circuits; and the U.S. Supreme Court.

*Best Lawyers®, Best Lawyers in America©, and Best Law Firms© are registered trademarks of BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC. The names, logo, and database are protected under the trademark, copyright, and fair use laws of the United States of America. Any use of name, including in electronic form, must be made only by permission and under the guidelines of BL Rankings, LLC d/b/a Best Lawyers and Co., LLC.

**AV®, AV Preeminent®, Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished and Martindale-Hubbell Notable are certification marks used under license in accordance with the Martindale-Hubbell certification procedures, standards and policies. Martindale-Hubbell® is the facilitator of a peer-review rating process. Ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ fall into two categories – legal ability and general ethical standards.