Experienced Federal Prosecutor Kenya K. Davis to Spearhead Firm’s ESG-Related Investigations and Compliance Work
Boies Schiller Flexner LLP today announced that Kenya K. Davis has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C. office as a partner in the global investigations and white collar crime group. A former Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia with 50 cases tried to verdict, Kenya strengthens the firm’s compliance capabilities on social and corporate governance issues, particularly with respect to clients’ labor forces, at a time when regulatory scrutiny of this area is on the rise across industry sectors.
As a prosecutor, Kenya served as lead counsel in 35 jury trials, 15 bench trials, and numerous evidentiary hearings, during the last several years exclusively in federal court. She also handled over 100 grand jury investigations and more than a dozen appeals. Additionally, she served as co-chair of the D.C. Human Trafficking Task Force, a group of nearly 75 senior federal and local law enforcement officials, government agency leaders, and NGO executives, working to increase the prosecution of traffickers, provide comprehensive services to victims, and coordinate anti-trafficking efforts in the D.C. area.
“When contemplating how my expertise could be impactful in the private sector, Boies Schiller was the obvious choice,” Kenya said. “It is a versatile, trial-ready firm handling the most high-stakes matters, and, importantly, it is already meaningfully engaged in anti-trafficking work. Whether helping victims achieve justice via civil matters against traffickers and facilitators or assisting businesses in ensuring compliance with stringent laws and regulations, this firm is committed to ethics and accountability.”
Managing Partner Sigrid McCawley, who leads several of Boies Schiller’s cases representing sex abuse victims, said, “Kenya’s many years of significant, relevant experience is a perfect fit for the anti-trafficking work we are doing and hope to further grow. She is a phenomenal hire for the firm, and I look forward to working closely with her.”
In addition to getting involved in the firm’s ongoing work for sex trafficking and sex assault victims, Kenya will focus much of her practice on ESG-related compliance issues, such as human trafficking as a form of cheap or slave labor. In 2020, the International Labor Organization estimated the number of victims of human trafficking globally to be at 25 million. Over the past decade, federal and local governments around the world have increasingly enacted regulatory frameworks that require businesses to disclose their efforts to address human trafficking in their operations and supply chains.
“Kenya is emblematic of the type of strategic growth Boies Schiller wants to achieve,” said Managing Partner Matthew L. Schwartz. “She is an experienced trial lawyer and an excellent fit culturally. Kenya also has unique skills in a growing area of concern for our clients, and her practice sits within one of the core, historical strengths of the firm.”
Boies Schiller’s global investigations and white collar practice handles sensitive, complex, and often high-profile regulatory or criminal investigations on behalf of clients in matters around the world, as well as independent internal investigations. The firm advises clients on all aspects of their cases, from crisis management to negotiations with regulators and, when necessary, trial or appeal. Clients range from global financial institutions and multinational corporations to well-capitalized startups and high-net-worth individuals.
“In this practice, many of our most successful representations are the ones that never generate news or require a single courtroom appearance,” said Peter Skinner, the leader of the firm’s Global Investigations and White Collar Defense group. “The combination of skills and experience Kenya brings from her time on the task force and in the courtroom will help our clients do just that, particularly with regard to ESG-related investigations and compliance. Kenya will also be a forceful advocate for victims of crime at Boies Schiller, just as she was as a prosecutor.”
Kenya is an adjunct professor at American University where she teaches a course on the laws and policies surrounding domestic violence. She earned her law degree from Columbia Law School, where among other honors she won the Dawson Prize for Oral Advocacy and was National Champion in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition. Kenya received her undergraduate degree in finance and political science from Emory University, where she was the American Debate Association’s National Champion, as well.