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Member and International Department Vice Chair Alejandra Montenegro Almonte's practice focuses on internal corporate compliance, internal investigations, and government enforcement actions across a variety of business-critical areas, including anti-corruption, workplace misconduct (including sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliation), and other sensitive ethics and compliance violations. Ms. Montenegro Almonte serves as an Independent Compliance Monitor on behalf of a regulatory agency in Massachusetts and recently served in a leadership role in a monitorship team in an FCPA disposition. She is a native Spanish-speaker and regularly conducts legal matters in both English and Spanish.

Ms. Montenegro Almonte's compliance practice focuses on the design and implementation of risk-based internal compliance programs for a wide range of companies. She designs and performs compliance audits and workplace culture assessment, performs compliance due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and other strategic partnerships, and advises companies on the design of safeguards to mitigate compliance risks arising from complex business transactions, third-party engagements, and harassment and discrimination. 

Before joining Miller & Chevalier, Ms. Montenegro Almonte was General Counsel for the North American and Latin American Division of gategroup, a global provider of products, services, and solutions related to the onboard experience of airline and rail passengers. In that role, she oversaw all legal affairs for eight of gategroup's subsidiaries and was the strategic advisor to the senior and executive management teams of the United States, Canada, and Latin America on all legal, regulatory, and employment matters arising in North America and Latin America. While at gategroup, Ms. Montenegro Almonte developed and implemented compliance programs across her Division, including on anti-corruption and employment. As Chair of gategroup's North American and Latin American Business Compliance Committees, she led a cross-functional management team to proactively manage compliance matters across the Americas. 

Ms. Montenegro Almonte's roles as in-house and external counsel provide her unique experience and a broad perspective. She has first-hand experience in advising legal and business teams across multiple business lines, corporate functions, and jurisdictions, and swiftly triaging situations to minimize client exposure. Ms. Montenegro Almonte understands crisis management and protecting her clients' interests vis-a-vis multiple stakeholders.

Ms. Montenegro Almonte began her career as a litigation associate at two Am Law 100 firms. While at Harvard Law School, she served as president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau.

Ms. Montenegro Almonte is a frequent speaker on compliance and litigation issues at national and international conferences, including the American Conference Institute (ACI) and American Bar Association (ABA).

Representative Engagements
  • Represented senior executive and former public official in connection with DOJ investigation arising from crypto and related digital asset trading.
  • Represented an executive of a global humanitarian non-profit organization in connection with an investigation related to alleged racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
  • Represented a Latin America-based national oil company before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice in an investigation into allegations of $4B in cost overruns in connection with the construction of a refinery by one of its subsidiaries.
  • Represented one of the world's largest multinational food producers in an internal review of certain cross-border transactions and food quality operations in Latin America.
  • On behalf of global medical device company conducted two separate independent cross-border investigations based on internal whistleblower reports and allegations of corruption in local government tenders and potential misconduct by third parties.
  • Led an independent FCPA investigation in India into questionable payments made to a third party engaging with local government agencies on behalf of an international medical device company.
  • On behalf of a global extractives company, led a sensitive workplace misconduct investigation into allegations of harassment, bullying, and retaliation by members of a senior leadership. 
  • On a behalf of the Board of Trustees of large non-profit performing arts organization, led an internal investigation into allegations of harassment and racial discrimination by the organization Executive Director.  
  • For a global extractives company, conduct an internal investigation into allegations of gender discrimination and harassment arising from the Company's operations in Chile. 
  • Represented a multinational technology and manufacturing company before the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice in an investigation of alleged FCPA violations arising from its Southeast Asian operations. 
  • Led a global review of a Fortune 10 energy company's anti-corruption compliance program and related internal accounting controls against applicable statutory standards and best practices, in the context of ongoing investigations in multiple jurisdictions.
  • Led a review of Fortune 100 information technology company's global anti-corruption program, with the goal of tailoring the compliance program to fit the company's needs following a corporate restructuring. 
  • For a multinational information technology company, conducted and advised on pre-acquisition due diligence of in connection with the acquisition of an information technology company in the Middle East. 
  • For an energy company, conducted post-acquisition due diligence of a newly acquired energy group with operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru.
  • Represented a multinational company in relation to alleged OFAC sanctions violations arising from its Latin American operations.
  • Represented a European company with worldwide subsidiaries in a criminal proceeding under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The matter was resolved in favor of client with no criminal charges.
  • Defended the Republic of Ecuador in an investor-state arbitration alleging a breach of the Canada – Ecuador Bilateral Investment Treaty. The Tribunal dismissed the case against Ecuador.
In-House Experience
  • Division General Counsel, gategroup, 2011 - 2016
Rankings and Recognition
  • Legal 500: Dispute Resolution: International Trade, 2021 - 2022
  • Legal 500 Latin America: International Firms: Compliance and Investigations, 2021 - 2023
  • Latinvex Latin America's Top 100 Female Lawyers: FCPA & Fraud, 2017 - 2022
  • Global Investigations Review: Women in Investigations, 2021
  • DC Bar Capital Pro Bono High Honor Roll, 2020
  • DCA Live Emerging Women Leaders in Private Practice, 2019
Affiliations
  • Board Member, Latino Student Fund, 2019 - present 
  • Committee Member, NCAA Division I, Infractions Appeals Committee, 2020 - present
  • Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellow, 2017
  • Board Member, DC Law Students in Court, 2015 - 2021
  • Member, Global Legal Task Force Meeting, District of Columbia Bar, 2015 - 2018
  • Board Member, Lagniappe Education Foundation, 2006 - 2018
  • Co-Coordinator, HBA-DC Mentorship Program, Hispanic Bar Association, 2001 - 2002
Admissions
State Admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • New York
  • Virginia
News and Events
Publications