María González Calvet serves as co-chair of the firm’s award winning global anti-corruption and international risk practice and Latin America initiative, is a former U.S. federal prosecutor, and a former in-house executive counsel of a Fortune 500 company. With a practice that spans two decades, María is recognized for her significant experience in anti-corruption and other investigative matters in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, and in every significant business sector.
Recognized for her deep understanding and experience in the application of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other anti-bribery statutes, María has worked with leaders in government, business and finance to conduct a wide variety of investigations and risk assessments. She has also represented companies, portfolio companies and individuals concerning multi-jurisdictional matters involving corruption, money laundering, and other forms of financial fraud. María has conducted internal and government investigations in more than 30 countries around the globe and draws on her past work in government and the corporate sector to help clients across industries, including private equity and other investors, and geographies to identify and mitigate corruption risks and implement effective compliance programs.
María is widely recognized as a leader in anti-corruption, particularly in Latin America, and has written a number of articles for well-known publications on risks and enforcement trends in the region. Prior to joining Ropes & Gray in 2018, María served as Executive Counsel, Global Investigations for General Electric where she led and managed government, regulatory and internal investigations for the company’s business in Latin America. Earlier in her career, she was a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division, Fraud Section, and was a member of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Unit where she led some of the Department’s most important investigations involving allegations of corruption and other white collar offenses. María is a fluent, native Spanish speaker, and an advanced Portuguese speaker. Before becoming a lawyer, she worked in education, focusing on adult literacy and bilingual education.