Jan Lawrence Handzlik - Los Angeles, CA

Profile

Jan Lawrence Handzlik is a skilled and experienced investigations and trial lawyer with a national and international practice. He represents individuals and organizations in investigations, criminal prosecutions, enforcement actions and complex civil litigation in the United States and abroad. Jan also conducts corporate internal investigations and coordinates cross-border criminal and regulatory matters.

Following graduation from the UCLA School of Law, Jan served as Law Clerk to a United States District Judge. He then joined the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, where he served in the Fraud & Special Prosecutions Section. Jan conducted grand jury investigations and prosecuted federal fraud cases at trial and on appeal. An accomplished trial lawyer, Jan has conducted well over 100 jury trials and numerous bench trials to completion in U.S. federal and state courts.

In addition to extensive investigations and trial experience, Jan brings a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the law and an appreciation for the impact investigations and prosecutions have on his clients, their livelihood and their families.

Education

• University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Law, Los Angeles, California, USA - 1970, Juris Doctor Degree
• University of Southern California, Los Angeles - 1967, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature

Representative Practice Areas

Jan specializes in white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions and regulatory enforcement actions. He is nationally and internationally recognized as an authority on financial crimes, federal criminal prosecutions and transnational crime. Jan’s practice includes civil and criminal securities fraud, investment fraud, tax fraud, bank fraud and money laundering, commercial bribery, cybercrime, internet gambling and cryptocurrency trading issues.

Jan's expertise extends to allegations of official bribery under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) investigations. In addition, Jan has been involved in investigations under the United Kingdom’s Bribery Act 2010 and Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (SAMLA).

Recognition & Honors

Jan has been consistently recognized in national and international publications as a leading investigations, regulatory and business crime defense lawyer.

Best Lawyers A respected peer review journal for the U.S. and global legal profession. Jan has been recognized in all 32 editions of Best Lawyers, through 2026, for his expertise and accomplishments in Criminal Defense: White-Collar. https://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/jan-lawrence-handzlik/12743. Jan’s firm has again been recognized in its companion publication, Best Law Firms, for 2026, as a Tier 1 law firm in Los Angeles. https://www.bestlawfirms.com/firms/jan-lawrence-handzlik-apc/73224/US

Lexology Index and Global Investigations Review (GIR) Published in the U.K., these journals have again recognized Jan as a Who’s Who Legal Thought Leader: GIR 2025 in Business Crime Defence. 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 from his peers, Lexology Index and GIR rank Jan as one of the “…world’s foremost…business crime defence…lawyers.” https://www.lexology.com/firms/1327379/jan_lawrence_handzlik

The Daily Journal California’s leading legal newspaper named Jan one of the “Top 100 Lawyers in California,” an honor given to “…the state’s most influential attorneys.” https://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/272148 https://www.dailyjournal.com/special_reports/10

California Lawyer Magazine Jan received the prestigious California Attorney of the Year Award (the CLAY Award) from California Lawyer Magazine for “extraordinary achievement” in criminal law. https://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/282318-2012-california-lawyer-attorneys-of-the-year

National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL) The NACDL gave Jan its White-Collar Criminal Defense Award, which “…is presented to individuals who have made a profound impact on the field of white collar criminal defense advocacy.” https://www2.stetson.edu/law/news/index.php/2012/02/22/the-nacdl-white-collar-criminal-defense-college-at-stetson-announces-inaugural-white-collar-criminal-defense-award-recipients/https://www.nacdl.org/Content/WhiteCollarCriminalDefenseAward

Super Lawyers Jan has been recognized in this Thomson Reuters’ publication as a leading white-collar criminal defense lawyer for 23 years. https://profiles.superlawyers.com/california/los-angeles/lawyer/jan-lawrence-handzlik/b788d755-9654-4522-962d-4ff1252a9a91.html

Criminal Courts Bar Association of Los Angeles The Los Angeles criminal defense bar honored Jan with the Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. Memorial Award, presented for “exemplary commitment, exceptional skill and great achievement benefiting both his clients and the criminal justice community.” https://www.laccba.org/About-CCBA/Awards.aspx

Martindale Hubbell This long-established peer-review journal for the U.S. legal profession rates Jan AV Preeminent, Peer Rated for Highest Level of Professional Excellence. https://www.martindale.com/attorney/jan-lawrence-handzlik-122344/

Jan received further recognition from The American Lawyer Magazine and National Law Journal, https://www.law.com/article/almID/1202517095006/, Euromoney’s Expert Guides, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0359718/bio/, Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers, https://www.venable.com/about/news/2012/06/ichambersi-recognizes-a-record-64-attorneys-in-27, Global Law Experts, https://globallawexperts.com/legal/jan-lawrence-handzlik/?tab=profile, IR Global, https://irglobal.com/advisor/jan-lawrence-handzlik/, the National Trial Lawyers Association , https://thenationaltriallawyers.org/members/jan-handzlik/ and Cross-Border Advisory Solutions, https://crossborderadvisorysolutions.com/advisor-directory/united-states/jan-handzlik/

Before pursuing a legal career, Jan was an accomplished child actor.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Handzlik
• TCM Classic Film Festival Hollywood 2026 https://filmfestival.tcm.com/programs/special-guests/jan-handzlik/
• Auntie Mame Taught Us That Life Is Still a Banquet, 2024 https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a46296302/auntie-mame-movie-anniversary/
• https://www.noblemania.com/2018/07/the-twilight-zone-interview-monsters.html
• https://www.nytimes.com/1958/12/07/archives/a-famous-dame-rosalind-russell-reverses-course-in-film-of-auntie.html

Selected Professional Affiliations and Accomplishments

Jan is deeply involved in bar association activities. He served as Co-Chair of the International Bar Association’s Business Crime Committee for two years. In that position, he helped organize and present the IBA’s annual Transnational Crime Conference in Berlin, Miami Beach and Panama City, Panama and mock trials at the IBA’s Annual Conference in Dublin, Vienna and Washington, DC.

Jan served as National Chair of the American Bar Association’s National White Collar Crime Committee for two years. He was a member of the Criminal Justice Section’s Governing Council for six years and the ABA President’s Task Force on the Attorney-Client Privilege for five years. Jan participated in Criminal Justice Section working groups on the implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act, as well as anti-terrorism and money laundering legislation. Jan also served as an officer of the ABA's International Law Section and Vice-Chair of the International Anti-Corruption Committee and International Criminal Law Committee.

Assistant United States Attorney Jan served as a federal prosecutor in the Fraud and Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. He prosecuted federal criminal cases before the grand jury, at trial and on appeal.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Law Compliance Monitor Jan served as one of the first independent law compliance monitors appointed by the U.S. Department of Justice under the FCPA. In that position, he monitored the activities of a Swiss multinational corporation for three years.

Experienced and Accomplished Trial Lawyer Jan has tried well over 100 jury trials and numerous bench trials to completion in the US federal and state courts. He is one of a few U.S. lawyers to have successfully defended a corporation and its CEO at trial in a major FCPA prosecution.

Selected Public Service and Pro Bono Activities

Jan has been very active in public service projects, including service on investigative bodies formed by the Los Angeles Police Commission. He served as Counsel to the Christopher Commission for the investigation of the Rodney King police brutality incident. Jan also served as Deputy General Counsel to the Webster Commission which evaluated the law enforcement response to the Los Angeles civil disturbances. Subsequently, Jan was Deputy General Counsel to the Rampart Independent Review Panel for the investigation of police corruption and officer-involved shootings. He also served on a blue ribbon committee to evaluate the operations of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office and as a member of the Standing Committee on Attorney Discipline for the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

Jan is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court Historical Society and the Chancery Club of Los Angeles. He also served on the Boards of two non-profit organizations, Inner City Law Center and Friends of Child Advocates.

Selected Speaking Engagements & Presentations (2000-Present)

• Mock Trial, Balancing the Scales – Defending Individuals and Companies in a Corruption Trial, International Bar Association (IBA) Annual Conference, Mexico City 2024
• Mock Trial, Stranger in a Strange Land: Fraud and Money Laundering Trial of a Multinational Corporation and its CEO, IBA Annual Conference, Washington DC 2016
• Conference Co-Chair and Session Moderator, Avoiding Criminal Liability in the Transnational Corporate Environment, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, Panama City, Panama 2016
• Mock Trial, What Were You Thinking? The Criminal Trial of a Multinational Corporation on Corruption Charges, IBA Annual Conference, Vienna, Austria 2015
• Co-Chair, Don’t Look Back - Interpol Red Notices, Provisional Arrests and Extradition, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, Berlin 2015
• Panel, Bribery in the Natural Resources Sector, IBA Regional Transnational Crime Conference (invited), Lagos, Nigeria 2015
• Co-Chair, Corruption in Sports, IBA Annual Meeting, Tokyo 2014
• Conference Co-Chair and Panelist, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, São Paulo, Brazil 2014
• Co-Chair, White-Collar Litigation Symposium, American Conference Institute (ACI), New York City 2013
• Co-Chair of Conference and Panel, Money Laundering, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, Miami Beach 2013
• Mock Trial, Battle of the Titans: International Finance Meets the Criminal Law, IBA Annual Meeting, Dublin, Ireland 2012
• Panel, Anti-Corruption and Anti-Bribery Enforcement, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, Sao Paulo, Brazil 2012
• Panel, Whistleblower Protections in the Workplace, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, Dubai 2011
• Panel, Marketing and Promotional Activities as Improper Corrupt Payments, IBA Anti-Corruption Conference, Prague 2010
• Panel, Corporate Internal Investigations, 40th Annual Securities Regulation Seminar, Los Angeles County Bar Association (LACBA), Los Angeles 2007
• Panel, Transnational Corruption Investigations - Latest Developments, IBA Transnational Crime Conference, Washington, DC 2007
• Panel, Protecting The Unique Pharma/Life Sciences Business Model When Working with Compliance Monitors, ACI Anti-Corruption for Pharma and Life Sciences Conference, New York City 2007
• Panel, Avoiding Manipulation by Adverse Parties and Knowing Who Is Adverse, Continuing Legal Education (CLE) International Conference on Internal Investigations, Los Angeles 2007
• Panel, Securities Fraud Enforcement, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, San Francisco 2007
• Panel, Aftermath of an Enforcement Action: Appointing and Working With Special Compliance Monitors, ACI National Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Conference, Washington, D.C. 2006
• Panel, We Are the Government and We're Here to Help: Federal, State and Local Enforcement of Environmental Laws, Parker Milliken's 22nd Annual Seminar on Hazardous Waste Management and the Law, Los Angeles 2006
• Panel, The Heightened Element of Risk for Corporate Officers, NACD/FEI Joint Seminar: Rules of the Road: the Board's Expanding Expectations of the CFO, San Diego 2006
• Panel, Key Components of Effective FCPA Compliance Programs, ACI’s FCPA Boot Camp, San Francisco 2006
• Panel, Evolution of Corporate Cooperation: The Changing Relationship between Companies and their Employees, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, Las Vegas 2005
• Panel, Internal Investigations: Ethical Dilemmas and Challenges Faced by General Counsel, CLE International Conference on Internal Investigations, Los Angeles 2005
• Panel, Privileged Communications Across Borders: Different Rules For In-House Counsel, Local And Foreign Lawyers, ABA Section of International Law, Fall Meeting, Brussels 2005
• Panel, Internal Investigations: Pitfalls and Practicalities Under Thompson and Seaboard, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, San Francisco 2005
• Panel, The Year of Living Dangerously -- Compliance Under the New Regime, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, Miami Beach 2004
• Panel, International Law at a Crossroads, 41st Annual Symposium on International Law, Center for American and International Law, Plano, TX 2004
• Panel, Parallel Proceedings: Criminal Aspects of Securities Fraud Investigations, LACBA 37th Annual Securities Regulation Seminar, Los Angeles 2004
• Panel, Motions and Discovery in Criminal Prosecutions, LACBA Criminal Justice Section, Federal Criminal Law Practice Program, Los Angeles 2004
• Panel, Ethics and Essence: Corporate Conduct and Government Enforcement Post-Enron, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, San Francisco 2003
• Panel, When the Government Calls: Responding to Increasing Criminalization of Corporate and Securities Activity, ABA Annual Meeting, San Francisco 2003
• Panel, Representing a Company in a Crisis Situation, LACBA 36th Annual Securities Regulation Seminar, Los Angeles 2003
• Moderator Opening Session, High Visibility White Collar Cases: Will The Media Shape Your Case?, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, Miami, 2002
• Panel, Perspectives on Cybercrime, ABA Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, 2001
• Panel Moderator, Perspective on Justice: View from the Criminal Division, ABA White Collar Crime Committee, Washington, DC, 2001
• Moderator Opening Session, Targeting Attorneys, Annual ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, San Francisco, CA, 2001
• Panel, United States vs. Wen Ho Lee: The Defense Team Speaks, ABA White Collar Crime Committee, San Francisco, CA, 2001
• Panel, Cyber-Criminals in Stocks: An Overview of Internet Securities Fraud, ABA White Collar Crime Committee, New York, NY, 2000
• Panel, Current SEC Enforcement Priorities, ABA White Collar Crime Committee, New York, NY, 2000
• Panel, Healthcare Fraud, ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime, Miami, FL, 2000
• Moderator, Webster Hubbell - My Life as a Target, ABA Annual Meeting, Atlanta, 2000

Articles

• Tide Turning Against Privilege Waivers for Prosecutors in Corporate Cases, Los Angeles Daily Journal and San Francisco Daily Journal, 2006 https://www.dailyjournal.com/article/335721-tide-turning-against-privilege-waivers-for-prosecutors-in-corporate-cases
• Wither Attorney-Client Privilegehttps://www.dailyjournal.com/articles/335710-whither-attorney-client-privilege
• Protecting Employee Rights Under the Thompson Memorandum, ABA Criminal Justice Section Newsletter 15, No. 1, Fall, 2006 https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/girls-gone-wild-founder-jailed-134668/
• Rosalind Russell and Me, https://www.superlawyers.com/articles/california/rosalind-russell-and-me/ https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a46296302/auntie-mame-movie-anniversary/