NEW YORK, August 4, 2021 — Mintz Group, a global leader in investigative and due diligence services, announced that Patricia Astorga, former prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice and experienced corporate litigator, has joined the firm. Patricia is succeeding Andy Melnick as General Counsel, who is retiring later this year after serving the firm as Partner and General Counsel for more than 20 years.
“Patricia has a deep understanding of corporate law, regulatory and compliance issues, and a fluency with technology – all of which are important to serve our clients as Mintz Group continues to grow globally and as new technologies are developed,” said Andy Melnick. “Patricia’s experience helping organizations navigate and resolve complex, multijurisdictional legal matters offers a unique perspective and valuable insights on many challenging matters of concern to our clients around the world.”
“I am delighted our team and clients will be able to benefit from the breadth and depth of Patricia’s experience in the private and public sectors, which she has developed from her work for and with myriad state, federal, and international organizations,” said Tim Whipple, Chief Executive Officer of Mintz Group. “Patricia is a great fit with Mintz Group because of her sharp focus on ethics and dedication to transparency. I couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Patricia to the team.”
Patricia joins Mintz Group from the U.S. Department of Justice, where she most recently served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey and the Western District of New York. As a federal prosecutor, Patricia led several jury trials to conviction and conducted investigations and prosecutions of the Anti-Kickback Statute; health care fraud; criminal conduct by drug manufacturers, pharmacies, physicians and medical practitioners; organized crime; narcotics conspiracies and distribution; domestic and international money laundering; federal firearms offenses; human trafficking; and child sex exploitation crimes.
Before she became a federal prosecutor, Patricia was a litigator at two international law firms, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy and Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where she represented corporate clients in all aspects of litigation and across jurisdictions and industries, including financial services, banking, transportation, insurance, private equity, manufacturing, real estate, and media & entertainment.
Patricia is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the U.S. Supreme Court. She clerked for the Honorable George B. Daniels in the Southern District of New York.
Patricia earned her Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School, and her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from New York University.
Patricia is a member of the Federal Bar Council Inn of Court and has held various leadership roles in the American Bar Association Section of Litigation.
