New York’s Leading Lawyers

Bart M. Schwartz

Corporate Investigations, Regulatory Compliance, White-Collar Crime

Bart M. Schwartz

Over a career spanning four decades, Bart Schwartz has helped pioneer the field of investigative consulting, having served as an independent monitor to a variety of Fortune 500 companies.

“Typically, the companies I monitor are either under investigation or they’ve been indicted, so it’s my job to carve out a middle ground that’s focused on resolving issues while remaining vigilant for any misconduct,” he says.

Schwartz began his career as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. He entered private practice in 1977 and returned to the U.S. Attorney’s Office when Rudolph Giuliani became U.S. Attorney and asked him to serve as Chief of the Criminal Division in the SDNY. He drew on this prosecutorial experience to provide sophisticated investigative services.

Among his accomplishments, Schwartz, as a receiver for Ariel Fund and Gabriel Capital, helped the funds’ investors recover returns lost to Bernard L. Madoff’s Ponzi scheme. He also oversaw the United Arab Emirates’ compliance in repatriating and compensating boys trafficked into the country to serve as camel jockeys—an issue Schwartz continues to address through pro bono efforts against human trafficking.

Currently, Schwartz is chairman of the investigations, compliance, and security firm, Guidepost Solutions LLC. He serves as a receiver for Platinum Partners, a hedge fund involved in a municipal union kickback scandal, and he was named the independent monitor of General Motors following a criminal investigation of faulty ignition switches in GM vehicles.

“My goal is to present constructive solutions that are forward looking and sustainable,” Schwartz says of his process. “I’m always striving to have a positive influence on a company’s culture.”