Former Philadelphia City Solicitor Joins Dechert’s White Collar Practice
September 03, 2019
Former Philadelphia City Solicitor Sozi Pedro Tulante has joined Dechert LLP as a partner in the firm’s white collar crime and trials practice. He will be based in the Philadelphia office.
Mr. Tulante joins Dechert’s burgeoning global litigation practice, which advises some of the world’s most sophisticated clients and wins some of the largest and most complex domestic and multijurisdictional disputes.
As Philadelphia’s former chief attorney, Mr. Tulante led the over 220 lawyers of the Philadelphia Law Department, representing the city in all lawsuits and advising the Mayor, City Council and all departments, agencies and commissions of the city. He was most recently a Policy Fellow and Lecturer-in-Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where he taught courses on prosecutorial decision-making and constitutional law.
“Sozi is an inspiring and well-recognized leader. His government experience, global perspective and familiarity with markets where our clients conduct business will help our clients tackle their critical and complex litigation issues,” said David Kelley, co-leader of Dechert’s white collar and securities litigation practice.
“Dechert’s global prominence makes it the ideal place to continue my career, and I look forward to working with a talented bench of litigators across the firm’s national and international offices,” said Mr. Tulante.
Mr. Tulante was appointed City Solicitor in January 2016, and in his two-year tenure he was involved in cases of national significance. For instance, he helped successfully defend the Philadelphia Beverage Tax and successfully sued the Department of Justice to challenge its efforts to withhold critical federal funds based on Philadelphia’s status as a “sanctuary city”. He also created the Department’s affirmative litigation practice, which filed and defended innovative cases across industries including banking, commerce, and food and beverage.
Before becoming City Solicitor, Mr. Tulante spent five years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, where he worked on narcotics and white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions. Prior to entering government service, he was a partner at another law firm.
He grew up in Philadelphia as a first-generation American and political refugee born in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). He received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, cum laude, and received an A.B. from Harvard College, cum laude. Early in his legal career, he clerked for the Honorable Reginald C. Lindsay of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
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