Mark Rush is a partner with the firm and concentrates his practice on domestic and international internal investigations, corporate criminal defense, False Claims Act defense, and complex commercial litigation. Mark has defended public and private corporations, energy companies, teaching universities, financial institutions, public officials, government contractors, and healthcare systems who are subjects of federal and state grand jury investigations and investigations by various federal and state agencies. His representations includes defending and counseling corporations and individuals charged with violations of various federal and state statutes such as: BSA, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, False Claims Act, securities laws, tax statutes, mail and wire fraud, health care fraud, environmental violations, and money laundering. Mark has represented clients in matters investigated by the DOJ (including AFMLS/MLARS), FBI, IRS, FinCEN, FTC, DEA, FDA, DHS, USPIS, EPA, FRB, IG offices, and corresponding foreign and state agencies. Additionally, Mark has coordinated and conducted internal and special committee investigations and due diligence projects within the United States and in numerous foreign countries.
Mark represented the Pennsylvania Speaker of the House of Representatives during the “House Select Committee Investigation of the January 6th Attack on the Capitol.” He also represented Pennsylvania House members and senators in the January 6th grand jury investigation of President Trump by Special Counsel Jack Smith. He served as special counsel to a bipartisan Pennsylvania Senate Committee on the removal of Pennsylvania Attorney General Kane. He also represented a Presidential Advisor in the Independent Counsel Investigation of President Clinton.
From 1991-1995, Mark served as an assistant United States attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania, where he conducted numerous grand jury investigations across a broad spectrum of federal statutes, sought the return of indictments, and prosecuted the defendants, both individuals and corporations, by jury trial or plea.
Mark has previously served as a United States Army judge advocate. He was appointed as a Japan trial court US representative by the US Ambassador to Japan.
Mark is listed in Chambers, USA, The Best Lawyers in America® (Woodward/White, Inc.), and Corporate Counsel Magazine Top Lawyers for criminal defense-white collar. He is also a Recommended Attorney by Legal 500. He has received an AV® rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating. He is also listed in PA Super Lawyers. He is also listed as an Acritas Star as selected by in-house counsel.
- Recognized by The Legal 500 United States as a Recommended Lawyer for Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to individuals and Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense: advice to corporates, 2024
- Recognized by Chambers USA for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations in Pennsylvania, 2018-2024
- Named in The Best Lawyers in America® for Criminal Defense: White Collar since 2010
- Allegheny County Bar Association (Civil and Federal Criminal Practice Section)
- American Bar Association (Civil and Criminal Litigation Sections)
- Board Member, Western PA Chapter, National Pancreas Foundation
- “Operation Brace Yourself: Lessons Learned from the Trenches and Best Practices to Avoid Investigations Predicated on Third-Party Malfeasance,” Medtrade Advisory Board, Atlanta, GA, October 22, 2018
- “State and Federal Grand Jury Practice in the Era of Mueller and PA Grand Jury Reform Efforts,” 2018 White Collar Practice Seminar, November 15-16, 2018
- “Privileged or Not Privileged: The Attorney-Client Doctrine Under Attack,” Washington & Jefferson College Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2018, Washington, PA, October 13, 2018
- “What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You, Right? Resolving the Inherent Tension between the Yates Memo and the Collective Knowledge Doctrine in Environmental Criminal Enforcement Actions,” EMLF Annual Institute, Nashville, TN, June 18, 2018
- “View From a Federal Prosecutor,” 2018 Medtrade Spring Conference, Las Vegas, NV, March 27-29, 2018
- Moderator, “Mock Breach Exercise and Dealing with Law Enforcement,” Cracking the Code: Cybersecurity for Tomorrow, November 10, 2016
- “Judicial Ethics: When Ego and Entitlement Transcend the Law," The W&J Annual Legal Lecture, October 10, 2015
- “A Guide to the Development of a Cyber Data Breach Action Plan,” K&L Gates CLE Program: Cybersecurity: Minimizing Risk and Managing Consequences, Mark A. Rush and Thomas C. Ryan, Pittsburgh, PA, December 9, 2014.
- “DOJ’s Enforcement Trends, Investigative Strategies and Corporate Internal Investigations,” The Audit Committee Forum, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
November 29, 2012 - Additional engagements available upon request
- "What the C-Suite and Board Should Know About the New CCO Certification Requirement From DOJ," The Banking Law Journal, October 2022
- "DOJ Announces Major Changes to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies," Westlaw Today powered by Reuters, 8 November 2021
- "Qui Tam Quarterly: COVID-19 and the Big-Data Revolution of False Claims Act Legislation," Health Law Journal- Vol. 26 No. 2, New York Bar Association, 25 May 2021
- “How Tax Authorities Are Responding To Cryptocurrency,” Law360, 2 May 2018
- “The False Claims Act in 2017: The Year in Review and What to Watch in 2018,” Bloomberg Law, 25 April 2018
- “What You Don’t Know Can’t Hurt You, Right? Resolving the Inherent Tension Between the Yates Memo and the Collective Knowledge Doctrine in Environmental Criminal Enforcement Actions,” 39 Energy & Min. L. Inst. 255 (2018).
- “MLATs: The Bridge to Cross-Border Enforcement,” Corporate Counsel, 6 February 2017
- “BNA Insights: Imbalance of Power: Federal Prosecutors’ Nearly Unilateral Discretion to Resolve Allegations of Corporate Misconduct After D.C. Circuit Panel Overrules District Court’s Rejection of Deferred Prosecution Agreement in US v. Fokker,” Securities Regulation & Law Report, 2016
- “What Companies Can Learn from Cybersecurity Resources in Pittsburgh,” The Cybersecurity Law Report, Volume 1, Number 16, 11 November 2015
- “US District Court Judge Rejects Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Non-US Company: Lessons for Companies Considering Similar Agreements,” Bloomberg BNA, World Securities Law Report, Volume 21, Number 5, May 2015
- On-air interview, “The Godfather of Fentanyl,” Fox Nation, aired 4 September 2024 (4 episodes)
- Quoted, “Pa. Lab Owner Gets Prison For Medicare Kickback Scheme,” Law360, 15 August 2023
