Jan Lawrence Handzlik

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

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.” ://

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.”

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/

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

• TCM Classic Film Festival Hollywood 2026
• Auntie Mame Taught Us That Life Is Still a Banquet, 2024

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.