Biography
Ms. Beguiristain is a Partner in the Firm's Global White Collar Practice. She focuses on white-collar investigations and complex commercial litigation with white-collar aspects. She assists clients in navigating internal investigations, government inquiries and civil litigation affecting multiple jurisdictions. She also counsels foreign and domestic corporations on a broad range of subject areas, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), fraud, conflicts of interest and cross-border aspects associated with white-collar mandates.
Maria has extensive experience with anti-corruption compliance, having advised clients in multiple jurisdictions in conducting risk assessments and implementing world-class compliance programs. Maria's experience includes creating and assessing compliance policies and training programs, customizing them with local laws and regulations for full effectiveness and conducting and evaluating anti-corruption due diligence and compliance in the context of foreign investments and mergers and acquisitions. With a heavy emphasis on enhanced training, Maria works closely with in-house teams to strengthen internal processes and upgrade compliance programs. She also provides guidance on enhancing reporting.
Fluent in English, Spanish and French, Maria specializes in global investigations with a focus on Latin America. Clients benefit from her understanding of local markets, cultures and regulatory requirements and her ability to communicate in the native language. Recognized for her work across Latin America, Maria is a Chambers-ranked leading investigations lawyer, a "Next Generation Partner" in The Legal 500 Latin America and a member of the Global Investigations Review's (GIR) 100 "Women in Investigations" List (2015).
Prior to joining White & Case, Maria was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for five years. She also taught in the LLM program at the University of Miami School of Law. And she served as a law clerk to the Honorable K. Michael Moore, former Chief United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida.
Experience
Representative experience includes:
Conducted an investigation for an international company traded on a United States stock exchange involving financial-reporting mechanisms
Conducted an investigation into allegations of third-party bribery and wrongdoing in Mexico in relation to a government contract with a prior administration
Conducted investigations for an international company traded on a United States stock exchange regarding possible circumvention of controls and related third-party misconduct at certain subsidiaries
Conducted an investigation for a multinational food manufacturer and distributor regarding alleged bribery activity involving customs agents
Conducted an internal investigation, of a Latin American subsidiary of a company that is traded on a United States stock exchange, involving allegations of accounting fraud and misconduct by senior company executives
Counseled a Colombian parent company during an investigation of potential corrupt payments or other illicit activity in the procurement and/or execution of a project in Latin America
Conducted a global risk assessment for a multinational food manufacturer and distributor with operations around the world and a significant presence in Latin America
Conducted a post-acquisition diligence and risk assessment across Latin America following recent acquisitions in the energy sector
Professional Highlights
Recognized in Litigation: White Collar Crime & Government Investigations by Chambers USA (Florida) since 2021
Next Generation Partner, The Legal 500 Latin America, 2021 – 2023
'The partners at White & Case are excellent. I've worked with María Beguiristain many times. She's very detailed and thorough in all aspects of the case; she's proactive and extremely hardworking.'
'Every time we've worked with White & Case, the results have been excellent.'
- The Legal 500 Latin America 2026: Compliance & Investigations
Maria "is an expert in the field, always providing reliable and high-quality advice in a timely manner."
"Maria has an uncanny ability to anticipate client concerns."
"She is a real pleasure to work with."
- Chambers USA 2026
