Lisa Kuca, Former Ad Hoc Advisory Group Member, U.S. Sentencing Commission

Lisa A. Kuca is a member of the firm's White Collar & Corporate Compliance National Practice Group. She is responsible for the development and implementation of corporate compliance ethics and programs. She has experience with both small and large companies, in a variety of industries, and a multitude of risk areas. She prepares compliance policies and procedures, including Codes of Conduct and internal controls. She also conducts risk assessments, coordinates and manages compliance-related audits, reviews and internal investigations. She has experience in compliance training and has coordinated the use of compliance software and web based compliance solutions. Ms. Kuca was instrumental in the creation of KnightGUARDIANÔ, an IT tool designed to ensure compliance with OFAC and Patriot Act requirements. Ms. Kuca has experience as a court appointed Special Master to satisfy the requirement of corporate plea agreements and probation. Additionally, due to her extensive experience with the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, Ms. Kuca also assists white-collar defense attorneys with criminal sentencing matters.

Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Ms. Kuca was a Manager in Ernst & Young's Litigation Advisory Services, where she specialized in the design and execution of compliance programs, as well as conducted traditional litigation support services. Before joining Ernst & Young, she was the President of Sentencing Specialists, Inc. and offered consulting services on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines to white-collar defense attorneys. Formerly a U.S. Probation Officer in the Southern District of Florida for nearly a decade, she acquired comprehensive knowledge of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which impose stringent corporate compliance requirements that apply to every industry.

Ms. Kuca has applied the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in over 400 complex cases, including healthcare, securities, insurance, bank, government procurement, and tax frauds. She has also participated in cases involving antitrust, environmental offenses, money laundering and public corruption, and has experience with criminal violations of the customs and labor laws.

Ms. Kuca served on the faculties of the American Bar Association's 1997, 2000 through 2004 National Institutes on White Collar Crime, participated in programs dealing with corporate compliance, and co-authored a related article about the Organizational Guidelines. Ms. Kuca was a member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission's Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Organization Guidelines, and its Practitioners Advisory Group. She is a member of the Steering Committee for the Open Compliance and Ethics Group. She is also Co-Chair of the American Bar Association's Business Law Section Ad Hoc Committee on Compliance – Compliance Set-up and Structure Subcommittee.