Mark Califano

Partner, Dentons

Mark Califano is a Partner at Dentons. Prior to this, he was Chief Legal Officer and Regional Managing Director of the Americas at Nardello and Company. Previously, he was Senior Vice President and Managing Counsel for Litigation at American Express and managed major litigation, significant investigations and other sensitive matters. In 2014, Califano was appointed to the ACS board of directors.

Prior to joining Amex, Califano was Senior Vice President and head of litigation & legal policy at GE Capital. Previously, he was head of litigation in GE Commercial Finance at GE Capital. He served as Chief Legal Counsel for the Independent Inquiry into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme at United Nations, and co-authored “Good Intentions Corrupted: The Oil-for-Food Scandal and the Threat to the U.N.” As Chief Legal Counsel, he managed the global investigation and the over 75-person staff, including lawyers, investigators, analysts, and experts.

Califano also served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Connecticut, investigating and prosecuting federal white-collar offenses, including public corruption, corporate and securities fraud, domestic and foreign bribery, terrorism, intellectual property, and Internet offenses. Earlier in his career, he was an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate. Meagher & Flom.

He has also taught programs on litigation and trial practice, Foreign Corrupt Practice, Internet, terrorism, fraud, and money laundering investigations and prosecutions.

Califano received his J.D. from Duke University, and his B.A. in history of philosophy from Princeton. He clerked for the Hon. Stanley Sporkin of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.