Caterpillar has hired Kirkland & Ellis to represent the company in the investigation that triggered a federal raid at its headquarters two weeks ago. William Barr, who served as Attorney General from 1991 to 1993 under President George HW Bush, and is currently a senior lawyer in the Washington, DC office of Kirkland & Ellis, has been brought on board to take the helm in the investigation.

Search warrants

A statement from the company said that Mr Barr would review ‘matters relating to the search warrants executed at Caterpillar on 2 March.  CEO Jim Umpleby said that Mr Barr had ‘an impeccable track record’ adding that he was well known for his integrity and direct, honest advice. Mr Barr  - and a team of lawyers from Kirkland Ellis - will assist the company in addressing the issues outlined in search warrants served March 2 by law enforcement officers from the Internal Revenue Service, the US Department of Commerce and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Export filings under question

The search warrants that were served at locations in Peoria, East Peoria and Morton were related to the company's export filings in relation to ‘failure to file or submitting false electronic export information’ and ‘false and misleading financial reports and statements.’

Track record

Before holding the position of Attorney General, Mr Barr served for two years as Deputy Attorney General and two years overseeing the Office of Legal Counsel at the US Department of Justice. He then moved to the private sector and became general counsel at Verizon Communications and its predecessor company, GTE Corp, joining Kirkland & Ellis in 2009.