Robert Lasky

CSK Of Counsel, Robert F. Lasky manages a statewide practice specializing in IT security, security management, corporate compliance, adequacy of company policies and procedures, internal investigations, use of force/excessive force, premises liability and negligent security. Mr. Lasky rejoined Cole, Scott, & Kissane after a 23-year hiatus, which included a 20-year career with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. When Mr. Lasky retired from the FBI, he was the Special Agent in Charge of the Miami Division, the FBI’s fifth largest field office, whose area of responsibility coincides with the Southern District of Florida, with additional extra-territorial responsibility covering all of South America, Central America and the Eastern portion of the Caribbean. In his role as Special Agent in Charge, Mr. Lasky oversaw the response to the Parkland shooting, the Cesar Altieri Sayoc, Jr. arrest, as well as many other high-profile events and investigations. He has decades of experience in conducting and managing high level, complex, and sensitive investigations.

Mr. Lasky began his career with the FBI in the San Francisco Division, where his initial assignment included the examination of use of force applications in the Bay Area. He was later transferred to the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he worked mainly violent crime, organized crime, and public corruption investigations. While in St. Thomas he was the FBI case agent on several successful investigations, which included the arrest and conviction of a long-time police officer who was providing protection to an international narcotic smuggling organization, seizure of over a million dollars in cocaine, and the dismantlement of the organization. Mr. Lasky was promoted to Supervisory Special Agent in the Safe Streets Gang Unit and moved to FBI Headquarters in Washington DC and was responsible for program and compliance oversight of over 35 Safe Street Task Forces. While in Headquarters, he was promoted again and became the FBI’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program Manager. OCDETF is an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice. Established in 1982, OCDETF is the centerpiece of the Attorney General’s strategy to combat transnational-organized-crime and to reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation. OCDETF investigates and prosecutes major drug trafficking, money laundering, and other high priority transnational organized crime networks. In this position, Mr. Lasky had compliance, program, and budget (over 750 million dollars) oversight of all FBI resources participating in the task forces.

After his role in OCDETF, Mr. Lasky took an assignment in the field as Senior Supervisory Resident Agent (SSRA) out the Birmingham Field Office, which covered 12 counties in Northeast Alabama. As SSRA, Mr. Lasky excelled at uniting and coordinating with state and local law enforcement, establishing a Safe Streets Task Force, a Tri-county Training Facility, and a branch of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force. It was also during this time, he spearheaded an effort to reduce the sales of street drugs and organized an operation which netted over 300 individuals in less than 36 hours.

Mr. Lasky returned to FBI Headquarters where he became the Assistant Section Chief of the Violent Crime Section. This section concentrates on threats to American Society; including Bank Robberies, Major Thefts, Crimes Against Children, Indian Country, Crimes on the High Seas and the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted Program. In this role, Mr. Lasky also served as a member of the joint FBI\DOJ Deadly Force Review Board, and also directed the headquarters operations of the SY Quest hijacking (an American Yacht captured by Somali pirates) and the Jaime Zapata Shooting (US Customs Enforcement Agent who was ambushed in Mexico).

It was after his handling of the Zapata shooting and his understanding of the issues in Mexico, Central and South America, Mr. Lasky was asked to create a cross-programmatic, intelligence driven fusion section to contend with the multitude of criminal organizations operating South of the Border. He conceived and constructed the Latin American and Southwest Border Section, which he served as the Assistant Section Chief until he returned to the field in 2012, as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Salt Lake City Division. While in Salt Lake, he had oversight of the Violent Crime, Gangs, Domestic Terrorism and Civil Rights Programs. In 2012, he was promoted to the Senior Executive Service ranks as the Chief of Staff to the FBI’s Assistant Deputy Director (ADD). The ADD’s office has oversight over the FBI’s entire administrative portfolio, which is comprised of internal investigations, training, human resources, security, record management, facilities, finance, and resource planning. As the ADD’s Chief of Staff, he oversaw policy proposals, personnel actions, and strategic planning across those business lines and led the project to redesign the FBI’s undercover program.

In response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Mr. Lasky was charged with the creation of the FBI’s National Disaster Response Plan. In 2014, he was named the Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Division, responsible for oversight of all FBI activities in the Southern and Middle Districts of Alabama. It was during his time here; he oversaw a civil rights investigation based on an officer involved shooting and the civil unrest that accompanied it. In response Mr. Lasky established a citizens advisory group, which was comprised of 15 local political and business leaders, representing the different minority communities throughout Mobile and Southern Alabama. It was out of this committee where he and the Mobile Police Chief recognized a need and created, “Bridging the Gap”, a program designed to increase awareness of law enforcement’s role in the community and foster better communication between officer and the high school aged kids, which significantly reduced adversarial confrontations between the police and the program’s targeted youths. The project was so successful, it was presented to all Special Agents in Charge and prompted them to develop their own programs to meet the specific needs of their areas of responsibilities. In 2017, Mr. Lasky was appointed by Director Wray to head the Miami Field Office, the FBI’s fifth largest field office.

After retiring from the FBI, Mr. Lasky was the Executive Vice President at Worldwide Sourcing Group, a private security conglomerate where he oversaw the Maritime division of their Security Guard and Screening Services and also served as a security consultant for their top echelon clients.

Mr. Lasky rejoined Cole, Scott & Kissane as a partner after beginning his career with the firm as an associate attorney. He is currently in charge of the firm’s Corporate Compliance Litigation Department and offers a wide-variety of expertise in this and other related fields. Mr. Lasky’s experience includes 28 years of experience in civil litigation, law enforcement, senior corporate security management, and security consulting.

He is a Miami native and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Florida while attending on a football scholarship. Mr. Lasky earned a football letter in 1986 and named to the All -SEC Academic team. After a shoulder injury ended his football career, he graduated and continued his education at the University of Miami, earning his Juris Doctorate in 1993.