Bruce Karpati ’96

Bruce Karpati grew up in Buffalo, New York, the son of Hungarian immigrants. He lived in the Amherst Manor apartments near the University at Buffalo's North Campus, where he watched the university being built. He graduated from the Nichols School and attended Tufts University for his undergraduate degree. He then lived in Budapest, Hungary, where he took the Law School Admission Test.

Deciding on the University at Buffalo for law school wasn't an easy choice, but he's glad he did. His professors and diverse experiences influenced his career and values. As a research assistant for Professor Virginia Leary, he got a summer fellowship at the United Nations Human Rights Center in Geneva. He participated in an exchange program with Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland, with Professor Isabel Marcus. Professor John Henry Schlegel sponsored him for a semester-long externship at the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.

After law school, Karpati was a litigator at Dechert LLP, a major law firm. He then spent 13 years working for the government, becoming a staff attorney for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He steadily rose through the ranks to become the national chief for the Asset Management Unit in the Enforcement Division, which he co-founded. After a year as chief compliance officer for Prudential Investments, he became a partner and global chief compliance officer for KKR & Co. in 2014.

Karpati advises aspiring lawyers to embrace diverse experiences, remain adaptable, and build strong relationships.

He loves Buffalo and supports current UB law students through mentorships and internships. He lives in New York City with his wife and three children; all are Buffalo Bills fans.