Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch Joins Paul, Weiss

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP announced today that Loretta Lynch, the Attorney General of the United States from 2015 to 2017, is joining the firm as a partner in the Litigation Department. Ms. Lynch will bring her experience as the nation’s chief law enforcement officer, and as a two-time United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, to representing corporations, boards of directors, and individual clients in high-stakes federal and state government investigations, criminal prosecutions, and bet-the-company enforcement actions and litigations, as well as sensitive internal investigations.

“We are honored and excited that Loretta has chosen Paul, Weiss as her new professional home,” said Paul, Weiss Chairman Brad S. Karp. “There is no lawyer who has served our country with greater distinction or integrity. With her extraordinary service at the Department of Justice, both in Washington and New York, Loretta will add even more depth and experience to our market-leading white-collar and regulatory practice.”

Ms. Lynch became Attorney General in 2015 after serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York from 1999 to 2001 under President Clinton and again from 2010 to 2015 under President Obama. As Attorney General, Ms. Lynch helped lead the fight against terrorism and oversaw the prosecutions of financial fraud, cybercrimes and civil rights violations. As a U.S. Attorney, Ms. Lynch brought public corruption cases against Congressman Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.), former New York State Democratic Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. and New York State Assemblyman William Boyland Jr. She also supervised the investigation into FIFA, culminating in the indictment of 14 senior FIFA officials and sports marketing executives.

“I am delighted to be joining forces with Paul, Weiss and its world-class litigation and white-collar defense team,” said Ms. Lynch. “Whether conducting internal investigations, counseling chief executives and general counsel or advising corporate boards, I look forward to helping Paul, Weiss’s clients navigate their most important matters.” 

Ms. Lynch began her career as a prosecutor in 1990 as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where she prosecuted cases involving narcotics, violent crimes, public corruption and civil rights, including the high-profile case of Abner Louima, the Haitian immigrant who was assaulted by police officers in 1997. While in private practice from 2002 to 2010, Ms. Lynch handled significant criminal investigative and regulatory matters, as well as commercial disputes and sensitive internal investigations, working with a broad spectrum of clients – including those in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, financial services, automotive, airline, defense contracting and audit industries. During this period, Ms. Lynch also served on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and was Special Counsel to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Ms. Lynch was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and received both her J.D. and B.A. from Harvard University.