DOJ’s Breuer Goes Back Through the Revolving Door

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March 28, 2013

The head of the Department of Justice's (DOJ) criminal division is returning to the private sector as a vice chairman of a major law firm, according to an article in DealBook.

Lanny Breuer will be rejoining Covington & Burling, a prominent law firm that represents some of the biggest names on Wall Street.

From DealBook:

The move is his latest turn through Washington’s revolving door, the symbolic portal connecting government service and private practice. Mr. Breuer, who began his career as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan and later represented President Bill Clinton during his impeachment hearings, is joining Covington for the third time.

Like Mr. Breuer, Covington operates at the nexus of Washington and Wall Street. It has represented several financial clients facing federal scrutiny, including the New York Stock Exchange, JPMorgan Chase and the former chief executive of IndyMac

Covington’s clients include major mortgage servicing companies that have escaped prosecution by the Justice Department despite “copious evidence…of apparent criminal violations in foreclosure cases,” according to a Reuters article.

Breuer was criticized in the Frontline documentary The Untouchables for failing to prosecute major bank executives and for saying he considered the effects on the economy before prosecuting some cases.

Read more about Breuer’s move in DealBook.

Image from the Department of Justice.

Topics: Financial Sector

Related Content: Conflicts of Interest, Financial Oversight, Revolving Door

Authors: Andre Francisco

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