Mr Breuer, who has four years as chief of the Justice Department’s criminal division under his belt, has opted to re-join the firm in a role that he said will help ‘shape the future of one of the country’s most prestigious firms’.

Senior leadership

According to a statement by the firm, Mr Breuer’s practice will encompass a wide range of civil and criminal litigation matters, as well as governmental and internal investigations. As vice chair, Mr Breuer will work closely with senior leadership to implement the firm’s long-term strategy, with a particular focus on the firm’s international initiatives and practices.
Timothy Hester, chair of the firm’s management committee, commented: ‘Lanny is one of the finest and most talented advocates and counsellors of his generation. We are excited about his return to private practice, and I look forward to working closely with Lanny in his new role as the firm’s vice chair in which he will work with our clients and colleagues on global and strategic business, litigation and compliance issues.’

National leader

In his role at the DOJ, Mr Breuer oversaw nearly 600 lawyers and established himself as a national leader on a range of federal law enforcement priorities, including on such matters as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, health care fraud, money laundering, financial fraud, cybercrime, intellectual property theft, and public corruption.
Mr Breuer joined Covington in 1989, where he worked until 1997, when he joined the White House Counsel’s Office as special counsel to President Clinton. He rejoined the firm in 1999 as co-chair of the white collar defence and investigations practice group.