Williams, a senior federal prosecutor in Manhattan, has joined the law firm Paul Weiss at Reuters.

By Sarah Merken

(Reuters) – Damian Williams, a former top federal prosecutor in Manhattan, will return to the New York law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as a partner, the firm said on Friday.

Williams was appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 2021 by Democratic President Joe Biden. Republican President-elect Donald Trump announced in November that he would step down before returning to the White House.

Trump has announced plans to nominate Jay Clayton, former chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission, to the position. The position requires Senate confirmation.

Paul Weiss, the leader of New York, has strong Democratic Party ties. The organization’s chairman, Brad Karp, launched a fundraising effort last summer for the presidential campaign of US Vice President Kamala Harris.

The company is owned by former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and former Homeland Security Secretary Jay Johnson. Both were Obama administration officials.

As U.S. Attorney, Williams has prosecuted high-profile defendants including U.S. Senator Bob Mendez, crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried and Archegos Capital Management founder Sung Kook “Bill” Huang.

In September, he filed bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Adams has pleaded not guilty.

Prior to his appointment, Williams led the Southern District’s Merchandise and Merchandise Task Force. He previously clerked for the liberal former US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, as well as clerked for current US Attorney General Merrick Garland when Garland was a judge.

Williams, a former associate of Paul Weiss, said in a statement that he was happy to return to the company where he started his career.

Paul Weiss represents clients in federal and state government investigations, white-collar matters and internal investigations.