Ousted federal prosecutor hired by New York law firm

Geoffrey Berman, the ousted U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, will be joining a New York-based law firm. 

Berman was hired by New York-based law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, the law firm said in a statement Tuesday.

The Justice Department announced June 19 that the former prosecutor had stepped down. Berman refuted that claim the same day, making it clear that he had not resigned. 

Attorney General William Barr then sent Berman a letter notifying him that President Trump agreed to fire him. Berman was in the middle of several investigations into the president and some of his associates, including his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and former attorney Michael Cohen.

Berman told the House Judiciary Committee in July that Barr “repeatedly urged” him to resign prior to his ouster. 

“The Attorney General said that if I did not resign from my position I would be fired,” Berman told the panel. “He added that getting fired from my job would not be good for my résumé or future job prospects. I told him that while I did not want to get fired, I would not resign.” 

One week after his testimony, he was hired to teach a course titled “Prosecutorial Discretion and Ethical Duties in the Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law” at Stanford Law School in the fall 2020 term. 

At his new job, Berman will represent individuals and corporations in white-collar cases, internal investigations and complex commercial litigation. 

“I am thrilled to join Fried Frank’s litigation and white collar team,” Berman said in a statement. “The Firm is well known for its cutting-edge counsel to top tier companies and high-profile individuals and I am looking forward to working with the team to advance the practice’s key client initiatives and priorities.”

James Wareham, global chair of the firm’s litigation department, said Berman is “one of the most respected prosecutors in the United States,” adding that his expertise will “translate seamlessly into his new role.”