Former Attorney General for the District of Columbia Irvin Nathan to Rejoin Arnold & Porter
WASHINGTON, DC, December 9, 2014 -- Arnold & Porter LLP announced today that Irvin B. Nathan, former Attorney General for the District of Columbia and former General Counsel to the US House of Representatives, will rejoin the firm's Washington, DC office as senior counsel on January 1, 2015. Mr. Nathan will bring his extensive governmental experience, in the executive and legislative branches of the federal government and in the DC government, to bear for the benefit of the firm's clients and younger lawyers.
Prior to his latest government service, Mr. Nathan was a partner at Arnold & Porter, where he practiced for more than 30 years, representing clients in criminal and complex civil litigations, including securities fraud, civil RICO, and corporate compliance matters. He will be part of several practice groups, including Attorney Liability, Business Litigation, Legislative and Public Policy, and White Collar Defense.
"We are delighted to have Irv rejoin the firm," said Arnold & Porter Chairman Thomas H. Milch. "He is a phenomenal lawyer with unique experiences who can help clients in a broad range of matters."
Mr. Nathan was appointed Attorney General for the District of Columbia in 2011. In this role, he supervised all civil litigation and appeals on behalf of the city, as well as juvenile and misdemeanor prosecutions. Before joining the Office of the Attorney General, he served as General Counsel of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2010. He has also served as Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General at the US Department of Justice and Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Enforcement in the Criminal Division; Senior Counsel for the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee; and Special Minority Counsel for the Senate Intelligence Committee.
After Mr. Nathan's four years as DC Attorney General, DC Mayor Vincent Gray said: "Irv Nathan is a consummate professional and a brilliant lawyer, and the people of the District of Columbia owe him a debt of gratitude for his exemplary service. He managed a first-rate group of lawyers [including] some he personally recruited … who have served the District very well. Irv has done a stellar job and leaves the Office of the Attorney General in excellent shape as he hands it over to the District's first elected Attorney General. I thank him for his invaluable contributions to the people of the District of Columbia."
"Irv rejoins us with a strategic perspective that only a veteran lawyer and seasoned government official can offer. His ability to understand and lead investigations and try complex cases will undoubtedly be beneficial to our clients and practice," said John Nassikas, head of Arnold & Porter's While Collar Defense practice.
Mr. Nathan said: "I am delighted to return to my professional home with many talented colleagues for whom I have great respect and affection. I look forward to helping the firm's clients in their dealings and controversies with governments at all levels, to assisting in the training of young lawyers in the art of litigation, and to continuing to participate in the civic affairs of this great city."
Mr. Nathan, a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, is currently co-chairing, along with Federal District Court Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, a task force, composed of some of the city's top litigators and jurists, examining "Jury Service in the 21st Century" sponsored by the prestigious Council for Court Excellence, in an effort to improve jury service in the age of the internet and social media.
In addition to his litigation skills, Mr. Nathan has broad experience in the area of legal ethics. He has served as Chair of the DC Bar's Committee on Legal Ethics, Vice-Chair of the court-appointed DC Board of Professional Responsibility, and an adjunct professor of prosecutorial ethics at the Georgetown University Law Center.
Mr. Nathan earned his JD from Columbia Law School, and received his BA from John Hopkins University.
Arnold & Porter LLP is an international law firm of nearly 800 lawyers with offices in Brussels, Denver, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and Washington, DC. The firm, founded in 1946, maintains more than 25 practice areas spanning a broad spectrum of the law, with a primary focus on litigation, transactional matters, and regulatory issues.