By Sara Merken

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

Williams was appointed US Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 2021 by outgoing Democratic President Joe Biden. He announced in November that he was leaving before Republican President-elect Donald Trump returned to the White House.

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

Paul Weiss, a leading New York firm, has strong ties to the Democratic Party. Its chairman Brad Karp last summer launched a fundraising effort in the legal community for the presidential campaign of US Vice President Kamala Harris.

The company is also home to former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security. Both are Obama administration officials.

As US attorney, Williams secured convictions of high-profile defendants including US Senator Bob Menendez, crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried and Archegos Capital Management founder Sung Kook “Bill” Hwang.

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

Prior to his appointment, Williams led the securities and commodities task force in the Southern District. He previously served as a clerk to liberal former US Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, as well as to current US Attorney General Merrick Garland when Garland was a judge.

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

He will represent clients in federal and state government investigations, white-collar matters and internal investigations, Paul Weiss said.