Manhattan's top federal prosecutor Williams joins law firm Paul Weiss

By Sara Merken

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

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

Trump has announced plans to nominate former U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Jay Clayton to the post. The position requires Senate confirmation.

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

The firm is also home to former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Homeland Security. Both were officials in the Obama administration.

As U.S. attorney, Williams secured convictions of high-profile defendants including U.S. 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 has pleaded not guilty.

Before his appointment, Williams led the Southern District's securities and commodities task force. Earlier he served as a clerk to liberal former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, as well as to current U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland when Garland was a judge.

Williams, a former Paul Weiss associate, said in a statement that he was glad to be returning to the firm where he started his career.

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

(Reporting by Sara Merken; Editing by David Bario and Alison Williams)