Wilmer Cutler hires ex-government star

Wilmer Cutler & Pick-ering has taken on former Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick as a partner in its litigation practice.

The US firm has several ex-government stars in its litigation and regulatory practice, but Gorelick is a particularly high-profile appointment.

Gorelick joins directly from the US's biggest mortgage provider Fannie Mae, where she has been vice-chair since 1997. During Bill Clinton's first term as president, she served as second in command in the Department of Justice and prior to that she served as general counsel at the Depart-ment of Defense.

Juanita Crowley, Wilmer Cutler's co-chair of litigation, said: "She mirrors exactly the type of service we provide to our clients, because she has extensive experience in government and in business from Fannie Mae."

Crowley said that the firm expects that Gorelick will pull in clients. She said: "There will be a number of clients that will seek her out on cross-border issues. She has extensive experience in defence, and businesses in that sector operate under numerous regulatory constraints."

Gorelick, who was listed by Fortune Magazine as one of the "50 Most Powerful Women in American Business", will retain some outside interests. For her first year at Wilmer Cutler she will be heavily involved with the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States and she also serves on the CIA's National Security Advisory Panel.

Wilmer Cutler was hit last year when four competition partners in London and Brussels defected to set up Latham & Watkins' Brussels office. The firm has since rebuilt on this side of the Atlantic and is now looking to recruit more lawyers in London.