Legal News

Breaking: DOJ Stud Mark Mendelsohn Headed to Paul Weiss

By Nathan Koppel

Yes, the job market is crummy, but not if you are Mark Mendelsohn.

The Justice Department attorney is the top prosecutor of companies for violating Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. It's a sizzling hot practice area, and a gaggle of top firms have courted Mendelsohn in recent months as word has circulated in D.C. circle that he was considering a move to private practice.

It appears that Paul Weiss is the winner of the Mendelsohn sweepstakes, according to the WSJ, which reports that the DOJ'er is due to join the firm next month.

According to one source with knowledge of the hire, Mendelsohn is expected to earn about $2.5 million annually, in range with the firm’s average partner profits.

Other firms that had talks with Mendelsohn about coming on board included O'Melveny & Myers; Cadwalader; Milbank Tweed; and Cleary Gottlieb. Not a bad list, huh?

Paul Weiss won out, said lawyers familiar with Mendelsohn’s thinking, partly because it does not already have a high-profile FCPA practice, and thus Mendelsohn will have an opportunity to help put the firm on the map in regard to that practice.

While Mendelsohn undoubtedly is a big catch, some lawyers sounded a note of caution.

"Mark roughed up a lot of people in the private world, and you have to wonder whether clients will react well to working with him," Hughes Hubbard’s Kevin Abikoff told WSJ. But, he added, "Mark is a very good hire for Paul Weiss. It gives them a greater profile in this field."

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on April 13, 2010 (boomark / email).