Two months after leaving high high-profile post as Chicago’s top federal prosecutor, former U.S. Attorney John Lausch has landed back at Kirkland & Ellis where he’ll serve as partner handling the firm’s government and internal investigations group.
Lausch, 52, left the U.S. attorney’s office on March 11 after more than five years at the helm of some of the city’s most high-profile investigations, including racketeering probes of ex-Ald. Edward Burke and former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“It was nice to have some time off, to spend time with my family and recharge batteries,” Lausch told the Tribune in an interview Monday. “But I’m antsy to get back to practicing law.”
Lausch will serve as partner in Kirkland’s Government, Regulatory & Internal Investigations Practice Group, focusing on government enforcement defense, internal investigations and other litigation matters, according to a news release from the firm.
It’s an area where Lausch has deep experience. In his previous stint at Kirkland before serving as U.S. attorney, he represented BP in government litigation stemming from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and oil spill, and worked with other high-profile companies and their boards of directors on matters ranging from health care fraud to environmental crimes.
“The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act has been keeping law firm partners busy for a long time,” Lausch said. “They are always looking for people who have come out of government.”
Jon Ballis, chairman of Kirkland’s Executive Committee, said in a written statement that Lausch “is an exceptional talent who has served with distinction in government and private practice throughout his career.”
“With his vast experience he could have gone anywhere, but we’re delighted he chose to come back to Kirkland, adding strength to strength in our government, regulatory and internal investigations practice,” Ballis said.
Lausch, who hails from Joliet and currently lives in Chicago’s Beverly neighborhood, captained the 1987 state champion Joliet Catholic football team and was a linebacker and team captain at Harvard University. He earned his law degree from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
He was nominated as U.S. attorney by then-President Donald Trump after Illinois’ two Democratic U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, aided the White House in the search. Lausch was sworn in as U.S. attorney on Nov. 22, 2017, two weeks after being confirmed by unanimous voice vote in the Senate.
Since Lausch’s departure, his former deputy, Morris “Sonny” Pasqual, has been serving as acting U.S. attorney while a search for a new nominee is conducted, led by Illinois’ two Democratic senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.
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The Tribune reported in March that two former assistant U.S. attorneys, April Perry and Sergio Acosta, had been recommended to President Joe Biden as potential replacements. A final nominee has not yet been announced.
Lausch’s exit, meanwhile, came just days before the trial of the so-called ComEd Four got underway at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, marking the biggest public corruption trial in Chicago since former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted by a jury 12 years ago.
A jury convicted all four defendants on all counts earlier this month.
Lausch declined to comment specifically on cases his former office is handling, but said he was “very fortunate” to have spent more than 11 years as a federal prosecutor, both in the trenches and as a boss.
“It was nice to have some time off, but anytime you step away from a job like that, you miss your colleagues and you miss the work,” he said. “It is a phenomenal place.”
Kirkland & Ellis is a global law firm with approximately 3,500 lawyers in 19 cities across the U.S., Europe and Asia. It’s Chicago office is the firm’s largest, with about 700 attorneys.
