New York, NY. Nixon Peabody LLP is pleased to announce that John J. Durham, a former federal prosecutor and interim United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, has joined the law firm as partner in the Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice.
John’s distinguished career includes more than two decades of experience leading global investigations, high-stakes litigation, and regulatory enforcement. He has investigated, litigated, and closely supervised thousands of cases, including dozens of trials and appeals, achieving outstanding outcomes, often against great odds. John joined the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York in 2005, serving in a range of leadership roles before being appointed as interim US Attorney in January 2025.
Based in Nixon Peabody’s New York City office, John will work with the firm nationally with a particular focus on New York, Boston and New England, and Washington, DC. John is a tenacious lawyer who leverages his experience in senior leadership at the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to advise entities and individuals in connection with government and cross-border investigations and litigation, and to provide counsel on crisis response and risk management situations. He protects clients from financial, legal, and reputational risk by developing compliance strategies and engaging with regulators, law enforcement, and executive management.
“John is a well-known and highly respected attorney with a strong national reputation, and he is an excellent addition to our practice,” said Nixon Peabody partner Robert Fisher, leader of the firm’s Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice, which includes several former federal and state prosecutors. “We’ve had a great deal of success integrating former prosecutors into our practice, and John’s deep experience around complex compliance and enforcement issues will quickly create a positive impact for our clients.”
John brings a depth of experience handling and supervising criminal and civil cases at all levels of complexity across a wide range of practice areas and industries. These include matters in connection with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and United States Marshals Service (USMS). His work has also been linked to other cabinet-level agencies, including the Departments of Treasury and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); State, Defense, Commerce, and Health and Human Services; the National Security Council; and the intelligence community.
“In addition to John’s impressive experience, he is a thoughtful and collaborative colleague, and he is a great fit for the culture in New York as well as firmwide,” said Richard Langan, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s New York City office. “He has a stellar reputation for his judgment and relationships within the white-collar legal community. We’re thrilled to welcome John to the firm.”
John earned his JD from University of Connecticut School of Law and his BA from College of the Holy Cross.
