Andrew Weissmann Appointed as FBI’s General Counsel

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller has named Andrew Weissmann as the general counsel. He joined the FBI after five-and-a-half years as a partner at Jenner & Block LLP in New York City. Mr. Weissmann is returning to the FBI, having previously served as special counsel to the Director in 2005.

Mr. Weissmann was a federal prosecutor for 15 years in the Eastern District of New York, where he served as the deputy chief and then chief of the criminal division. He prosecuted numerous members of the Colombo, Gambino, and Genovese families, including the bosses of the Colombo and Genovese families. He also prosecuted or oversaw white-collar crime and terrorism cases. He later served as the director of the Enron Task Force in Washington, D.C., where he supervised the prosecution of more than 30 individuals in connection with the company’s collapse.

Mr. Weissmann has extensive experience in private practice. He has represented both U.S. and foreign corporations and executives in connection with criminal and civil investigations and lawsuits. Mr. Weissmann won the largest Financial Industry Regulatory Authority arbitration award in history. He also has taught criminal law and procedure at two law schools.

Mr. Weissmann has a Juris Doctor degree from Columbia Law School and was on the managing board of the Columbia Law Review. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University and attended the University of Geneva for one year on a Fulbright Fellowship.