A familiar face is returning to Sidley Austin's Washington office. After a two-year stint in the Justice Department's Civil Division, C. Frederick Beckner III rejoined Sidley this week as a partner in the firm's appellate practice.
For Beckner, 44, the move marks a return to the firm where he began his legal career as a summer associate in the early 1990s. After taking a year to clerk for then-U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3d Circuit Judge Samuel Alito Jr. in 1995, Beckner worked at the firm until he joined the DOJ in 2006.
"Sidley Austin is a tremendous law firm with loads of legal talent, so it was an easy decision to return to my legal home," Beckner said in an interview.
At the Justice Department, Beckner served as a deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Division, where he was responsible for overseeing the Office of Consumer Litigation, which is charged with enforcing both civil and criminal aspects of the Federal Trade Commission Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, the Consumer Product Safety Act and similar statutes. He also oversaw the Torts Branch, which handles the most complex torts actions against the United States and senior federal officials. His appointment expired in January.
At Sidley, Beckner will advise clients on issues related to regulated industries litigation, government investigations, and appellate matters.
"I had a lot of great experiences during my time in the government, and I hope to use that experience to assist clients in a number of contexts," Beckner said.
Good catch. Beckner's appointment expired in January. That information has been noted in the text.
Posted by: Jeff Jeffrey | September 18, 2009 at 02:10 PM
I'm surprised at this move. Isn't the public sector a tiny bit more stable than private law firms right now?
Posted by: Joe | September 18, 2009 at 02:05 PM