Ex-DOJ criminal division chief Argentieri joins law firm Cravath

By Sara Merken

Feb 24 (Reuters) - Nicole Argentieri, the former head of the U.S. Department of Justice's criminal division during the Biden administration, is joining Cravath, Swaine & Moore as a partner, the law firm said on Monday.

Argentieri oversaw 1,400 prosecutors and staff members as acting assistant attorney general and principal deputy assistant attorney general in the criminal division, which she joined in 2022, the New York-founded firm said.

She said in a LinkedIn post that her last day at the Justice Department was December 19. She previously worked at law firm O'Melveny & Myers and as a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York.

She joins Cravath's investigations and regulatory enforcement practice and will be based in New York.

Top U.S. law firms have been hiring senior officials from the Justice Department and other federal agencies who are moving to the private sector since Republican President Donald Trump took office.

Cravath, one of the country's most profitable firms, was historically known for infrequently making outside partner hires, instead promoting from within its ranks.

But the firm has made a handful of hires in recent years, including other former government officials. In 2022, the more than 200-year-old firm opened an office in Washington, its second location in the United States.

Last month Cravath hired Andrew Finch, who was a top Justice Department antitrust official in the first Donald Trump administration. Finch most recently co-chaired the antitrust practice at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in New York.