[ by Howard Haykin ]

A partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton is leaving the law firm to join the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan as Chief Counsel.  His start date has not been set.  For Joon Kim, the move is a homecoming, having served as a federal prosecutor in the office from 2000 to 2006.  As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in that office's organized crime unit, Mr. Kim had worked closely with Preet Bharara.

Mr. Bharara introduced his new Chief Counsel to his staff in a memo that offered Bharara's take on Mr. Kim's professional credentials:

• at U.S. Attorney's Office from 2000 to 2006, he was an AUSA (Assistant U.S. Attorney).
• prosecuted a wide range of cases - e.g., racketeering, murder, money laundering, narcotics, alien smuggling, tax evasion.
• spent the last 4 years in the Organized Crime and Terrorism Unit, prosecuting various violent organized crime syndicates, including Asian gangs and the Mafia.
• among his accomplishments, convicted Peter Gotti, then-Boss of the Gambino Family, of conspiring to kill Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano.
• a distinguished SDNY alumnus, he's returning as Chief Counsel. 
• smart, thoughtful, funny, in addition to being an incredibly exacting lawyer with unerring judgment.

• at Cleary Gottlieb, Joon was a litigation and enforcement practice partner.
• his practice focused on white collar criminal defense, regulatory enforcement, corporate internal investigations, as well as commercial litigation and international arbitration. 
• prior to 2000, he served as a litigation associate at Cleary Gottlieb.

• Joon also clerked for Judge Cedarbaum.
• graduated from Stanford and Harvard Law.  

  [ Dealbook, 2/1/13 ]