Mary Jo White, who recently stepped down as chair of the SEC, has rejoined Debevoise & Plimpton law as senior chair of the law firm. Ms. White, 69, will primarily represent corporate boards of directors and other clients who are facing crises, including multi-pronged government investigations.

“I’m not involved in day-to-day management. Michael Blair is our great presiding partner. They run the firm. But there is a management team that’s broader than that… I hope to be a positive contributor to that discussion.”

Previously, White was chair of Debevoise's litigation department from 2002 to 2013. There, she worked alongside Andrew Ceresney, who joined her at the SEC when White was nominated by President Obama to lead the agency in April 2013. In January, the same month Ms. White stepped down from her role as chair of the SEC, Ceresney also returned to Debevoise.

Before her time with Debevoise in 2002, White served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York for nearly 9 years. She was the only woman to serve in that position in the more than 200-year history of the SDNY office.

“Simply put, Mary Jo is a giant in the legal profession. Few, if any, other lawyers have garnered the respect and admiration that Mary Jo has throughout her distinguished career.”  - - Michael Blair, Debevoise’s presiding partner. 

[first posted 2/15 at 2:15pm; updated 2/16 at 8:02am]