Michael Chertoff

Senior Of Counsel

mchertoff@cov.com
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Covington & Burling LLP
1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004-2401
Tel: 202.662.5060


 

Practices

Industries

Education

  • Harvard Law School, J.D., 1978
    • magna cum laude
  • Harvard University, B.A., 1975
    • magna cum laude

Judicial Clerkship

  • Hon. William Brennan, Jr., U.S. Supreme Court, 1979-1980
  • Hon. Murray I. Gurfein, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, 1978-1979

Bar Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • New York
  • New Jersey


Michael Chertoff is senior of counsel in the firm’s Washington, DC office and a member of the White Collar Defense and Investigations practice group.

Most recently, Mr. Chertoff served as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.  As Secretary, he led a 218,000 person department with a budget of $50 billion.  Mr. Chertoff developed and implemented border security and immigration policy; promulgated homeland security regulations; and spearheaded a national cyber security strategy.  He also served periodically on the National Security Council and the Homeland Security Council, and on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States.

Prior to his appointment to the Cabinet, Mr. Chertoff served from 2003 to 2005 on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Before becoming a federal judge, Mr. Chertoff was the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  In that position, he oversaw the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and formed the Enron Task Force, which produced more than 20 convictions, including those of CEOs Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay.

Mr. Chertoff’s career includes more than a decade as a federal prosecutor, including service as U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, and Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.  As a federal prosecutor, Mr. Chertoff investigated and personally prosecuted significant cases of political corruption, organized crime, and corporate fraud.

From 1994-2001, Mr. Chertoff represented major corporations and individuals in numerous white collar investigations and trials.  Among other matters, he successfully represented the nation’s largest hospital company in a four year, multi-jurisdictional criminal and civil investigation, represented major corporations in corruption scandals, and obtained acquittals at trial for individual criminal defendants.

Mr. Chertoff has received numerous awards including the Department of Justice Henry E. Petersen Memorial Award (2006); the Department of Justice John Marshall Award for Trial of Litigation (1987); NAACP Benjamin L. Hooks Award for Distinguished Service (2007); European Institute Transatlantic Leadership Award (2008); and two honorary doctorates.  His trial experiences have been featured in over half a dozen books and many news articles.

Publications and Speeches

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