The global law firm Jones Day announces that Justin Herdman will return to the Firm as a partner in its Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. He will be based in Cleveland. Prior to serving as United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio from August 2017 to January 2021, Mr. Herdman was a partner in the Firm’s Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice, having joined Jones Day in November 2013.
“We are extraordinarily proud of Justin’s significant accomplishments as the U.S. Attorney, and grateful for his important contributions to the safety and well-being of Northeast Ohio residents and businesses,” said Heather Lennox, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day’s Cleveland Office. “His experience, good judgment, and personal integrity, combined with the respect that Justin garnered from all corners of government, will serve our clients well. We look forward to his return and expect that he will continue to make tremendous contributions to our community, our clients, and our Firm.”
While at Jones Day, Mr. Herdman conducted global internal investigations for multinational corporations, including inquiries directed at suspected violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), federal and state contracting fraud, environmental crimes, financial institution fraud, and accounting fraud, areas in which he will continue to focus upon his return. His experience also includes representation of publicly traded companies in adversarial proceedings and investigative inquiries conducted by federal agencies and state regulatory bodies. In his prior private practice, Mr. Herdman maintained a diverse civil litigation practice, including matters involving theft of trade secrets, investment fraud, and enforcement actions brought by state officials, as well as counseling a multi-industry client base on data privacy and crisis responses to cybercrime and breaches.
As U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, Mr. Herdman oversaw groundbreaking national security prosecutions, including several cases that disrupted mass-casualty attacks. Under his supervision, the U.S. Attorney’s office also successfully cracked down on an international cybercriminal ring (the Bayrob group) and brought a number of prosecutions directed at corrupt public officials, including the Chief Operating Officer of a publicly funded hospital, an Ohio sheriff, and numerous elected and appointed municipal officials. Mr. Herdman also led successful prosecutions of a purported international adoption agency for FCPA violations, of certain physicians and pharmaceutical industry employees for health care fraud, and of several individuals for defrauding the Payroll Protection Program adopted as part of federal COVID relief efforts. His prosecutions of individuals who used social media platforms to threaten religious communities received national attention and, under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s office aggressively enforced federal civil rights statutes prohibiting sexual harassment in housing. Mr. Herdman also personally appeared in the Justice Department’s ongoing litigation related to a consent decree with the Cleveland Division of Police.
“As a U.S. Attorney, Justin was every bit the leader and professional that we knew as our partner who served many clients as a trusted advisor and forceful advocate,” said Ted Chung, leader of Jones Day’s Investigations & White Collar Defense Practice. “He brings uncommon experience and legal skills, along with his excellent judgment, deep intellect, and knowledge across a wide range of matters of great importance to our clients.”
Mr. Herdman originally joined Jones Day in 2013 from his former role as Assistant U.S. Attorney and Deputy Chief of the National Security, Human Rights, and Organized Crime Unit in the Northern District of Ohio. He serves as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and is a former intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve. In 2014, Mr. Herdman received the Judge Richard M. Markus Adjunct Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching from Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
