Zuckerman Spaeder LLP is pleased to announce that the Hon. Barbara S. Jones, a former judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, is joining the firm as a partner in its New York office. Judge Jones brings to Zuckerman Spaeder 17 years of experience on the bench and more than two decades as a federal prosecutor. She will focus her practice on internal investigations, corporate compliance issues, and monitorships, as well as assisting individual and institutional clients to solve their legal problems.
“Zuckerman Spaeder offers me the opportunity to work in a hands-on, collegial manner on some of the most interesting, complex, and challenging legal issues,” said Judge Jones. “I am particularly drawn to the firm’s roster of talented lawyers who prize creativity and quality. I am excited to become a part of this accomplished group of attorneys and to put my experience to use for our clients.”
The addition of Judge Jones marks another significant step in the expansion and development of the firm’s New York office. In the fall of 2011, the firm’s New York office added Steven M. Cohen, who served as New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s top advisor and as Chief of Staff of the New York Attorney General’s Office; respected litigator and appellate lawyer Paul Shechtman; and Andrew E. Tomback, an accomplished attorney with a history of success in both private practice and in government. In addition, as is the case with Judge Jones, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Shechtman, and Mr. Tomback each served as federal prosecutors in Manhattan. During 2012, James Sottile, a senior member of firm management, relocated to the New York office to participate in the growth of the office and the integration of new lawyers into the firm. In the last 12 months, the firm also added six associates to the office, including four former federal judicial clerks, a former senior advisor to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and a former officer in the U.S. Navy’s Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps.
“Judge Jones is the ideal addition to our growing office” said Mr. Cohen, who is leading the firm’s expansion in New York. “On the bench and as a prosecutor, Judge Jones has been a role model for a generation of lawyers. Her smart, creative, and balanced approach to legal issues is the way we have tried to practice law at this firm. She has superb judgment.”
“We could not be more excited to have one of New York’s most respected jurists join the firm,” said Zuckerman Spaeder chairman Graeme W. Bush. “Judge Jones’ unique experience and stellar reputation will add a depth to the New York office and strengthen our ability to handle high-profile internal investigations and monitorships not only in New York but across the country.”
Prior to her nomination to the bench in 1995, Judge Jones was the chief assistant to Robert M. Morgenthau, then the District Attorney of New York County. Previously, Judge Jones was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, serving as the chief of the Organized Crime Strike Force. She was the first woman to head a strike force office.
