Former Homeland Security Chief Chertoff Joins Covington

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is joining Covington & Burling’s white-collar defense and investigations practice.

Chertoff is a former assistant U.S. attorney, a former head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and a former judge with the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Am Law Daily reports.

"Practicing law is like riding a bicycle—it comes back pretty quickly," Chertoff told the publication. “I'm really looking forward to coming back as a working lawyer, not just as a rainmaker."

As Chertoff joins Covington, two of its former partners have left for high-profile government posts: Attorney General Eric Holder and Lanny Breuer, now heading the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.