Edward Siskel, who served as White House Counsel under President Joe Biden, has joined the prestigious law firm Latham & Watkins as a partner, the firm announced on Monday. Siskel, who will split his time between the firm’s Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices, brings extensive legal experience from his time in both government and private sectors. Before his tenure in the Biden administration, Siskel was Chicago’s top lawyer under Mayor Rahm Emanuel and also served in the White House Counsel’s office during President Barack Obama’s administration.
Rich Trobman, Chair and Managing Partner at Latham & Watkins, praised Siskel’s unique blend of legal experience, which spans the White House, the U.S. Department of Justice, and private law practice. Notably, Siskel played a key role as Biden’s chief legal adviser, including advising House Republicans in March 2024 to end their impeachment inquiry into the President, as no evidence of improper conduct related to his family members‘ business dealings was found.
Additionally, Siskel was instrumental in advising Biden on potential preemptive pardons for public officials, a topic that gained attention after Biden granted pardons to several individuals in the final hours of his presidency, including family members and notable public figures.
Following his time in the Obama White House, Siskel transitioned to private practice, joining Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr before being appointed Corporation Counsel for the city of Chicago in 2017. His move to Latham & Watkins comes amid a trend where senior officials from the U.S. Justice Department and other federal agencies transition into the private legal sector, with other former Biden White House counsels, Dana Remus and Stuart Delery, joining prominent firms Covington & Burling and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, respectively.
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