Tarbert was a lead expert and negotiator in Capitol Hill’s effort to enact comprehensive financial reform legislation that came in the wake of the economic meltdown. He provided a particular focus on prudential regulation of banks, thrifts, non-bank financial institutions and their holding companies, as well as measures aimed at the reduction of systemic risk in the U.S. financial system, the firm said in a press release.
Tarbert also served as associate counsel to President Obama from August 2008 to January 2009. He was at the center of the legal decision-making during the financial crisis that intensified after the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008.
“Heath has made an invaluable contribution to the committee’s work on financial regulatory reform,” said Richard Shelby, ranking member of the Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. “His expertise and dedication will be sorely missed. I am grateful for his service and wish him all the best as he takes on a new challenge.”
Tarbert is the third notable public figure to recently join Weil Gotshal. He follows the arrival of William Burck, former special counsel to the president and federal prosecutor, and Steven Tyrell, former chief of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Fraud Section.
Weil Gotshal’s Washington office was established in 1975 and has 30 partners and 81 attorneys.