On Tuesday, law firm Pepper Hamilton LLP announced that its next Chair would be former FBI director Louis Freeh. Outgoing Chair Nina Gussack said while announcing the news, “Judge Freeh is the right person to assume the Chair position at Pepper Hamilton … I look forward to supporting him as his vision and leadership continue to move us forward as a law firm always at the forefront of innovation.”
Gussack is completing her second and final three-year term as Chair of the firm. She would continue practicing full-time at the firm and would continue to serve as Chair of Pepper Hamilton’s Health Effects Litigation Practice. She had continued to be Chair of the practice group while being the Chair of the law firm.
Gussack explained that Freeh was chosen naturally, following the law firm’s commitment to professional management and succession planning. She explained, “We recruited Scott Green to serve in the new role of Chief Executive Officer. We redefined the role of Managing Partner and elected Tom Cole, a highly respected Pepper partner, to that position. And, we recruited Louis Freeh and his colleagues. All the pieces are in place for accelerated growth and performance, and I am very pleased.”
On his part, Freeh said of Gussack, “Nina has done a tremendous job in both leading the firme and managing one of the largest and most dynamic practices in the country … On her watch, Pepper has become bigger, stronger, bolder, more divers, more global, and more profitable. I am excited about being elected Chair of a great firm whose future has never been brighter.”
Freeh and his eight-member investigations law firm was absorbed by Pepper Hamilton in August, this year. Whether investigating into the Penn University scandal, or working as the trustee of MF Global, or becoming Chair of Pepper Hamilton, Louis Freeh continues to make national headlines successfully.
Media reports indicate that Freeh is continuing recruiting lawyers in New York, Washington and California for investigating companies suspected of wrongdoing.