Summary: Former U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag is returning to her previous law firm, Orrick.
The top law enforcement official in San Francisco is stepping down to go back to law.
Former U.S. Attorney Melinda Haag supervised high-profile prosecutions, ranging from the Barry Bonds steroid case to the indictment of PG&E for its involvement in the San Bruno pipeline burst. She also sparked controversy from marijuana enthusiasts who protested her anti-dispensary tactics.
Pro-Cannabis protestors created a Melinda Haag statue in protest of her anti-pot stance. Photo courtesy of The Leaf.
The Mercury News reports Haag resigned to head the law firm powerhouse, Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe.
Orrick has a global litigation unit that has more than 400 lawyers. Haag was a partner at the firm before President Barack Obama appointed her in 2010 as San Francisco U.S. Attorney. According to JD Journal, she was the first woman to serve in that position since Annette Williams, who served from 1918 to 1920.
Haag’s top assistant Brian Stretch was promoted to acting U.S. Attorney. He will remain in his post until the November election. The next president will determine who will permanently take that role.
Haag specialized in white collar cases at Orrick, which was named one of the top law firms for women. She will return to the firm on March 1.
“I am thrilled to return home to Orrick,” Haag said in a press release. “It was an extraordinary honor to serve as United States Attorney, but I was able to leave after five years knowing that the public’s interests are in the hands of an extraordinary team of lawyers who are handling some of the most important and cutting-edge cases on the DOJ’s docket.”
Haag obtained her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, San Diego in 1983 and her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law in 1987.
Source: Mercury News
Source: Orrick