Former Suffolk County District Attorney Tim Sini, defeated for reelection in November, has joined an international law firm as a partner.
Nixon Peabody LLP in Boston announced on Monday that Sini is working at its Jericho office in the litigation department, specializing in government investigations and white-collar defense. Monday was his first day.
Sini, a Democrat, lost his bid for a second term as Suffolk’s top prosecutor to Republican Ray Tierney.
“After Tim lost the election, he was looking for something new to do and was interested in the private practice of law, which he hadn’t done in a very long time,” said Allan Cohen, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s local office.
“For our part, we were looking to build out our white-collar criminal defense and government investigations practice. So, it really was the right person being available at the right time,” he told Newsday.
Sini said joining Nixon Peabody allows him “to do something entrepreneurial” at a law firm “that serves Long Island businesses but has a national and international reach.”
He said law enforcement agencies have increased their probes of companies.
“I know how government agencies investigate and how to navigate crises,” he told Newsday, referring to his work in rebuilding the reputations of the Suffolk DA’s office and Suffolk Police department after his predecessors resigned in disgrace. “I look forward to helping clients navigate challenges by developing and implementing strategies to eliminate or mitigate damage to their reputations and businesses.”
Prior to becoming DA, Sini served as Suffolk police commissioner, deputy Suffolk County executive for public safety under County Executive Steve Bellone and as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division for the Southern District of New York, where he worked as a trial supervisor. He received his law degree from Brooklyn Law School.
Sini, 41, is the second prominent local prosecutor to join a big law firm recently.
Two weeks ago, Mark Lesko, former acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, was hired by the Greenberg Traurig LLP firm as part of its plan to open two offices on Long Island.
Greenberg Traurig is the nation’s ninth-largest law firm with 2,400 attorneys, including a projected 45 locally. Nixon Peabody has 600 attorneys, including 35 locally.
Sini’s hiring will help Nixon Peabody to compete because potential clients “are naturally attracted to the names that they know,” said Cohen, who runs the firm’s Long Island office. “But Tim isn’t just a name. He’s developed a resume over a very short period of time that any lawyer would be envious of.”