Thomas J Perrelli

Thomas J. Perrelli is a nationally recognized litigator who re-joined Jenner & Block as a partner in 2012 after serving for three years as Associate Attorney General of the United States, the third highest-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. In that capacity, Mr. Perrelli was responsible for the Department’s Civil, Antitrust, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions, the United States Trustee Program, the Office of Justice Programs and the Office on Violence Against Women, among others. Among numerous high-level, multi-party negotiations, he led the Government’s efforts to negotiate a $25 billion settlement to resolve claims against financial institutions for servicing of mortgages and negotiated the creation of a $20 billion fund to compensate victims of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Mr. Perrelli is the founder and Chair of the Government Controversies and Public Policy Litigation Practice. He also serves on the Firm's Policy Committee. Mr. Perrelli represents businesses, governmental entities and their leaders at the intersection of law, business and government regulation, drawing upon a wealth of experience in government service, the Washington, DC political environment and private practice, to provide clients with high-level strategic advice, both litigation and transactional, as well as regulatory compliance guidance and public policy counsel. Mr. Perrelli began practicing law as an associate at Jenner & Block in 1992. He left the Firm in 1997 to serve as counsel to then U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, rising to the position of Deputy Assistant Attorney General before returning to Jenner & Block in 2001. Over the next eight years, he concentrated his practice in copyright, media and constitutional litigation, as well as complex litigation with a public policy or regulatory component. During that time, Mr. Perrelli was recognized by Chambers USA as one of the country’s leading media and entertainment law attorneys. In 2005, The National Law Journal named him one of the most promising lawyers under 40 years old. In 2009, he was nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate to the position of Associate Attorney General of the United States.