BOSTON – The former top prosecutor for Massachusetts who led such high-profile cases as that of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is joining a Boston law firm.
Former U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz will handle internal investigations, corporate compliance and litigation, and white-collar criminal defense in her new role at Anderson & Kreiger LLP, the firm said Tuesday.
During her more than seven years as U.S. attorney, Ortiz secured the convictions of several notable defendants, including Tsarnaev, who is appealing his death sentence in the marathon bombing case.
She also led the prosecution against Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger, who is serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2013 of participating in 11 murders.
Before becoming U.S. attorney, Ortiz prosecuted white-collar crime for 12 years in the office's Economic Crimes Unit.
Ortiz said Tuesday that she doesn't think it will be difficult to adjust to the defense side after so many years as a prosecutor.
"That same kind of commitment and passion that I brought to my role as U.S. attorney, I will bring to representing my clients," Ortiz said.
Ortiz will work part time for the firm while she continues her stint as a visiting professor at the Boston College Law School through the semester. She'll start full time at the firm at the beginning of next year, said David Mackey, managing partner at Anderson & Kreiger.
"I am confident she will bring immediate value to the firm and our clients, and I can't think of a better mentor to help guide and train our younger lawyers," Mackey said in a statement.
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