Former US Attorney Joshua Levy heads back to Boston law firm Ropes & Gray
Levy had left Ropes to serve as First Assistant US Attorney in January 2022. He had applied for the top job, but Rachael Rollins was picked instead. However, Levy ended up leading the office and its roughly 125 prosecutors in May of 2023 as acting US Attorney after Rollins resigned amid two ethics probes. President Joe Biden later nominated Levy for the permanent post in October of that year, but that nomination was held up in the Senate; then-Attorney General Merrick Garland eventually appointed Levy to the role of US Attorney last November, with two months left of the Biden administration.
Levy had previously worked as a federal prosecutor in the Boston office from 1997 through 2004, and then worked at Ropes for 17 years, eventually co-chairing the firm's litigation practice. He'll return as a partner in that same practice.
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'It was a very intense several years for me,' Levy said of his most recent tenure in the US Attorney's office. 'What the office went through with the resignation of the former US Attorney, I developed some skills in the moment that I wasn't sure I had, to help the office rebound very quickly. ... I worked seven days a week for three years and would have kept doing it for longer.'
Among the cases he's most proud of prosecuting during his three years as the office's leader or second-in-command: one involving Magellan Diagnostics, a Massachusetts company that improperly marketed the effectiveness of its lead-testing devices for children; consulting giant McKinsey & Co.'s $650 million settlements for its work advising opioid maker Purdue Pharma to 'turbocharge' sales of Oxycontin; and the successful insider trading pursuit of a Russian millionaire who hacked US computers to obtain earnings information and rack up tens of millions in illegal profits after trading with that secret information. (The businessman, Vladislav Klyushin, was later traded to Russia in the prisoner exchange that brought home Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.)
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While Levy was in the office, he implemented new trial preparation procedures for prosecutors. Levy said that contributed to the US Attorney's office not losing one criminal trial in 2024 (though two of the 34 trials did end in hung juries).
'I'm not the one doing the work,' Levy said. 'The phenomenal people ... are doing the work in my office. It's such a high-quality office. I sometimes say I wish the public could see what's going on in a prosecutor's office like ours — the amount of time to get it right and the lack of discussion about politics at any stage.'
Speaking of politics, what about the concerns that President Trump would deploy Department of Justice prosecutors for political ends?
Levy said he has complete confidence in his successor, Foley, who had previously been deputy chief of the office's narcotics and money laundering unit.
'She's a true pro,' Levy said. 'I have full confidence in her ability ... to follow the facts of the law without consideration of external factors.'
As he returns to private practice, Levy said he is looking forward to helping individuals and companies navigate the challenges they face when confronted with adverse government enforcement. Levy said he didn't think about going anywhere other than back to his old law firm, which also happens to be the biggest in Boston.
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Ropes chair Julie Jones said in a statement that she's thrilled to have Levy back on her team, 'especially as the enforcement landscape gets more complex for our clients.' Jones described Levy as a 'powerhouse on both sides of the enforcement table, recently spearheading some of the government's most notable prosecutions and investigations.'
And Jeff Katz, co-managing partner of the firm's Boston office, praised Levy's legal experience and knowledge. 'Through Josh's previous tenure at the firm, we've seen firsthand just how impactful his presence, insights and expertise are — for our clients, our attorneys, and the entire Ropes community,' Katz said in an email.
Levy hasn't ruled out taking another government gig some day. In fact, he's hoping for it — if the timing and situation is right, either in Washington or Massachusetts.
'I did a lot of pro bono work before and I expect to do that again,' Levy said. 'I'm still trying to figure out a way to be active in public service. I'm just not sure what that is right now.'
This is an installment of our weekly Bold Types column about the movers and shakers on Boston's business scene.
Jon Chesto can be reached at
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