Former U.S. Attorney Christina Nolan wasn’t out of a job long.
Nolan, who was asked to resign her post by President Joseph Biden’s new administration, left her job as the top federal prosecutor in Vermont in February.
The Vermont law firm of Sheehey Furlong & Behm announced Thursday that Nolan will join the practice April 15, with a focus on complex civil litigation, handling defense work in white-collar cases and accusations of serious felonies.
Nolan was the U.S. attorney for about three years, appointed by President Donald Trump in 2017 with support from Republican Gov. Phil Scott and Democratic U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy. Nolan, the 38th U.S. attorney for Vermont, was the first woman to hold that role.
Earlier, Nolan was a federal prosecutor in the office for about eight years.
After about a dozen years as a prosecutor, Nolan said, she looks forward to joining the firm to “promote the rights and interests” of its clients.
She cited the team atmosphere at the law firm as one of the reasons she wanted to work there. Another draw was the amount of criminal defense work the firm handles.
“That is where the bulk of my background is,” she said.
Ian Carleton, director of the firm’s litigation group, said Thursday that having Nolan on board will help to cement an already good working relationship with the U.S. attorney’s office.
He also talked about cases in which he had been on the opposing side from Nolan.
“Every single case I had with her, she was just a master of the facts and the law,” Carleton said. “She’s a tremendous asset to our firm.”
Nolan said that, under ethical standards and federal rules, she is not allowed to appear in federal court on behalf of a client for one year after leaving office if the case involves the U.S. attorney’s office.
In addition, Nolan said she cannot directly advocate for a client with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Vermont for a year after leaving office.
“It’s a cooling-off period,” she said.
Also, Nolan said she cannot handle cases in which she had any involvement as U.S. attorney.
“I’m always going to err on the side of caution,” she said of possible conflicts of interest.
She said she can, however, appear in state courts on behalf of clients.
Nolan said tackling cases from the defense table rather than as the prosecutor, is “a new challenge, and it’s an opportunity to help protect rights and ensure that the government is held to its burden of proof.”
