John Durham, a former federal prosecutor who served as interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York in 2025, has joined Nixon Peabody as a partner in its Government Investigations and White Collar Defense practice.
Durham joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2005 and later held several senior leadership roles. He played a key role in prosecuting former Rep. George Santos. He investigated, prosecuted and supervised cases involving violent crime, terrorism and public corruption, with efforts resulting in the arrest and conviction of hundreds of MS-13 members.
Now based in Nixon Peabody’s New York City office, Durham works nationally, focusing on New York, Boston and New England, and Washington, D.C., with the firm also maintaining an office in Melville. He draws on senior leadership experience at the Justice Department to advise clients on government and cross-border investigations, litigation, crisis response and risk management.
Durham counsels organizations and individuals on compliance strategies and works with regulators, law enforcement and executive leadership to mitigate financial, legal and reputational risk.
“John is a well-known and highly respected attorney with a strong national reputation, and he is an excellent addition to our practice,” Nixon Peabody partner Robert Fisher, leader of the firm’s Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense practice, said in a news release about Durham joining the firm.
The practice includes several former federal and state prosecutors.
“We’ve had a great deal of success integrating former prosecutors into our practice, and John’s deep experience around complex compliance and enforcement issues will quickly create a positive impact for our clients,” Fisher said.
Durham has extensive experience handling and supervising complex criminal and civil matters across a wide range of industries. His work has involved cases connected to the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Department of Homeland Security; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Internal Revenue Service; Securities and Exchange Commission and the U.S. Marshals Service. He also worked on matters involving cabinet-level agencies.
“In addition to John’s impressive experience, he is a thoughtful and collaborative colleague, and he is a great fit for the culture in New York as well as firmwide,” Richard Langan, managing partner of Nixon Peabody’s New York City office, said in the news release. “He has a stellar reputation for his judgment and relationships within the white-collar legal community. We’re thrilled to welcome John to the firm.”
Durham earned his law degree from University of Connecticut School of Law and his BA from College of the Holy Cross.