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From Public Service To Private Practice: An Interview With Ronald Chillemi

What is the job market like for lawyers leaving government service? Here's one case study.

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Ronald Chillemi

Ronald Chillemi

What is the job market like these days for lawyers leaving government service for private law firms? It’s an interesting topic that we’ve discussed quite a bit in these pages. Law firms appreciate government experience, especially at a high level. But integrating attorneys coming from the public sector can present challenges; unlike laterals coming from other firms, these lawyers don’t bring a book of business with them.

I recently heard from an old friend from my time in the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ronald Chillemi, who just joined the New York office of Robins Kaplan after successful stints in state and federal government. We spoke about why he joined Robins Kaplan, the work he did in government that made him attractive to the firm, and the presidential prospects of our former boss, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

DL: Congratulations on your new post, Ron! But before we get to that, let’s talk about where you’ve been. Can you share with our readers your path through the legal profession?

RC: My path can be summarized as moving up the ladder of white-collar crime. I began my career as an ADA in my hometown of Philadelphia, where I had the opportunity to hone my courtroom skills in more than 100 bench and jury trials. I then spent two years writing motions and briefs at a large law firm. Having developed those oral and written advocacy skills, I then served as an AUSA for the District of New Jersey for the next nine years. There I worked with federal agents to build white-collar cases from the ground up, and tried a number of jury trials. U.S. Attorney Christie, and then Governor Christie, liked my work. He asked me to apply the best practices I had seen as a prosecutor to reform an underperforming division of state government that prosecutes white-collar matters civilly and criminally. I accepted, and over the last four-and-a-half years, implemented reforms that have produced the results we sought.

DL: And now can you tell us about your new job at Robins Kaplan and what brought you to the firm?

RC: I wanted to join a firm with a national practice on both the plaintiff and defense sides. In my opinion, that versatility is valuable to clients, creates more practice development opportunities, and produces better attorneys and more meaningful work. However, it’s exceedingly rare to find such a firm—and I might go even farther than that. When I interviewed, one Robins Kaplan partner (a former federal prosecutor as well) said in terms of the versatility and quality of its practice, Robins Kaplan is not just rare, but unique. I’m inclined to agree.

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I am a partner in the firm’s New York office, but I also spend time in New Jersey. I started a few weeks ago, and have matters before courts in both states.

DL: The state government division you led was the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor. Can you tell us a bit about the office’s mandate?

RC: The Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor has a broad mission: to reduce fraud in New Jersey’s insurance markets. The Office uses civil and criminal enforcement, legislative advocacy, and advertising to reduce fraud. As a white-collar prosecutor for many years, I believe that deterrence is the most effective and appropriate tool for a white-collar program. Law enforcement should set clear boundaries and not disturb business within those boundaries. However, when conduct knowingly violates those boundaries, it should be vigorously addressed.

DL: And what did you accomplish during your tenure as head of the Office?

RC: The first prong of our strategy was to reorganize the Office to pursue significant cases that would set those boundaries. We focused on healthcare and financial matters, as those areas have the greatest effect on insurance premiums for the average consumer. Our accomplishments included more than tripling our average prison sentence, winning the first convictions for first-degree crimes in our Office’s history, and two record annual False Claims Act recoveries.

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The second prong of our strategy met with mixed results. While we were successful in our advocacy efforts in having several small items enacted into law, the legislature did not agree with our view on an important bill to delay the public availability of an individual’s identifying information after certain insurance events, which is often the starting point for fraud.

The third prong of our strategy was also successful. Through stringent cost reductions, we saved the funds necessary to revive an advertising program that had lain dormant for nine years. We developed three successive region-wide multi-media campaigns that produced new case referrals which were successfully prosecuted, and requests for information to replicate the campaigns from law enforcement in other states. Like the cases that we pursued, the ad campaigns were designed to deter fraud. From the perspective of law enforcement, the best case is the one that never happens because it was deterred. Our best allies in all of these efforts were investigators from the insurance industry and competitors of those committing fraud. We’re pleased with these accomplishments.

DL: As well you should be. As for the challenges you describe in terms of working with the legislature, politics is certainly a tough business — which brings me to the presidential campaign of your former boss (and mine), Governor Chris Christie. What was he like to work for, and what are your thoughts on his presidential bid?

RC: As both a federal prosecutor and state division director, I found he was a strong and effective leader. His communication was direct (no surprise there), he was appropriately aggressive, and he provided autonomy if you demonstrated that you could handle it. I am glad that he is running for president because of his candor and his executive experience. We need a strong personality, and some governmental reform of fundamental problems such as gerrymandering, to wrench us past some tired issues. He has that personality. As voters focus on this race, I anticipate that they will value his strengths.

DL: He’s polling well in New Hampshire, so he’s certainly in the mix. Perhaps someday I’ll interview you about your latest job in the next Christie Administration, based in D.C. rather than Trenton. In the meantime, congrats on your newest post, and best of luck at Robins Kaplan!

NJ Insurance Fraud Watchdog Moves To Robins Kaplan [Law360]
Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Bound for Private Practice in NY [New Jersey Law Journal]
Revolving-Door Roundup: Polsinelli, Cozen, Robins Kaplan [Law360]
New Jersey Fraud Watchdog Ronald Chillemi Joins New York Office of Robins Kaplan [Robins Kaplan LLP]

Earlier: 8 Tips For Getting Into — And Out Of — A Job As A Government Lawyer
Life After Being An AUSA

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