Former U.S. Attorney For Northern District Of Georgia Returning To Private Practice

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Byung J. “BJay” Pak will rejoin Alston & Bird as a partner in its Litigation & Trial Practice Group next month.

Credit: Capitol Beat News Service

The U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia throughout the Trump administration is moving back to private practice.

Byung J. “BJay” Pak will rejoin Alston & Bird as a partner in its Litigation & Trial Practice Group next month, the Atlanta-based firm announced Thursday.

“BJay is a gifted attorney, dedicated public servant, and a leader of considerable experience and skill,” Alston & Bird Chairman and Managing Partner Richard Hays said. “He brings additional stature and deepens our reputation as a leading choice for internal investigation counsel, white-collar defense, and other complex civil and criminal litigation.”

Pak was sworn in as a U.S. attorney in October 2017, becoming the country’s first Korean American to hold the post. He resigned from the Justice Department early this month, reportedly because he refused to pursue unfounded claims of fraud in Georgia stemming from the Nov. 3 election.

From 2011 until 2017, Pak served in the Georgia House of Representatives representing a district in Gwinnett County.

As the chief federal law enforcement officer for 46 counties in North Georgia, Pak oversaw all criminal and civil matters and supervised more than 100 assistant U.S. attorneys. Under his leadership, the U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted significant cases related to insider trading, domestic and international corruption, financial fraud and cybersecurity.

Pak began his career at Alston & Bird in 2000, where he focused on complex litigation and government investigations. Two years later, he was named assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Georgia, prosecuting money laundering, intellectual property, and white-collar crimes.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Capitol Beat News Service.