Former U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger to join Minneapolis office of Jones Day

One of the newest law firms in the Twin Cities has landed one of the biggest names on the legal scene.

Andrew Luger, who just finished three years as U.S. attorney for Minnesota, will become a partner in the investigations and white-collar defense practice in the Minneapolis office of Jones Day.

The firm, which started in Cleveland and has grown to become the nation's largest by number of attorneys, opened an office in Minneapolis last year.

"I love being a lawyer," Luger said in an interview. "I love practicing law. I get energized by being in court and by representing clients."

He said he will "always cherish" his time as U.S. attorney and added, "Now I have a chance to practice law in the private sector at the highest possible level."

Before he became U.S. attorney in 2014, Luger worked at Minneapolis law firm Greene Espel, where he specialized in civil litigation and white-collar crime defense. He would sometimes conduct internal investigations for clients who suspected wrongdoing within their corporations.

In March, Luger was one of the 46 U.S. attorneys remaining from the Obama administration to be asked to resign by the Trump administration.

As U.S. attorney, Luger supervised several large-scale white-­collar cases, including last year's indictment of a Minnesota attorney and another lawyer accused in a multimillion-dollar extortion fraud scheme involving pornography copyrights. He also pursued a former federal tax court judge charged with tax evasion.

Luger was also well known for his work to solve the Jacob Wetterling case and the prosecution of 11 Twin Cities men charged with plotting to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

Countering terrorism and hate crimes will continue to be a major focus for Luger. He previously said he would help build a network of private-sector groups interested in combating extremism.

"I intend to be involved in work against hate crimes and against violent extremism nationally and internationally, and Jones Day has offices in the cities where I expect to continue to be doing the work," Luger said.

Luger said he chose Jones Day because of its experience with large white-collar crime cases, its international and national presence and collaborative work style.

"Andy Luger is an accomplished trial lawyer with a long track record successfully litigating complex civil and criminal disputes throughout the United States," Brian Easley, partner-in-charge of Jones Day's Minneapolis office, said in a statement. "More importantly, he shares our commitment to exceptional client service and to the local communities where we do business. We are confident that Andy will significantly enhance our practice in the Twin Cities."

Jones Day, which will now have 15 lawyers, recently moved to offices in the Wells Fargo Center.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495

Twitter: @nicolenorfleet