Justin V. Shur, former Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section at the Department of Justice, is taking a position as a partner at MoloLamken LLP, a litigation boutique.
Justin Shur
Shur joined the department in 2008 and supervised more than 30 federal prosecutors during his tenure.
He also received the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished service for his work on the Jack Abramoff investigation in 2011. Among his top cases was former White House federal procurement official David Safavian, an Abramoff associate who was convicted in connection with the lobbying scandal.
Shur also played a role in some politically controversial prosecutions notable for their beginnings in local U.S. Attorney offices before being taken over by Public Integrity Section lawyers from Washington.
Those cases include the criminal prosecution of former Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidate John Edwards for alleged misuse of campaign funds. Edwards has called the prosecution politically motivated. The U.S. Attorney who started it, George E. B. Holding, had ties to the conservative network of the late Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), a political enemy of Edwards. After indicting Edwards, Holding quit his prosecuting post to launch a bid for Congress.
Shur also helped lead a public corruption prosecution in Alabama alleging that state lawmakers were bribed to advance legislation to legalize electronic bingo. A trial last summer ended in two acquittals and a hung jury, and the trial judge calling the government witnesses racists. Local observers grumbled that the Washington lawyers had pushed aside the local prosecutors.
Before joining the department, Shur worked at Kobre & Kim LLP, representing clients in criminal and regulatory civil matters. He also previously worked as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, serving as lead counsel in more than 20 jury trials.
“While I will miss working with my colleagues at the Justice Department, I am thrilled to join MoloLamken’s deep bench of talented lawyers,” Shur said in a news release.
MoloLamken LLP specializes in white collar criminal defense, U.S. Supreme Court and appellate cases and regulatory matters.
