By SAMUEL MAULL
Associated Press

NEW YORK - Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey has joined a prestigious Manhattan law firm as a litigation partner, returning to the city where he rose to prominence as a federal judge during nearly two decades on the bench.

Mukasey, 67, Mukasey said Tuesday that he will start officially on Feb. 23. He said his practice will focus on complex internal corporate investigations and governance, independent board reviews and monitorships.

At the firm, Mukasey will join Mary Jo White, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and chair of Debevoise's litigation department.

"We are very excited that Judge Mukasey is joining Debevoise," White said. "His tenures on the bench, at the Justice Department and in private practice have all been characterized by his intelligence, dedication to principle and tireless energy. It is an honor to welcome him to the firm."

Federal rules bar Mukasey from involvement in U.S. government issues for two years, and he may not deal with any Justice Department issue that was pending between November 2007 and January 2009, while he was the nation's chief law-enforcement officer under President George W. Bush.

The law firm's announcement about Mukasey noted that Debevoise's litigation department has more than 280 lawyers, including 11 former assistant U.S. attorneys.

The Bronx-born Mukasey was a federal judge for 18 years for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan. He was the court's chief judge for six years.

He presided over several significant cases, including the terrorism trial of Omar Abdel Rahman, the "Blind Sheik"; a World Trade center attack insurance case; and Padilla v. Rumsfeld, which addressed the detention of a citizen suspected of engaging in terrorism against the U.S.

From 1972 through 1976, Mukasey was an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Mukasey is a graduate of the Yale Law School and Columbia College.

In another law-firm development, New York State's former chief judge, Judith Kaye, has joined the Manhattan firm of Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, one of the nation's largest law firms.

Kaye was a judge for 25 years until her retirement at the end of 2008. Gov. Mario Cuomo appointed her chief judge of the Court of Appeals in 1993, making her the first woman to serve in that position.

Kaye's 15 years in the top spot made her the state judiciary's longest serving chief executive.