Debevoise & Plimpton LLP announces that partner Judge John Gleeson (Ret.), who is a member of the White Collar & Regulatory Defense and Commercial Litigation groups, has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America.

The induction ceremony at which Judge Gleeson became a Fellow took place online before an audience of 670 Fellows during the recent Induction Ceremony at the 2020 Annual Meeting and 70th Anniversary Celebration of the College.

Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only, and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. The College strives to improve and elevate the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the trial profession.

Judge Gleeson served as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York for 22 years. Before being appointed to the bench in 1994, Judge Gleeson was a federal prosecutor for 10 years. He served as Chief of Appeals, Chief of Special Prosecutions, Chief of Organized Crime and Chief of the Criminal Division. He personally tried 20 cases to verdict, argued 25 appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second Circuit, and also argued appeals in Third and Sixth Circuits. Among the numerous high-profile cases he tried, Judge Gleeson was the lead prosecutor in the murder and racketeering convictions of John Gotti and Victor Orena, the bosses of the Gambino and Colombo Families of La Cosa Nostra, respectively. Judge Gleeson received the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award for his service in the Gotti case.

Since joining Debevoise in 2016, Judge Gleeson has argued cases in numerous federal and state courts of appeals, conducted trial proceedings in federal and state courts, appeared in multiple bankruptcy proceedings, acted as both a mediator and arbitrator in commercial disputes, conducted independent investigations, advised boards of directors on corporate governance matters, and provided expert testimony on United States law in multiple foreign tribunals. Judge Gleeson has also been appointed as amicus curiae on three occasions in separate federal courts to argue important issues of federal criminal law and procedure, including to make the argument against the government’s motion to dismiss the prosecution of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.