With a handful of former US Department of Justice prosecutors moving to London law firms, Caroline Thorpe finds out how their colourful careers give them an advantage in the UK market, and asks whether it's a trend that's set to continue

They are the US attorneys who have taken down Mafia bosses, extracted multimillion-dollar settlements from industry giants and brought white collar criminals to justice. They have seen more witness statements than hot dinners, thrown the book at corrupt officials and persuaded bit-part players to inform on their criminal masters. Now they have entered a new arena: London.

The career path from US Department of Justice (DoJ) criminal prosecutor to highly paid corporate defence lawyer is well-established in the US. These lawyers share prestigious pedigrees: the 93 US Attorney's Offices are reputed to recruit the brightest legal minds to work as federal prosecutors. And the experience they gain prosecuting stands them in good stead when they make the switch to private practice.