Samuel Ramer of Norton Rose Fulbright.

Samuel Ramer has left the White House counsel's office for Norton Rose Fulbright in Washington, D.C., the firm announced Monday.

Ramer had been senior associate counsel to President Donald Trump since December 2017, after spending the first year of the Trump administration at Main Justice. He was acting assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs in 2017 and had responsibility for helping prepare the U.S. attorney general and deputy attorney general for their appearances on the Hill.

He said he had the opportunity to do everything he wanted during his time in the administration, which included working on the Supreme Court nomination process for Justice Neil Gorsuch from Main Justice and working on Justice Brett Kavanaugh's nomination from the White House.

“You don't have to have an excuse to want to work here,” Ramer said of trading the White House for Norton Rose Fulbright. “The people here are very impressive. … I love the work they do, so I'm very lucky to be a part of this.”

He declined to say who would take over his portfolio in the White House, which included a variety of matters involving compliance and ethics, overseeing some litigation, and the vetting work on the nominations of federal judges.

As he enters Norton Rose as partner, Ramer indicated he expects the partisan divide in Congress to serve his practice.

“All signs point to an increase in congressional and government investigations for the foreseeable future,” he said in a statement. “This is the perfect time to combine my capabilities in Washington with that of Norton Rose Fulbright's tremendous team of investigations lawyers.”

Prior to his time in the Trump administration, Ramer was general counsel and vice president of government relations for nearly three years at Symplicity Corp., a software company. He helped shepherd the Arlington, Virginia, based company through government investigations and to a sale to H.I.G. Capital, a private equity investment firm.

Ramer also has experience as a lawyer on both the Senate and House Judiciary Committees and as a prosecutor, an assistant U.S. attorney in D.C. and an assistant district attorney in New York.

Richard Krumholz, Norton Rose's U.S. head of dispute resolution and litigation, said in a statement that Ramer's prosecution of “dozens of criminal cases to jury verdicts” would enhance the firm's litigation offerings in the government investigations and white-collar arena.

“Sam is an immediate asset to our global regulations and investigations teams with his valuable insight,” said Daryl Lansdale, Norton Rose's U.S. managing partner, in a statement. “His deep and extensive experience in our nation's capital will be of great benefit to our clients and his new colleagues.”

The White House Counsel's office and Main Justice have both seen heavy turnover in recent months, with three different people serving as White House counsel and three different people serving as attorney general or acting attorney general since the start of 2018. Donald McGahn recently rejoined Jones Day after leaving as White House Counsel, and his immediate successor Emmet Flood, who served as the temporary bridge to Pat Cipollone's tenure in the position, is heading for the exit as well. Flood is a former Williams & Connolly partner, and the firm has yet to comment about whether or when he will return.