Jonathan Bach of Shapiro Arato Bach (courtesy photo)

The partner-in-charge of Cooley's New York office, Jonathan Bach, has left the San Francisco-founded firm to join litigation boutique Shapiro Arato as a name partner.

With his addition this week, the 10-lawyer boutique has changed its name to Shapiro Arato Bach. Bach, 56, is married to Alexandra Shapiro, who founded the firm in 2009 along with Cynthia Arato.

Bach, who focuses on white-collar criminal defense and business litigation, said he had a “terrific experience” at Cooley, “but the idea of joining a boutique that specialized in litigation at such a high level really appealed to me.” Meanwhile, practicing law with his wife was something “we've always talked about,” he said.

Shapiro and Bach met around 1993 when they were young lawyers in Washington, D.C. She was clerking for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and he was an associate at Williams & Connolly. They went on to different firms and career paths, with Bach becoming a federal public defender and Shapiro a federal prosecutor. Later on, she was a Latham & Watkins partner, while he joined a firm about 14 years ago that became Cooley. He has served as partner-in-charge of Cooley's New York office for more than four years.

“Having cases together is something we've always talked about, whether that could be a reality depended on what stage we were at in our careers,” Bach said. “As time has gone, this option has become more attractive and meaningful.”

“I wasn't specifically looking to leave [Cooley] or engaged in any kind of job search. This was a maturation of an idea that we've had for some time,” he added.

While flexibility in billing rates and lack of conflicts make the boutique model attractive, Bach said that was not the deciding factor. “It's the quality of work and the pure litigation environment that makes it so appealing,” he said.

Shapiro and Arato go further back. They met when they were law school classmates at Columbia University. Arato helped found the boutique in 2009 after leaving Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher.

The litigation boutique, launched with four attorneys, now has 10 lawyers focusing on complex commercial, trial, white-collar defense and appellate work. The firm, celebrating its 10th anniversary, plans to add more associates this year.

Arato said Bach's addition is a “great complement to the practice we've already successfully built” while adding depth in trial expertise. “We anticipate we'll be more active in taking cases to trial,” she said.

Shapiro added, “We have a strong trial capability, but I think Jonathan can help us take it to the next level.”

Bach said some clients are joining him at the boutique, others are staying at Cooley, while he and Cooley with will work together on other client cases.

Over his career, Bach has represented individuals and companies in criminal matters and regulatory investigations. He represented former Mayer Brown partner Joseph Collins, who was convicted in 2012 of helping top executives at Refco conceal a $2.4 billion fraud. According to public records, he defended Lumber Liquidators in securities class action and consumer class action litigation and represented the former vice president of finance of Adelphia Communications Co. in a grand jury investigation of securities fraud and bank fraud.

In his pro bono practice, he obtained in 2007 the acquittal of David Lemus in a high-profile murder trial in New York.

With his departure from Cooley, Kathleen Pakenham has become partner-in-charge of the firm's New York office. She has served as co-chairwoman of Cooley's tax practice group and on the firm's management committee.

A Cooley representative said the firm wishes Bach well. “We're thankful to Jonathan for all that he has done for the firm over his career, and especially for his past four years serving as partner-in-charge of our New York office,” the representative said.