U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn.

Trial boutique Wilkinson Walsh + Eskovitz has brought on a former prosecutor from the Brooklyn U.S. Attorney's Office who led the high-profile investigation and prosecution of Nxivm figures.

Moira Penza joined the boutique Tuesday as a partner in its New York office. In joining Wilkinson Walsh, founded in 2016, she is reuniting with colleagues she previously worked with at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

Penza was most recently a federal prosecutor in the Eastern District of New York for four and a half years, primarily in the organized crime and gangs unit. She was also a human trafficking coordinator for the office.

She led the investigation and trial of Keith Raniere, the leader of the purported self-help group Nxivm who was charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and other crimes. Following a six-week trial, during which Penza served as first chair for the government, Raniere was convicted in June of all charges.

Before joining the US. Attorney's Office in March 2015, Penza worked for over six years as an associate at Paul Weiss, where she handled products liability, mass tort, securities and other complex civil and corporate litigation matters. While at Paul Weiss, she worked on high-profile litigation cases with Beth Wilkinson and Alexandra Walsh, who ultimately left the New York firm to help form the boutique.

In an interview, Penza said that after finishing the Raniere trial this year, she felt she had accomplished a meaningful case for the office and "it just felt like the right time for me" to explore career options.

"I kind of grew up with Beth and Alex and learned to try cases in that environment," she said. "To have an opportunity to come in as a partner [at Wilkinson Walsh], there is nothing better that I could imagine."

Penza said she was also attracted to the boutique "having seen firsthand [the founders'] commitment to advancing women," and she added that Wilkinson Walsh offered an environment "where you can lawyer at the highest levels and be committed to your family."

Penza declined to describe her pay arrangements, but when asked if her pay at the boutique was just as competitive as larger firms, she said, "Absolutely, if not better."

Wilkinson Walsh has tripled its size since its founding in March 2016, growing to nearly 45 lawyers, including about 12 partners today, Wilkinson said in an interview. While the firm's head count may fluctuate, "we don't intend to get materially larger," she said. "We want to stay as a boutique."

The boutique has had 15 trials in the past three and a half years, Wilkinson said. "We have more work than we can handle," she said.