Sean Berkowitz

"Federal prosecutor and Chicago-area native Sean Berkowitz on Wednesday joined the Chicago office of Latham & Watkins, selecting a national law firm with California roots over more established firms in the city. Berkowitz, 39, garnered national attention and became one of the most sought after lawyers after he secured the fraud convictions this year of Enron Corp. executives Kenneth Lay and Jeffrey Skilling. He was an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago before being named, in 2003, to a special task force investigating the Enron corporate scandal. In an interview with the Tribune, Berkowitz said he was attracted to Latham & Watkins because it offered him a chance to build a national and international litigation practice and still live in Chicago. He said he also liked the firm's team-oriented atmosphere, a culture where partners set aside 15 percent of the annual profits to share with top performers. "There are a ton of great firms in Chicago," Berkowitz said. "I could have been happy and successful at any of them. But ultimately it's a gut call of what feels right for my personality." Berkowitz was hotly pursued by a number of Chicago-based firms, including Kirkland & Ellis and DLA Piper. Another national firm, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, made a strong run at Berkowitz to anchor a Chicago office it plans to open later this year. Berkowitz said he turned down more money to become an equity partner at Latham & Watkins. While he declined to disclose his yearly salary, the average partner compensation at Latham & Watkins in 2005 was $1.4 million, according to a published report."