French will step down as SU's senior vice president and general counsel effective July 1, 2023. French, who first joined SU as a law student in the early 1990s, will return to full-time private practice at the Barclay Damon law firm, where he remained a partner during his years with the university. His departure from SU will be effective July 1, 2023. French earned his law degree from Syracuse University’s College of Law in 1995, and a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1987. Before entering private practice, he served as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York after he was nominated to that position by President Bill Clinton in 1999. In that role, he served as chief federal law enforcement officer for 32 of New York’s 62 counties. He also served as an assistant U.S. attorney from 1997 to 1999, as law clerk for the U.S. District Court from 1995 to 1997, and in various roles from 1988 to 1994 in the U.S. Senate. Barclay Damon said French will work from its New York City and Syracuse offices, representing clients on a wide array of matters.