A partner in the Litigation Department, Michele Hirshman focuses her practice on white collar defense and regulatory enforcement matters and internal investigations. Prior to joining Paul, Weiss, Ms. Hirshman served for eight years as first deputy attorney general for the State of New York and for 11 years as a federal prosecutor in the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where she was the deputy chief appellate attorney and chief of the General Crimes and Public Corruption Units, leading major investigations and prosecutions of fraud and corruption. She has significant jury trial and appellate court experience, and received the John Marshall Award for Outstanding Legal Achievement from the U.S. Department of Justice. Recent significant matters include:

• the defense of a Hong Kong couple against allegations of insider trading in a high-profile action brought by the SEC;
  
  
• the representation of a founder and former chief operating officer of a public company in connection with an investigation of options backdating by the SEC;
  
  
• the representation of a major pharmaceutical company in an investigation by the Department of Justice; and
  
  
• the representation of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Ms. Hirshman chairs the firm's Public Matters Committee, which is responsible for pro bono and community service activities. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Aid Society and the City Bar Justice Center.

Ms. Hirshman was articles editor of the Yale Law Journal.