Perkins Coie Adds NY Governor’s Office Special Counsel Adam H. Schuman

Perkins Coie announced that Adam H. Schuman has joined the firm’s White Collar & Investigations practice group as a partner in the New York office.

Schuman has experience as a former general counsel, federal prosecutor, law firm attorney and federal law clerk. He joins the firm from the New York State Executive Chamber, where he served as Special Counsel for Public Integrity for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.

In a release, the firm said:

A seasoned litigator with more than 25 years’ experience, Adam has been at the focal point of some of the most highly publicized investigations and cases in the country, including serving as lead prosecutor in a securities fraud and money laundering trial arising out of the boiler room depicted in the film “The Wolf of Wall Street,” managing as senior in-house counsel the defense of Standard & Poor’s against multiple domestic and international government investigations and private litigations coming out of the 2008 financial crisis and, as a member of Governor Cuomo’s senior staff, advising the Executive Chamber on ethics, risk and compliance matters. As a result of Adam’s efforts as a federal prosecutor, he was awarded the Director’s Award for Superior Performance from the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Adam is a highly respected and experienced litigator and trial attorney,” said Markus Funk, Chair of Perkins Coie’s White Collar & Investigations practice. “His prosecution and high-stakes defense background, coupled with his in-house and public sector experience, is an ideal match with our culture of professional excellence. We are excited to have him on our team.”

Before joining the Governor’s office in 2016, Adam began his career in public service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of New York. He then spent 12 years at McGraw-Hill/Standard & Poor’s, including as Executive Managing Director and Chief Legal Officer. The year prior to his tenure with the Governor’s office, Adam served as General Counsel for New York State Homes and Community Renewal, where he oversaw a legal team of more than 100 attorneys. Before that, Adam was a lawyer with the New York firms Paul Weiss and Corbin Silverman & Sanseverino and served as a law clerk to U.S. District Judge Loretta A. Preska in the Southern District of New York.

“Adam is admired by his peers nationally and in the New York legal market, and he brings an impressive list of credentials,” said Keith Miller, Managing Partner of Perkins Coie’s New York office. “As a former federal prosecutor, his addition complements the strategic growth of our New York office.”

Adam will focus his practice on representing and counseling companies through criminal and civil investigations and complex government, regulatory and compliance matters, including investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Senate and House committees and State Attorneys General. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law and received his B.A., with Honors, from Swarthmore College.