Desiree “Desi” Grace, who until recently served as First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, is rejoining McCarter & English as a partner in the firm’s Newark office.
On July 22, the U.S. District Court judges selected Grace as the U.S Attorney from New Jersey, voting not to retain President Donald Trump’s pick, Alina Habba. Habba was set to reach the maximum 120-day limit to serve as interim U.S. Attorney at 11:59 PM on Friday, July 25, and needed either a vote of the U.S. Senate to confirm her nomination or the support of the state’s federal judges to continue.
But two days later, Grace was fired, Habba resigned as interim U.S. Attorney, and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi named her First Assistant. That allowed her to become the acting U.S. Attorney – at least until a court challenge to her legal standing is heard by the Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in two weeks.
Grace’s nearly nine-year tenure as a federal prosecutor included leadership roles across multiple divisions. She oversaw violent crime, narcotics, and gang prosecutions before shifting to economic and cybercrime cases. As Criminal Division Chief and later First Assistant, she supervised hundreds of prosecutors and thousands of cases, including high-profile investigations into racketeering and healthcare fraud.
“It’s special to be returning home to McCarter, reuniting with old colleagues and friends, after ten eventful years away,” said Grace. “I look forward to beginning this new chapter and applying my trial and litigation experience to our clients’ needs.”
At McCarter & English, Grace will join the firm’s business litigation and investigations practice. Grace began her career as a law clerk to New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner and Judge Morton Greenberg of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, before joining McCarter as a litigation associate.
“We are thrilled to welcome Desi back to McCarter. We recognized her great talent as an associate with the firm at the outset of her career and have been proud to observe the skills and reputation she developed as a federal prosecutor and public servant,” said Joseph Boccassini, McCarter’s firmwide managing partner. “Her talent and commitment will only further strengthen our litigation practices.”
McCarter & English is one of the state’s largest law firms, and the two sons of its founder served as attorney general of New Jersey: Thomas McCarter, a former New Jersey Senate Majority Leader, was nominated as the state’s top law enforcement official in 1902 by Gov. Franklin Murphy. His brother, Robert McCarter, succeeded him after he resigned to become president of the Public Service Corporation (now PSE&G) in 1903.
During the era of Jersey City Mayor Frank Hague, Robert McCarter served as counsel to a legislative committee investigating allegations of voter fraud in Hudson County during the 1930s.
