Mayer Brown Adds Tom Perez, Former Presidential Adviser and Labor Secretary

Mayer Brown has added Tom Perez, a former labor secretary and presidential adviser as well as the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, as a partner in its litigation and dispute and public policy and government affairs practices, the firm said Friday.

The 28th-ranked firm in the latest Am Law 100 rankings, Mayer Brown has remained active on the government lateral market lately, bringing on multiple practice leaders in Washington, D.C. over the last month with national security expertise. The firm’s leader said in a statement that it’s part of their “tradition of attracting the nation’s most respected government leaders to our partnership.”

Perez’s experience in government, said Mayer Brown chair Jon Van Gorp, “combined with his wide-ranging legal skills, will be invaluable to our clients navigating today’s complex policy environment.”

That experience includes serving as U.S. labor secretary and assistant attorney general for civil rights under President Barack Obama. He served as a senior adviser and director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs under President Joe Biden. He was chair of the DNC from 2017 to 2021.

Perez, based in Washington, D.C., spent the bulk of his career at the Department of Justice, serving as a prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division during both Republican and Democratic administrations. As assistant attorney general for civil rights, Tom oversaw enforcement of a range of civil rights laws, including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and also worked closely with State Attorneys General on enforcement issues, Mayer Brown said.

Perez, who arrived at Mayer Brown earlier this month in time for a partner retreat, left the government on Jan. 20, during the Biden-Trump transition. He said he was attracted to Mayer Brown because he already knew several of its lawyers who have past government or political experience, including Raj De, Lee Rubin and Matthew (Mac) Bernstein.

Despite his own strong Democratic ties, Perez said Mayer Brown is “a bipartisan firm and a problem-solving firm” which works hard to find common ground. “That’s what our clients are looking for,” he said. “The fact that we have ideological diversity is something that really helps us.

Perez said he’s uniquely positioned to hit the ground running at Mayer Brown, given his recent mix of experience working with governors and mayors on infrastructure projects, his experience and knowledge related to labor and civil rights laws, and his experience as a prosecutor.

And as universities are navigating issues around federal grants under the Trump administration, “there’s a lot of demand for lawyers who understand civil rights law” and for those who can provide guidance, he said, adding Mayer Brown has a history of advising universities.

“I feel like I can add value to what are frankly some challenging legal issues” for many universities and colleges, he said.

“I have a lot of fresh relationships with various people in the higher ed space and also in the state AG space, so as we navigate many of these challenges,” he said, he’s optimistic he and Mayer Brown can help.

He added that he spent the last six months of the Biden administration working with governors and mayors on clean energy and infrastructure projects—projects that won’t go away, no matter the administration. “Replacing bridges isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s a community issue,” he said.

De, a member of Mayer Brown’s management committee, noted that Perez's "extensive experience in federal, state and local government, along with his understanding of labor and civil rights issues, will enable him to serve a wide array of clients on a range of matters.”

Reprinted with permission from the May 16th edition of The American Lawyer © 2025 ALM Properties, Inc. All rights reserved. Further duplication without permission is prohibited.