Dr. Lev Dassin

Biography

Lev Dassin is a Lecturer at Columbia Law School, focusing on complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense matters. Before joining academia, he was a partner at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton and served as the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York from December 2008 to August 2009. In this role, he was responsible for overseeing criminal and civil litigation on behalf of the U.S., supervising over 220 assistant U.S. attorneys, and managing high-profile prosecutions, including those of Bernard Madoff and Marc Dreier. He also played a critical role in national security and terrorism cases. Prior to his role as Acting U.S. Attorney, Dassin was the Deputy United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney's Office. He has extensive experience in private practice, representing corporations and individuals in complex litigation, and has worked on investigations involving the Department of Justice and the U.S. Securities Exchange Commission. Dassin served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney from 1992 to 1998, where he prosecuted a variety of cases, including terrorism, racketeering, and white-collar crimes, notably as the lead prosecutor in the investigation of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. He has received multiple honors for his service, including the Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service and Exceptional Service.

Research Interests

Courses