Interview with Leah Foley, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts
by Miranda Hooker
Women are leading in government and public service. Leah B. Foley, after a twenty-seven year career in public service and government, now serves as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. She was interviewed by Miranda Hooker, a former AUSA and now partner and co-chair of the Government Investigations, Enforcement & White Collar Defense practice group at Goodwin Procter LLP.
Miranda Hooker: Let’s start with your story. Can you share a bit about your personal and professional background and what led you to your current role as U.S. Attorney?
Leah Foley: I grew up in Louisiana and attended law school there. After that, I moved to D.C. When I was in D.C., I worked at a private, small boutique firm while I was also going to Georgetown. Both of the partners at the firm had previously spent stints on Capitol Hill, and both had also been federal prosecutors. Although I wasn’t crazy about being in the criminal defense, white-collar world, I did enjoy the time I spent there and learned a lot from them.
After leaving that firm, I went to Capitol Hill to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I stayed there for four years as counsel and senior counsel to the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee. While there, the largest part of my portfolio was the domestic drug policy portfolio, which included criminal charging, as well as demand reduction and supply reduction. I traveled across the country and the world learning about how different countries were handling drug prosecution and drug trafficking investigations.
After working on Capitol Hill, I went to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C., where I stayed for three years, and then transferred to the District of Massachusetts. In my 19 years here, I was always in the drug trafficking unit. It was, to me, the best unit in the entire office and I just loved every minute I was there.
Miranda Hooker: Was there a particular opportunity or experience that you had during your time as a prosecutor with DOJ that helped set you on a path towards leadership?
Leah Foley: Yes. So about 2013, I was given the opportunity to take over and become the lead prosecutor assigned to the Boston Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. And I was embedded with the other agents and Task Force officers at the Strike Force, which was mostly FBI, DEA and HSI. While I was there, I got to work hand in hand with them in their investigations and lead them during the investigative process. Later, once we would indict, I was involved in the prosecutorial part of it.
I loved mentoring the new attorneys who came into our office and trying to convince them that the work the Task Force did was among the most important in the office. I learned that I loved mentoring younger people, so I applied for and became the deputy chief of the drug unit, which allowed me to continue to mentor people and to help them focus their practice in a more targeted way, but also allowed me to continue my caseload.
Miranda Hooker: So, I know it probably still feels like a very new role to you, but what has been the most interesting or rewarding aspect of being the US Attorney?
Leah Foley: Seeing the breadth of the work that is done across the office, from the civil to the criminal units, is so interesting. I never had this specific information about every single case that is brought by the office, and it’s fascinating to see all of the great work that is done across the office. Having the opportunity to promote and support all the people in the office, whether they’re the prosecutors or administrative staff. It’s very rewarding to be able to support them in the work they do and create an environment that allows them to grow in their positions and take ownership of the work they do and really make them feel like they’re a part of the office.
Miranda Hooker: What has it meant to you to be a woman in this position, and how have you seen women lawyers shape or influence your field specifically?
Leah Foley: I’ve never really thought about it as how to do this job as a woman. I just think about it as how to do the job right. We do have an all-female front office leadership, but that’s not by design. It’s just because they are the most competent people for the job.
The first female partner with whom I worked in D.C. in private practice was a trailblazer and a fierce advocate, sometimes scary to some, but she became my work mom. She taught me how to be tough, fair, and honest and how to have grit, but at the same time, also never lose my charm, because you have to be balanced in everything you do. She was an amazing mentor for me, and we still keep in touch. I think she had a lot to do with how I can be a little direct, well, a lot direct. She definitely was the same way but taught me how to use that as a strength.
Miranda Hooker: Over the course of your career, what changes have you observed in the legal profession, especially in terms of opportunities, representation, or challenges for women?
Leah Foley: Over the last four administrations, three of those administrations have chosen women to be in the U.S. Attorney position here in Boston. Our office is 236 years old. It was founded in 1789, and before then not a single U.S. Attorney had been a woman. So, I think a lot has changed.
As far as challenges go, I no longer see as many challenges that I understand women in prior generations faced. The challenges that were once always considered unique to women seem to have changed as well, like men are also taking paternity leave and contributing more in their family lives. We have in this state, a female governor, a female mayor of the City of Boston, a female attorney general, a female Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court. Our Attorney General of the United States is a female, and you have me. I think that says a lot as far as how women have overcome the challenges.
Miranda Hooker: What advice would you offer to women entering the legal profession today, particularly those who are just beginning their careers or considering public service?
Leah Foley: I think I would say the same thing I say to my kids, which is, pick a job that is going to make you happy. Pick a job that is going to push you so you can grow. And, pick a job that means something to you. You spend so much time at work, and you make so many sacrifices, whether it’s relating to your family or just your personal life, that if you aren’t in a job that is important to you, and matters, it’s not going to be worth it in the end.
I would encourage everyone, including younger women, to consider public service. I’ve always leaned toward that because I find it to be so rewarding, and to serve is meaningful, and it’s also a way to give back to your community.
