William M. McSwain Sworn in as United States Attorney

William M. McSwain, who served as a federal prosecutor in Philadelphia before entering private law practice, returned to government service today as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

The Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Lawrence F. Stengel, administered the oath of office to Mr. McSwain, who was nominated by President Trump to serve as U.S. Attorney on December 20, 2017 and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate on March 20, 2018.  A public investiture ceremony will be held at a later date.

“It is a privilege to serve as the Eastern District of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Attorney, and I am deeply grateful to all who have supported my nomination,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain.  “I look forward to working with the dedicated public servants in the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the brave men and women of our law enforcement partners in the pursuit of justice for the people of our District and nation.”

Louis D. Lappen, who for the past 15 months served as Acting U.S. Attorney, will remain with the Office as the Deputy United States Attorney, a senior advisor to U.S. Attorney McSwain.

Prior to his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Mr. McSwain was a partner at the law firm of Drinker Biddle & Reath in the firm’s Philadelphia office.  He served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2006.  Mr. McSwain graduated with honors from Yale University in 1991 and from the Harvard Law School in 2000, where he served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review.  He clerked for the Honorable Marjorie O. Rendell, United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.  Prior to law school, Mr. McSwain served as a U.S. Marine Corps infantry officer and scout/sniper platoon commander.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. McSwain is the chief federal law enforcement officer responsible for all federal criminal prosecutions and civil litigation involving the United States in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, which is one of the nation’s most populous districts with over 5 million people residing within its nine counties (Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties), covering about 4,700 square miles.  Mr. McSwain supervises a staff of approximately 130 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and a similar number of non-attorney support personnel at offices in Philadelphia and Allentown.

Mr. McSwain is the 39th U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, an office that was established in 1789.  He resides in Chester County, PA and is the first Chester County native to hold the position.