Chris Christie sets up law firm, Rudy Giuliani says he's sent him clients

Dustin Racioppi | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Christie on Trump hiring Flynn: 'I had serious misgivings' Governor Christie says he had serious concerns about President Trump's transition after the hiring of Gen. Mike Flynn. Christie spoke at a press conference in Trenton on Wednesday, December 6, 2017.

Chris Christie has opened a law firm and Rudy Giuliani, a long-time mentor and attorney for President Donald Trump, says he's sent New Jersey's former governor clients, The Record and NorthJersey.com has learned.

Christie, nearing the end of his formal transition out of state government, established a new practice based in his Morris County hometown.

It is not clear what type of law Christie is practicing, but Giuliani, the former New York City mayor now working on Trump's legal team in the special counsel investigation, said in an interview with The Record and NorthJersey.com he has referred two former clients to Christie. Before representing Trump, Giuliani worked for the Greenberg Traurig law firm.

Christie did not return messages seeking comment. A representative denied that Giuliani sent legal work his way.

"Gov. Christie has not been referred any clients from Mayor Giuliani," spokesman Pete Sheridan said in an email.

Earlier this week Christie refuted reporting in The Washington Post, citing Giuliani, that he was willing to work with Trump's legal team in preparation for a possible interview with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating possible Russian collusion with the Trump campaign in the 2016 election.

"The WaPo story tonight saying I have been asked to help prepare @realDonaldTrump for any interview with Bob Mueller is dead wrong. I have not been asked by anyone to do anything of the sort. The story is wrong," Christie said on Twitter.

The WaPo story tonight saying I have been asked to help prepare @realDonaldTrump for any interview with Bob Mueller is dead wrong. I have not been asked by anyone to do anything of the sort. The story is wrong. — Governor Christie (@GovChristie) June 5, 2018

On Friday, Sheridan said that "Gov. Christie does not have any comment beyond his tweet from 6/4/18."

The Christie Law Firm

Despite persistent speculation that Christie may be in line for a job in the Trump Administration, he appears to be moving in another direction as he had indicated he would while still in office.

He joined ABC News as a political analyst and legal contributor in January, shortly after leaving office.

In April, The Christie Law Firm was registered with the state Office of Attorney Ethics. The firm's address is registered to Christie's home in Mendham. Christie has an attorney identification number and his law license is in good standing, according to state records.

A phone number is also listed for the firm, with a voice message greeting that sounds like Christie.

Christie and Giuliani are both former federal prosecutors who know each other and the president well.

Giuliani said in an interview that he views Christie as a "viable guy for a lot of things" in the administration, but given Trump's open dissatisfaction with Attorney General Jeff Sessions, he thinks Christie is well suited for the chief law enforcement officer position "in particular."

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"He’s my No. 1 candidate. I don’t know if he wants it. He may be too involved with his law practice," Giuliani said. But, he added, "I see him also as a guy who has unlimited possibilities in the second term."

Trump has shown an interest in Christie as well, having vetted and considered him as his running mate and naming him to lead his presidential transition. He also had Christie lead an opioid commission that delivered recommendations for the administration to consider in the nation's heroin and opioid crisis.

By opening his own firm, Christie is returning to his original trade before his career in state politics. He earned his law degree from Seton Hall University and worked on securities and election law as a partner at the Cranford firm Dughi, Hewit and Palatucci (now Dughi, Hewit and Domalewski).

As U.S. attorney for New Jersey from 2002 to 2008, Christie focused on public corruption and made his name convicting or extracting guilty pleas from dozens of public officials of both parties.

Christie spoke openly as his tenure wound down that he planned to return to the private sector and earn far more than the $175,000 salary he was afforded as governor. A law practice, coupled with his earnings with ABC, could easily help him achieve that goal.

But as the former governor, Christie will have to adhere to certain rules outlined by the state judiciary.

According to the Rules of Professional Conduct, a lawyer "who formerly has served as a government lawyer or public officer or employee of the government" is barred from representing clients in matters in which he "participated personally and substantially" or "had substantial responsibility" over while in that government position.

Former government employees also can't use "information relating to a private party or information that the lawyer knows is confidential government information about a person acquired by the lawyer while serving as a government lawyer or public officer or employee of the government," nor can he represent clients who might benefit from that confidential information.

The rules also say that for six months, former government employees cannot represent clients in any matter in which "the interests of the private party are materially adverse to the appropriate government agency."

Christie, a Republican, left office Jan. 16 when Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy was sworn in. Christie has since set up a transition office in Morristown and, as of the end of May, had spent nearly $150,000 in taxpayer funds for rent, office supplies and his gubernatorial portrait, according to treasury documents. Outgoing governors are granted a transition account of $250,000 to pay for up to six months of expenses.

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