Special to IFN

CHARLOTTE – Russ Ferguson was sworn in Tuesday as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Appointed by Attorney General Pamela Bondi on March 3, Ferguson took the oath of office administered by U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney.

“It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as United States Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina,” Ferguson said. “I am fortunate to be coming into a well-regarded office with some of the best lawyers in North Carolina. I am ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work for the people of my home state. I thank Attorney General Bondi for trusting me to lead this office, and I pledge to serve with utmost integrity and dedication.”

As U.S. Attorney, Ferguson serves as the chief federal law enforcement officer in the Western District, responsible for representing the United States in all civil and criminal litigations. Ferguson leads an office of nearly 100 federal prosecutors and support personnel, serving 32 counties across western North Carolina, including the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, the largest Native American community in the eastern United States.

Ferguson brings 16 years of significant legal experience to his new role. He began his legal career as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where he tried 28 cases to verdict. Before his appointment as U.S. Attorney, Ferguson was a partner at the international law firm of Womble Bond Dickinson, where he led the firm’s complex litigation group and handled complex civil and criminal cases. Ferguson’s work included representing clients in high-profile and complex criminal and civil trials, as well as in international arbitrations before a number of world arbitral bodies.

Ferguson has held leadership roles with the Mecklenburg County Bar, which honored him with an award for Best Individual Attorney for his pro bono service. He has been named to Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, North Carolina Business Elite, and received the Charlotte Business Journal’s Forty Under Forty Award. Ferguson has also served as a speaker and panelist for local and national events and has published numerous articles on topics related to civil and criminal law.

He received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and earned his law degree and a masters of law from Georgetown University Law Center. After law school,Ferguson clerked for Judge Frank D. Whitney in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.