Andre Birotte Jr.

Government

As the first African-American U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, Birotte already made history. But it is through the opportunity to bring new energy, fresh insights and a morale-boosting attitude to the office that Birotte is likely to make his mark on the Central District. Though he is returning to a familiar outpost where he spent years as a line prosecutor, his job of burnishing the office's credentials as a powerhouse will be anything but comfortable. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles have suffered an embarrassing string of defeats in recent years, from the implosion of the Broadcom Corp. stock option backdating case to the failed prosecution of grocery magnate George Torres to the loss in the MySpace Inc. cyber-bullying trial. To succeed, Birotte must right the ship, along with all 250 attorneys, and win the next few high-profile cases. In the first weeks of his tenure, the office snagged a major victory at trial when a jury convicted former KB Home CEO Bruce Karatz for obstruction of justice. Balancing the demand for more white collar criminal prosecutions and a need to keep up the heat on organized gang activity, means he has a tight rope to walk. But he has already shown he's up to the challenge.