King & Spalding has announced that Scott Ferber, Counsel for Cyber Investigations in the National Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, has returned to the firm as a partner on the Data, Privacy & Security team in the Washington, D.C., office.

Ferber worked at the Department of Justice (DOJ) since 2008 and was an associate at King & Spalding for several years prior. As Counsel for Cyber Investigations, Ferber developed and led the DOJ’s most sensitive national security cyber investigations. He worked with prosecutors in U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country on high-level cases, and with corporations, in-house attorneys and outside counsel in a wide array of industries to promote cybersecurity awareness, encourage cooperation in investigations and minimize known and suspected vulnerabilities.

“Scott’s knowledge of threat vectors and experience with cybersecurity challenges across numerous industries uniquely positions him to support our clients and expand our team,” said Phyllis Sumner, head of King & Spalding’s Data, Privacy & Security team, which is part of the firm’s Government Matters practice. “He’ll be a vital part of our work counseling clients on proactive cybersecurity programs, incident response preparedness, data breach litigation and government investigations.”

Before his latest role at the DOJ, Ferber served as Associate Deputy Attorney General, providing counsel to the Deputy Attorney General and Attorney General on a range of significant matters, with special emphasis on cyber and national security, and was the DOJ’s lead on White House and interagency policy groups addressing cyber incident response, cyber legislation, and national security issues. Ferber also previously served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, Ga., where he prosecuted some of the country’s earliest and most significant cybercrime cases.

“This year, the D.C. office has added a talented roster of lawyers across areas of strength for the firm, from government investigations and litigation to trade, to corporate leveraged finance and now data privacy and security,” said Mark Jensen, managing partner of the Washington, D.C., office. “We are excited to welcome Scott as he will be an important resource for clients who may become targets of cyber attacks for their trade secrets and intellectual property.”

Ferber received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and earned his J.D. from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.