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Washington Wrap is a weekly look at the biggest legal industry news and Big Law moves shaping the legal business in Washington, D.C. Send tips and lateral moves to Ryan Lovelace at [email protected].

The FBI's top congressional liaison left government for a gig in Big Law as lawmakers on the Hill continue their investigation of Russian meddling into the 2016 election.

Greg Brower, who was brought into the bureau by former FBI Director James Comey, left the FBI last week and joined Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck this week. Brower said that his old boss' firing by President Donald Trump did not contribute to his decision to leave the FBI to become a partner in Brownstein's litigation department.

Brower, a former U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada who also served as legislative counsel at Main Justice, will split his time at Brownstein between Nevada and D.C. His practice at Brownstein will focus on civil and criminal litigation, investigative matters, cybersecurity, and government affairs at the federal and state levels.

“Brownstein is a firm that I've known for quite some time, I have some friends and former colleagues in both the Washington and Nevada offices, and so they've been on my radar and I guess I've been on their radar for quite some time just through those relationships,” Brower said. “[A]bout a year ago [I] moved over to take on the FBI's congressional Affairs office and wasn't really necessarily planning on returning to private practice at this time. Because of the relationships I had with Brownstein, one thing led to another and I was persuaded to take advantage of an offer to join them and so here we are.”

Brower said he “wasn't necessarily even looking” for a new job in the private sector when Brownstein made him an offer he would not refuse.

Brower joined the FBI in 2016 and has worked within the bureau addressing lawmakers' inquiries about the FBI's handling of investigations involving Russian meddling in the 2016 elections and in failed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's private email server. Despite Comey's firing and the firing of acting-Director Andrew McCabe, Brower said morale at the FBI is “outstanding.”

Brower left the FBI on March 30 and began work at Brownstein on Tuesday. He said “the whole thing wasn't as sudden as it might seem,” and that he worked with FBI Director Christopher Wray on some succession planning. But, Brower said, he remained “unclear” on whether anyone had been named to replace him.

Law Firm Moves, News and Notes:

Acting general counsel for the Department of Defense Robert Taylor has joined Hogan Lovells' government contracts and public procurement practice as senior counsel in Washington

Taylor, who also served as the Defense Department's principal deputy general counsel for eight years, will represent clients on issues of national security, cybersecurity, energy and environmental law.

He said he made the move to Big Law because of the changeover in administrations from former President Barack Obama to Trump. “A lot of people didn't realize that mine was a political position,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he was confident in the thorough professionalism of career officials working at the Defense Department and praised Defense Secretary James Mattis and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Taylor said he was attracted to Hogan Lovells because it was a supportive and encouraging environment for his practice. From his new vantage point outside government, Taylor said he thinks a key challenge for his clients will be the Defense Department's recognition of how the private sector's innovations and technological advances can “fulfill military needs.”

Morris, Manning, & Martin's Washington office has added a government contracts practice and poached a group of intellectual property attorneys from Andrews Kurth Kenyon, following that firm's merger with Hunton & Williams.

Morris Manning's new hires in the IP practice include partners Ping Wang, Michael Ye, of counsel John Murray, and patent agents Peter Brunovskis, Qiang Li and F. Pierre VanderVegt—all having Andrews Kurth pedigrees. Wang, who is also a medical doctor, worked at Morris Manning nearly a decade ago.

“Returning to MMM was the best decision for our team,” Wang said in a statement. “MMM's business model allows us to shift and accommodate to client needs and to deliver quality work without the rigidness of big law firms. Their approach to attract top talent provides an efficient and focused environment.”

Morris Manning's new government contracts practice will be led by partner Andrew Mohr and of counsel C. Kelly Kroll, formerly of Cohen Mohr.

Speaking of strong lateral hires in the intellectual property realm, Kasowitz Benson Torres has recruited Daniel Miller as special counsel in the firm's intellectual property litigation group in Washington.

Miller previously worked as principal senior counsel for the Virginia-based technology company MicroStrategy Inc. after spending nearly seven years at Google as patent litigation counsel, where he frequently worked with Kasowitz attorneys.

Steptoe & Johnson has added Wesley Heath as of counsel to the firm's energy group in Washington. Heath worked for nearly a decade as a litigator and investigator in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's office of enforcement before making the move to the private sector.

At Steptoe, Heath will represent clients on matters involving the FERC, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice and several other agencies.

“In returning to private practice, my goal was to find a firm with considerable capabilities in investigations, enforcement, and regulatory compliance. Steptoe checked all the boxes,” Heath said in a statement. “Not only does it have an esteemed energy practice, but it also has a deep bench of talented and experienced lawyers in its litigation and securities enforcement practices.”

Former IRS attorney-adviser Ryan Kelly is joining Alston & Bird as a partner in the firm's Washington, D.C., office.

Kelly's addition will enhance Alston & Bird's federal and international tax offerings as last year's tax reforms present new challenges for clients in 2018. Kelly is also an adjunct law professor at Georgetown University Law Center and an active member of the Federal Bar Association tax section's steering committee.

Shearman & Sterling has added Lyle Roberts as a partner in the firm's litigation group in Washington.

Roberts, previously a partner at Cooley, will represent companies, officers and others in securities cases and SEC enforcement matters. He successfully represented Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association franchise Dallas Mavericks, in the outspoken businessman's battle with the SEC in an insider trading case when Roberts worked at Dewey & LeBoeuf.