The Big Four accounting firms are increasingly interested in hiring legal talent, both internationally and in targeted areas in the U.S. But that hasn't stopped a steady stream of attorneys from moving in the opposite direction.

Baker & Hostetler this week became the latest Big Law firm to announce a reverse move, hiring a former sector leader for banking and capital markets clients from EY's tax practice. While the accounting giants may be holding off on providing a full suite of legal services in the U.S. because of perceived regulatory barriers, their tax practices are stocked with attorneys. And they are not adverse to returning to law firms, as these latest moves show.

Roger Brown

Roger Brown, who is joining Baker & Hostetler's Washington, D.C., office as a partner in its international tax practice, spent a decade with EY. His work there on behalf of U.S. and international businesses mirrors what a transactional attorney at a traditional law firm might boast: multibillion-dollar restructurings, raising capital for global technology and blockchain companies, conducting due diligence for foreign targets, and structuring tax-efficient financing.