Womble Bond Dickinson has added a former high-ranking attorney at the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security to lead its white-collar and investigations practice, the firm announced Monday.

Joe Whitley, who joins as a partner in the firm's Atlanta office and will also spend time in Washington, D.C., spent the last seven years as the chair of Baker Donelson's government enforcement and investigations practice. Prior to that, he served as the first general counsel in the Department of Homeland Security and as acting associate attorney general under the Reagan and first Bush administrations. He also had stints as the U.S. attorney for Georgia's Middle and Northern districts.