(Courtesy photo)

A little more than one year after leaving for the Department of Justice, Matthew Baughman has returned to King & Spalding.

Baughman spent 11 years at the firm before joining DOJ as associate deputy attorney general in April 2018. He rejoined King & Spalding this month as a partner on the firm's special matters and government investigations team in Atlanta.

Matthew Baughman/courtesy photo

Baughman said it was the “right time” for him to transition back to private practice, but would not say whether he had intended to spend more time in government when he joined the Justice Department last year.

In addition to working as associate deputy attorney general, Baughman served as the Justice Department's first director of the task force on market integrity and consumer fraud after its creation in July 2018 with then-U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as its chairman.

Asked about speculation that Baughman and Rosenstein might reunite at King & Spalding, Baughman said he had no idea what Rosenstein's future plans are.

One of Rosenstein's predecessors in the deputy position, Sally Yates, joined King & Spalding after she was fired by President Donald Trump.

“After Matt completed his government service we were hopeful that he would come back to King & Spalding, where he was highly regarded, well liked, and successful,” said Josh Karmin, managing partner of King & Spalding's Atlanta office, in a statement. “Matt will work closely with companies, boards and special committees to respond to cases that question their businesses' practices and their behavior. The firm's Atlanta office has always had an impressive roster of former DOJ officials and expertise, and we are excited once again to add this level of excellence to our office and the firm.”

Baughman said he is “really excited” to be back working with lawyers whom he views as being at the “top of the game.” He said it was a privilege to have served at the DOJ.