Alicia O'Brien, partner with King & Spalding. (Courtesy photo)

Alicia O'Brien, who held senior positions in the Department of Justice between 2013 and 2017, has joined King & Spalding as a partner in the firm's government investigations group in Washington. For the past two and a half years, she was a partner in Venable's D.C. office.

O'Brien brings to King & Spalding experience advising Fortune 500 companies, global organizations and CEOs on government investigations and oversight, according to the firm. She is also an expert on internal investigations and public policy crisis management challenges.

Before entering private practice at Venable at the beginning of 2017, O'Brien served as deputy assistant attorney general for the Office of Legislative Affairs and as an associate deputy attorney general working under U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, who rejoined King & Spalding in 2017 after being fired by President Donald Trump.

In an interview, O'Brien said King & Spalding has a well-earned reputation in the investigations space, and the strength of that practice area attracted her to the firm.

"There is a small group of lawyers who do this work in D.C., so [King & Spaldings's] team is well respected and has a great reputation," she said, noting that in addition to its strong platform dealing with congressional investigations, the firm was also focused on growing its expertise in state and federal investigations.

O'Brien added that King & Spalding's strength in the investigations space will be helpful in the months to come: There's been a significant uptick in congressional investigations, especially since the House of Representatives flipped from Republican to Democratic control in the 2018 midterm elections, and state attorneys general also busier than ever—a factor O'Brien said she doesn't see changing anytime soon.

"This is high-risk, high-profile work, and business and organizations recognize that," she said. "This is a highly esteemed firm doing really interesting work."

Wick Sollers, who heads the firm's government matters practice group, praised O'Brien in a statement, citing her experience working on investigations of all sizes.

"Alicia's practice fits squarely within our congressional, federal and state investigations capabilities in Washington, D.C.," he said.

Mark Jensen, managing partner of the firm's D.C. office, added that O'Brien's background working in the capital city makes her a valuable asset to clients around the world.

"Alicia is a talent, and when added to our world-class investigations platform, her expertise navigating the D.C.-driven enforcement process will be immensely valuable to our multi-national clients," he said in a statement.