Kyle R. Freeny of Greenberg Traurig.

Greenberg Traurig on Monday announced it had hired away a U.S. Department of Justice lawyer who worked closely with Robert Mueller, in the latest addition to its growing white-collar defense and special investigations practice.

Kyle Freeny was one of the 19 prosecutors who worked with Mueller to investigate Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election, as well as possible ties between Russian government officials and the Trump campaign. While on Mueller's team, Freeny took leading roles in investigating bank fraud, money laundering and tax fraud.

According to press reports, Freeny's tenure on the special counsel staff lasted about 13 months, as she joined in September 2017 and left in October 2018. Freeny said her departure from the U.S. government—and her first foray into private practice—seemed like a natural step.

"I may not bring a book of business with me, but I do bring a unique perspective from handling both civil and criminal matters in the Department of Justice that I do think is going to be valuable to clients," Freeny said. "I'm looking forward to helping clients solve problems."

She's the latest Mueller alumna to join private practice in the months since the special counsel's investigation ended. Mueller returned to Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr in October, while others have joined Cooley, O'Melveny & Myers, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and Davis Polk & Wardwell.

Also joining Freeny in Greenberg Traurig's Washington office is Daniel Pulecio-Boek, who comes from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan. Pulecio-Boek, a bilingual lawyer who is also licensed to practice in Colombia, in a press release credited the firm's reputation in Latin America as one of the reasons why he decided to join.

Both Freeny and Pulecio-Boek are joining Greenberg Traurig as shareholders.

Over the past year, Greenberg Traurig has beefed up its white-collar defense and special investigations practice by hiring four former federal prosecutors in its Dallas, Miami, New York and Sacramento offices.

Those hires, along with Freeny and Pulecio-Boek, fulfilled client needs the firm needed to address, said Nathan Muyskens, co-chair of the global white-collar criminal defense practice.

"I literally get calls probably twice a week by existing clients going, 'Hey, do you have someone who's either recently been with the DOJ or Treasury?'" Muyskens said, regarding Freeny.

Adding Pulecio-Boek allows the firm to address the "huge demand" for white-collar services in Latin America. Greenberg Traurig has an office in Mexico City.

Regarding the number of former federal prosecutors the firm has added to its white-collar practice, Muyskens said, "Five may seem like a lot, but it doesn't feel like a lot to me."

"It feels like we're doing what we need to stay right above water," he said.

Apart from its white-collar practice, Greenberg Traurig has also expanded its Washington office, adding 20 lawyers and lobbyists there since January 2019, said Laura Metcoff Klaus, co-managing shareholder of that office.

"We have an office focused on meeting client needs as the world around them changes, potentially affecting their futures," she said in a statement.

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