Stephen Stigall.

A former New Jersey prosecutor is the newest member of Ballard Spahr's white-collar defense and internal investigations practice on both sides of the Delaware River.

The firm has hired R. Stephen Stigall, who was the attorney-in-charge of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Camden, New Jersey. Since the start of his career in 1996, Stigall has alternated between federal law enforcement and private practice at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

In his more recent term as a prosecutor, he served as deputy attorney-in-charge from 2009 to 2012, when he was promoted to attorney-in-charge. Before that, he was an assistant U.S. attorney from 2000 to 2007. He was an associate at Morgan Lewis from 1996 to 2000, and a partner there from 2007 to 2009.

“I felt like it was time to grow in a different way professionally,” he said of his latest return to private practice.

His prosecutorial experience has included a variety of white-collar fraud cases, including crimes such as securities, bank, health care and mortgage fraud; corporate embezzlement; bribery; and export violations. Stigall said he hopes to work with pharmaceutical companies, health care providers and financial services businesses.

Stigall has also led multi-agency government investigations, and has worked with federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Communications Commission and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

“His experience handling FDA-related matters will be particularly beneficial to clients in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries,” said Ballard Spahr chairman Mark Stewart in a statement.

Ballard Spahr has seen dramatic growth in recent months, having announced two significant mergers in September with Lindquist & Vennum and Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz.

Some of the firm's growth has included individual lateral hires in the white-collar practice. Earlier this year, the firm hired Dennis Burke, a former U.S. attorney for Arizona and senior adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, and David Axelrod, who came from the Philadelphia regional office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2016 it added cybercrime prosecutor Edward McAndrew and Peter Hardy, whose white-collar defense practice focused on tax law.

In a statement, practice leader Hank Hockeimer said the firm has been growing that group “quickly but methodically, and with an eye toward attracting the very best people in specific areas of focus.”

Stigall said the growth strategy drew him to Ballard Spahr.

“They've really targeted several areas that I think warrant a lot of client focus,” he said.

Stephen Stigall.

A former New Jersey prosecutor is the newest member of Ballard Spahr's white-collar defense and internal investigations practice on both sides of the Delaware River.

The firm has hired R. Stephen Stigall, who was the attorney-in-charge of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Camden, New Jersey. Since the start of his career in 1996, Stigall has alternated between federal law enforcement and private practice at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius.

In his more recent term as a prosecutor, he served as deputy attorney-in-charge from 2009 to 2012, when he was promoted to attorney-in-charge. Before that, he was an assistant U.S. attorney from 2000 to 2007. He was an associate at Morgan Lewis from 1996 to 2000, and a partner there from 2007 to 2009.

“I felt like it was time to grow in a different way professionally,” he said of his latest return to private practice.

His prosecutorial experience has included a variety of white-collar fraud cases, including crimes such as securities, bank, health care and mortgage fraud; corporate embezzlement; bribery; and export violations. Stigall said he hopes to work with pharmaceutical companies, health care providers and financial services businesses.

Stigall has also led multi-agency government investigations, and has worked with federal agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Food and Drug Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Communications Commission and the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

“His experience handling FDA-related matters will be particularly beneficial to clients in the pharmaceutical and life sciences industries,” said Ballard Spahr chairman Mark Stewart in a statement.

Ballard Spahr has seen dramatic growth in recent months, having announced two significant mergers in September with Lindquist & Vennum and Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz.

Some of the firm's growth has included individual lateral hires in the white-collar practice. Earlier this year, the firm hired Dennis Burke, a former U.S. attorney for Arizona and senior adviser to the Department of Homeland Security, and David Axelrod, who came from the Philadelphia regional office of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In 2016 it added cybercrime prosecutor Edward McAndrew and Peter Hardy, whose white-collar defense practice focused on tax law.

In a statement, practice leader Hank Hockeimer said the firm has been growing that group “quickly but methodically, and with an eye toward attracting the very best people in specific areas of focus.”

Stigall said the growth strategy drew him to Ballard Spahr.

“They've really targeted several areas that I think warrant a lot of client focus,” he said.