Matthew Yarbrough Matthew Yarbrough

Matthew Yarbrough, a Dallas trial lawyer with a long history of prosecuting and investigating cybercrimes, has joined Squire Patton Boggs as a partner, helping the firm expand its cybersecurity and data security practice into Dallas.

Yarbrough, who led his own Dallas-based firm, Yarbrough Law Group, for the last 10 years, joined Square Patton's Dallas office Nov. 17, along with associate Samuel Genovese.

Earlier in his career, as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Northern District of Texas, Yarbrough led the first Cybercrimes and Criminal Intellectual Property Task Force, where he prosecuted major cyberattack cases, including the first data intercept or wire-tap of a hacker ring in U.S. history. Former Texas Attorney General John Cornyn appointed Yarbrough as special counsel to create the Texas Internet Bureau, which was the first regional forensics lab for the FBI and state law enforcement. He also prosecuted white-collar crime cases.

A onetime partner at Fish & Richardson in Dallas, Yarbrough opened Yarbrough Law Group in 2007. He is a recognized expert in the area of electronic evidence and has appeared on news programs such as Nightline, CNN, MSNBC and Fox National News.

Yarbrough, who also does intellectual property litigation, said he's been approached by a number of AmLaw 100 firms over the last five years because cybersecurity is such a hot practice area, but none of them seemed like a good fit until he started talking to Squire Patton Boggs and Michael Forshey, the Dallas office managing partner. He said the firm provides him with a wide reach with its 46 offices in 20 countries, but also a strong Texas practice. Squire Patton Boggs also has an office in Houston.

Yarbrough said his clients include a number of gaming companies, including MGM Resorts International and Boyd Gaming Corp.

Forshey said Yarbrough brings a lot to the office, including expertise in complex commercial litigation, IP, white-collar crime defense and cybersecurity. “We are always looking for good colleagues to join us. Matt is everything and more when it comes to that … . Matt is in our view a pioneer in data security and privacy,” Forshey said.

Forshey said he's been talking to Yarbrough for a year about the lateral move, and it became apparent that the new partner fits into the firm's culture.

With Yarbrough and Genovese, Squire Patton now has 41 lawyers in Dallas.