Ex-U.S. attorney now partner at King & Spalding

John Horn, a former U.S. attorney, has joined King & Spalding as a partner, the firm announced Tuesday.

Horn, who had previously worked for the Atlanta-based firm, became U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia in 2015, succeeding Sally Yates, who left to become deputy U.S. attorney general under President Barack Obama.

“John is a superb lawyer and leader who is naturally collaborative,” said Wick Sollers, head of King & Spalding’s Government Matters practice group. “John’s prosecutorial experience and understanding of the process will provide our clients invaluable insights when enforcement agencies come calling.”

Horn, who had not been a political appointee, had been first assistant U.S. attorney and was named U.S. attorney when Yates departed. He left the post last October when Byung J. “BJay” Pak, an appointee of President Donald Trump, was confirmed.

Horn was with the Department of Justice for 15 years, “investigating and prosecuting a range of federal offenses, including public corruption, cybercrime, national security and complex financial fraud cases,” according to a statement from the firm Tuesday.

Horn had joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 2002, leaving King & Spalding, where he had been a member of the “Special Matters” team, a group he now rejoins. That team is part of the Government Matters practice group.

Horn is the fifth former U.S. attorney now practicing at King & Spalding, the firm said.