Arnold & Porter has hired the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) former chief of its whistleblowing unit Jane Norberg to strengthen its securities enforcement and litigation practice.

Norberg joins as a partner in the firm’s Washington DC office, where her practice will focus on helping companies navigate whistleblower issues and to assess their exposure to whistleblower allegations, as well as advising on response and defence to allegations.

Richard Alexander, Arnold & Porter’s chairman, said: “Jane is joining the firm at a time when we see an uptick in whistleblower-driven investigations and enforcement actions. Jane’s knowledge and vast experience on SEC rules and processes, along with her unique understanding of whistleblower issues will be invaluable for our clients navigating the critical intersection of enforcement, regulation and compliance.”

Norberg spent almost a decade at the SEC, becoming chief of the whistleblowers office in 2016 – only the second person to hold the role following the department’s creation as part of 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. In that position, she directly advised on all whistleblower protection cases brought by the SEC, as well as co-leading the SEC enforcement division’s diversity and inclusion initiative. She also previously spent 11 years in private practice at Shearman & Sterling and five years as a special agent in the US secret service.

She said: “I was drawn to Arnold & Porter’s deep bench in the securities enforcement and litigation, employment and white collar and government investigation areas. I look forward to joining these professionals in assisting clients to anticipate and proactively address whistleblower issues when they arise and to mitigate the potential legal and reputational consequences.”

Norberg is the latest US lawyer to swap government and agency work for private practice. Earlier this month, Winston & Strawn expanded its Washington environmental litigation team with the arrival of former Department of Justice lawyer Jonathan Brightbill.

Back in March, Latham & Watkins hired the former director of the US Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition Ian Conner as a partner in the firm’s litigation and trial department in Washington.

And in February, Morrison & Foerster hired a former lead prosecutor in the Robert Mueller investigation to co-chair its national security and global risk and crisis management groups.