Outgoing director of Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Steven Dettelbach to rejoin BakerHostetler

Former U.S. attorney for Northern District of Ohio is slated to head litigation practice group at end of year, will reside in Washington and Cleveland

BakerHostetler:

Key takeaways

• Steven Dettelbach, who stepped down from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) on Jan. 17, returns to BakerHostetler after more than two years as ATF director. He will join as a partner in our national Litigation Practice Group and as a member of the White Collar, Investigations and Securities Enforcement and Litigation team, and has been tapped to chair our 400-attorney Litigation Practice Group, succeeding Ray Whitman, who steps down from that role at the end of the year.
• Dettelbach, who was the first head of the ATF since 2015, is a nationally known litigator and trial lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience, including six years as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.
• He will officially rejoin BakerHostetler in April and will be based in both the Washington and Cleveland offices.

Why this matters

BakerHostetler announces that Dettelbach, former ATF director, will rejoin our firm in April. He returns after two-plus years as head of the nation’s only federal agency dedicated to protecting Americans from violent crime. As ATF director, Dettelbach led the 5,000-person agency and worked closely with state and local law enforcement to solve homicides and investigate violent crimes. Under his leadership, national statistics on violent crime decreased two years in a row.

A former BakerHostetler partner from 2016 to 2022 and before that from 2006 to 2009, Dettelbach also served as the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio and held additional roles with the Senate Judiciary Committee and Department of Justice.

Key quote

“Since Newton Baker left BakerHostetler in 1916 to serve as secretary of war and help our country win WWI, the firm has had a long tradition of supporting public service. As a former mayor of Cleveland, Secretary Baker would hopefully have approved of my own service at the ATF, which happens to have been the law enforcement home of Eliot Ness, another great Clevelander,” said Dettelbach.

About Dettelbach

Dettelbach is highly experienced in white collar defense, SEC enforcement, internal investigations and high-profile trial matters. He is particularly well known for his work in cybersecurity, anti-corruption and matters related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. In his role as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, he notably oversaw many marquee litigations, including United States v. Nate Gray, a well-publicized RICO case.

At BakerHostetler, he will focus on representing corporations and individuals in high-stakes litigation and corporate investigations, white collar defense, and regulatory and government investigations and inquiries, along with internal corporate investigations and compliance programs.

Dettelbach earned his J.D. in 1991 from Harvard Law School, magna cum laude, where he served as senior notes editor of the Harvard Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Law Review. He graduated summa cum laude with his A.B. in government from Dartmouth College in 1988 and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Comments from firm leadership

“We couldn’t be more excited that Steve has chosen to return to BakerHostetler to lead our national Litigation Practice Group,” said Paul Schmidt, firm chairman. “Steve is part of an elite group of litigators who have experience and proficiency in trials, as well as in directing policy, regulatory enforcement and investigations at the highest levels of the federal government. His experience overseeing high-performing teams as U.S. attorney and director of the ATF, coupled with his prior tenure at BakerHostetler, make him the ideal choice to chair our national Litigation Practice Group. He is a phenomenal lawyer and we’re elated to have him back with us.”

“Steve is a fierce litigator, and his trial skills are exceptional. I am thrilled that he is coming back to BakerHostetler,” said Whitman, BakerHostetler’s Litigation Practice Group chair. “I have known Steve for many years and he is the perfect choice to lead our impressive bench of formidable litigators as Group Chair next year.”

“We are looking forward to Steve rejoining BakerHostetler following his service as director of the ATF,” said Matthew Tenerowicz, managing partner of BakerHostetler’s Cleveland office. “Steve is a first-rate litigator with decades of high-profile trial experience and proven leadership skills. Our clients will benefit from his experiences as director of the ATF and U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio, and from his prior term as a partner at BakerHostetler. Steve is a wonderful colleague and we are extremely excited and fortunate to have him back with us.”

With more than 400 litigators in offices coast to coast, BakerHostetler’s Litigation Practice Group represents market-leading clients in virtually every type of case and proceeding, nationally and around the world. The group’s roster of litigators includes former prosecutors, veteran civil trial lawyers and former enforcement officials from various government agencies. Recognized as a “go-to law firm” for its deep bench, commitment to client needs and tenacity, and named by BTI four years in a row as “Most Feared in Litigation,” BakerHostetler’s Litigation Practice Group successfully protects clients in and out of the courtroom. For more information, visit bakerlaw.com/Litigation. Connect with us on LinkedIn at @BakerHostetler, @Paul Schmidt, @RayWhitman, @MattTenerowicz or @SteveDettelbach or on the social platform X at @BakerHostetler.

About BakerHostetler

BakerHostetler helps clients around the world address their most complex and critical business and regulatory issues. Our highly ranked attorneys deliver sophisticated counsel and outstanding client service. We have six core practice groups – Business, Digital Assets and Data Management, Intellectual Property, Labor and Employment, Litigation, and Tax – and more than 1,000 lawyers coast to coast. For more information, visit bakerlaw.com.

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