Stewart Baker, the former first assistant secretary for policy at the Department of Homeland Security will re-join Steptoe & Johnson as a partner in the firm's Washington office. He will work in the firm's national security, cybersecurity, and encryption practices.
Baker, who says he'll join Steptoe next month, is currently working as a distinguished visiting fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Steptoe was the obvious choice for Baker, 61, who had been hopping in-and-out of firm for the last 24 years. In 1979, Baker joined the Department of Education as a deputy general counsel. In 1981, Baker left the government for the private sector and joined Steptoe & Johnson for the next 11 years. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush nominated Baker to serve as general counsel to the National Security Agency. Two years later, Baker returned to Steptoe, until Bush's son came calling for him in 2005 to serve as the first assistant secretary for policy at Homeland Security.
He says he was particularly impressed with Steptoe's ability to maintain his practice of regulating cyber technology. Baker was also drawn to Steptoe by clients who had asked him to come back. Baker declined to name any of the clients who called.
"I talked to some other firms, but at the end of the day, the pull at home was too much to resist," says Baker, who declined to name any of the other firms that he spoke with.
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