WSJ: Federal Agencies Hire Prosecutors to Get Tough

Former Justice Department Lawyers are increasingly being tapped to lead enforcement units for various Federal agencies with almost a dozen installed in recent years. Agencies are utilizing this talent pool in an effort to bring and win large cases.

This is a major shift for many Federal agencies. Most regulators' enforcement divisions were usually headed up by attorneys who moved up within the agency ranks or joined from the private sector. This new trend has garnered praise from many consumer group and lawmakers.

"The Justice Department attorneys are not afraid to litigate. That's what they do," said Matt Morrison, currently a partner in Pillsbury's Environment, Land Use & Natural Resources Practice and a former Justice Department lawyer who spent the past few years at the Environmental Protection Agency in supervisory roles in the enforcement program - click here to read the full article (subscription required).