Former FBI Executive and Cybersecurity Leader Herbert Stapleton Joins Dinsmore’s National Corporate Practice
Herbert J. Stapleton, a nationally recognized cybersecurity executive and former senior leader with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), has joined Dinsmore & Shohl LLP as a partner in the Firm’s corporate group. Drawing on 21 years of federal law enforcement and cyber operations experience, Herb looks forward to returning to the practice of law with unique insights that will benefit Dinsmore’s diverse client base. As a former federal investigator, Herb has expertise in assisting corporations in the defense of complex government investigations. His deep technology experience includes high-level cybersecurity strategy, data privacy compliance and critical incident management.
“I’ve viewed cybersecurity problems from a different angle as a law enforcement executive responsible for helping victims through some of the biggest and most challenging cyber breaches the country has ever seen,” Herb said. “As a leader in the U.S. Government’s cyber response effort, I gained insight into how the bad actors behind the attacks think and the tactics they use.”
Herb most recently served as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office, where he led investigations and operational response efforts across a range of critical areas, including cybercrime, national security and public corruption. Prior to that role, he held several senior leadership positions at FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., overseeing national programs targeting cyber threats and managing multidisciplinary teams engaged in high-profile, sensitive investigations. “When I began thinking about the next chapter in my career, Dinsmore was one of the first to reach out. The Firm’s leadership recognized how someone with my experience could benefit its clients right away,” Herb said.
His addition complements the Firm’s cybersecurity and data privacy team, as well as its rapidly expanding white collar defense and government investigations group. “Herb’s firsthand insight into emerging cyber threats, combined with his leadership in high-stakes government investigations and incident response, will provide the Firm’s clients with strategic guidance at the highest level,” said Christian Gonzalez, chair of Dinsmore’s corporate department.
Herb began his legal career at one of Huntington, West Virginia’s oldest law firms, Huddleston Bolen LLP, which merged with Dinsmore in 2015. He earned his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law and completed the Chief Information Security Officer Certificate Program at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Religion from Centre College in Kentucky. Herb and his wife, Emily, are parents of four great kids. When he’s not cheering them on in their pursuits, Herb enjoys golf and plays a variety of musical instruments.
