
Areas of Expertise
Criminal Litigation, Civil Litigation, Trial Practice, Investigations
Courses
Criminal Pretrial Motions Practice
Biography
Jill Steinberg is a partner in Ballard Spahr’s Atlanta office, where she practices in the White Collar and Investigations Group. She has more than fifteen years of experience handling high-profile white-collar and violent-crime matters for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Before joining Ballard Spahr, she served as a U.S. attorney and in senior leadership roles at the DOJ in Washington, D.C.
As a prosecutor in state and federal courts, Steinberg investigated and prosecuted a wide range of criminal violations, including complex fraud and corruption cases that led to the indictment of high-level public officials and city contractors. She also has extensive experience with matters involving sexual abuse, child exploitation, and human trafficking.
Steinberg joined Ballard Spahr after serving as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. She previously served as deputy criminal chief and as an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia. She also served as associate deputy attorney general in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General in Washington, D.C. In that position, she advised senior leadership on policy matters and oversaw the DOJ’s enforcement programs relating to criminal sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and crimes against vulnerable populations. She supervised DOJ components, testified before congressional committees, and represented the DOJ at interagency policy committee meetings at the White House. During her tenure, she coordinated and published the DOJ’s national strategy on child exploitation. She also served as lead counsel for the government in Crime Victims’ Rights Act (CVRA) litigation stemming from the Jeffrey Epstein criminal investigation, arguing successfully before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals sitting en banc.
Steinberg began her legal career at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. After leaving that office, she practiced at an Atlanta law firm, handling complex civil litigation, particularly securities litigation and arbitration, before joining the DOJ.
For many years, Steinberg served as an instructor for the DOJ at its national training facility, the National Advocacy Center. She trained hundreds of new and experienced DOJ trial lawyers and assistant U.S. attorneys from across the country in criminal trial advocacy, introductory and advanced evidence, and criminal discovery.