Peter Nickles returned to the private law firm for which he worked before being appointed as the District's attorney general under Mayor Adrian Fenty.

Covington & Burling LLP announced Thursday that Nickles rejoined their Washington office as a senior partner. He'll work on the firm's newly launched crisis management team along side former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

The team will help the firm's corporate clients survive crises or high-risk situations. The firm billed Nickles as an advisor on internal investigations, high-profile litigation and contested corporate transactions.

As attorney general, Nickles was Fenty's pointman when the administration ran into trouble, Fenty said in a statement sent out by Covington.

"Peter was my go-to-guy on crisis issues facing the city," Fenty said. "Whether the issue was schools, public safety or commercial development, I could always rely on his wise counsel and judgement."

Before coming to work for Fenty, first as the mayor's general counsel and then as attorney general, Nickles had spent much of his time suing the city. It appears his new job won't likely bring him in direct conflict with the District in the near future.