Middlesex County District Attorney Gerry Leone is stepping down from his office to join the law firm of Nixon Peabody, the same firm former Sen. Scott Brown earlier this month said he was joining.

An announcement from Nixon Peabody says Leone will join the firm as a partner in the government investigations and white collar defense practice beginning April 29.

A woman at the Middlesex District Attorney's office confirmed the news, but did not have further details.

Leone was first elected as Middlesex district attorney in 2006, and his current term in office was up in 2014. He previously stated he would not run for reelection at the end of his term.

Boston.com has reported Gov. Deval Patrick will appoint a replacement for the remainder of Leone's term.

In the Nixon Peabody announcement, Leone said, "After dedicating myself to protecting and serving others and impacting lives in public service for the last twenty years, I’m excited about the opportunity to take on new challenges and provide service to others in a different capacity."

Nixon Peabody, based in Boston, has offices throughout the country and in cities such as London, Hong Kong and Shanghai.