Salvatore Intagliata, 40, said his best five years practicing law occurred during his first stint at Monnat and Spurrier.

Starting Monday, Intagliata will rejoin the firm that gave him his first job.

"I really do consider it coming full circle professionally, being able to take all the experiences in between and putting it back into what I enjoy doing best," Intagliata said.

He is returning to criminal defense after spending the past four years as an assistant district attorney for Sedgwick County. There he worked on gangs and violent crimes in the office's trial division.

"It gave me a unique perspective on how to view a case," Intagliata said.

"I think I do have a perspective about how cases are prepared and about areas in the law that can be viewed more closely by defense attorneys. "I think there's a benefit to practicing the opposing side."

After working for Monnat and Spurrier from 1996 to 2000, Intagliata briefly opened a branch office in Olathe for a Topeka-based attorney before returning to Wichita in 2001 to work for Hinkle Elkouri. He said a solid professional relationship and friendship with Dan Monnat made a second stint with Monnat's firm appealing.

"A couple of other firms approached me about going into private practice" Intagliata said. "I turned to Dan for some advice, and he gave me another opportunity to think about."