Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Russell Balikian is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He practices in the firm’s Appellate & Constitutional Law Group and Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice Group. He represents clients in high-stakes litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal and state courts across the country, as well as in major proceedings before administrative agencies. Russell was named “One to Watch” in Appellate Practice by Best Lawyers in 2023 and a “Rising Star” in Telecommunications by Law360 in 2024.
Russell has extensive experience in administrative law, especially in the telecom and technology sectors. He regularly represents clients challenging or supporting agency rules and orders, and he defends companies against enforcement actions by federal regulators, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Russell brings the capabilities of an appellate attorney to all stages of the case, from building the record before the agency to litigating the case in court.
Russell also has nationwide experience litigating appeals and dispositive motions in high-profile matters, including putative class actions, major commercial disputes, and mass-tort cases. He has represented clients at every level of the federal and state judiciary. Russell also advises clients on appellate strategy and critical legal issues.
Russell clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Diane S. Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He received his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review. He graduated summa cum laude from Taylor University with a bachelor’s degree in both Political Science and Biblical Literature.
Russell is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
General Counsel, Senior Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
Zhonette brings a quarter-century of litigation experience to NCLA. After a federal clerkship, she spent many years litigating at large law firms in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, before beginning public interest litigation in 2018.
Zhonette has litigated in state, federal, and international venues and in matters ranging from pro bono custody issues to multi-district and class action cases for Fortune 100 companies. Zhonette spent the first part of her career focused on high-stakes complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense. Since changing her legal practice to taming the Administrative State, Zhonette has focused on the Administrative Procedure Act, natural resources, takings issues and other constitutional claims.
Zhonette is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, the State of Colorado, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and various federal courts.
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Roman Martinez is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins. As a member of the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, he focuses primarily on appeals in the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals, and state appellate courts. Mr. Martinez has handled civil and criminal matters involving a wide range of constitutional, statutory, and administrative law issues, and he has argued cases in the Supreme Court and the D.C., Sixth, Ninth, and Federal Circuits, among other courts.
Mr. Martinez’s appellate practice encompasses civil and criminal matters spanning virtually all areas of law. He recently rejoined Latham after serving as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the US Department of Justice. In that role, he represented the United States in litigation before the Supreme Court and advised the Solicitor General on the government’s appellate litigation throughout the country.
Mr. Martinez has personally argued seven cases in the Supreme Court, including important cases in the fields of patent law, criminal law, civil rights, and civil procedure. He has filed over 75 briefs in the Supreme Court involving a wide range of legal issues, including administrative, tax, securities, intellectual property, criminal, environmental, education, civil rights, immigration, and First Amendment law.
Over the past year, Mr. Martinez has led Latham appellate teams in cases involving the Administrative Procedure Act, securities, ERISA, products liability, and employment law. Earlier this year, he successfully persuaded the Supreme Court to reject the State of Connecticut’s high-profile effort to reinstate the murder conviction of Michael Skakel. He frequently consults with clients to develop creative approaches to difficult legal questions that arise in and out of litigation.
Mr. Martinez’s extensive pro bono practice focuses chiefly on administrative law challenges to unlawful agency action by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as on criminal defense appeals. In 2018, he persuaded the Supreme Court to grant certiorari on behalf of a veteran seeking judicial review of an unlawful regulation promulgated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Before joining Latham, Mr. Martinez served as a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts of the Supreme Court of the United States and to then Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit.
From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Martinez served as an advisor on the Iraqi political and constitutional process, in various roles at the White House, at the US Embassy and Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and at the Department of Defense. He received the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and the US Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award for his service in Iraq.
Mr. Martinez is a member of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court, and he serves on the US Chamber of Commerce's Administrative Law & Government Litigation Advisory Committee. He previously served as a member of the D.C. Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Procedures, and he now serves on the US District Court for the District of Columbia’s Committee on Grievances. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other publications. He has appeared as a guest on the PBS NewsHour and other television programs to discuss the Supreme Court.
Partner, Williams & Connolly
Luke McCloud’s practice focuses on complex civil matters, with an emphasis on patent litigation. Luke has tried cases to judgment in federal and state courts. His clients have included global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, leading technology companies, financial institutions, law firms, and individuals. In 2023, Luke was recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500, a “Rising Star” by Law360 and The National Law Journal, and among Bloomberg Law’s “40 Under 40” list. He has also been named a “Rising Star—General Commercial Disputes” by The Legal 500 (2020-2022), and a Managing IP “Rising Star” (2020).
Luke is also an experienced appellate advocate. He has argued twice in the U.S. Supreme Court and in multiple federal courts of appeals, and has filed dozens of briefs in high-stakes cases throughout the federal system. His appellate oral advocacy was praised by The Recorder as “poised and polished.” In the October Term 2014, Luke served as a law clerk to Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor on the Supreme Court of the United States. He previously clerked for then Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Paul V. Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Russell Balikian is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. He practices in the firm’s Appellate & Constitutional Law Group and Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice Group. He represents clients in high-stakes litigation before the Supreme Court of the United States and other federal and state courts across the country, as well as in major proceedings before administrative agencies. Russell was named “One to Watch” in Appellate Practice by Best Lawyers in 2023 and a “Rising Star” in Telecommunications by Law360 in 2024.
Russell has extensive experience in administrative law, especially in the telecom and technology sectors. He regularly represents clients challenging or supporting agency rules and orders, and he defends companies against enforcement actions by federal regulators, such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Russell brings the capabilities of an appellate attorney to all stages of the case, from building the record before the agency to litigating the case in court.
Russell also has nationwide experience litigating appeals and dispositive motions in high-profile matters, including putative class actions, major commercial disputes, and mass-tort cases. He has represented clients at every level of the federal and state judiciary. Russell also advises clients on appellate strategy and critical legal issues.
Russell clerked for Justice Clarence Thomas on the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Gregory G. Katsas of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Diane S. Sykes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He received his law degree from Yale Law School, where he was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Yale Law & Policy Review. He graduated summa cum laude from Taylor University with a bachelor’s degree in both Political Science and Biblical Literature.
Russell is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
General Counsel, Senior Litigation Counsel, New Civil Liberties Alliance
Zhonette brings a quarter-century of litigation experience to NCLA. After a federal clerkship, she spent many years litigating at large law firms in Washington, D.C., and Denver, Colorado, before beginning public interest litigation in 2018.
Zhonette has litigated in state, federal, and international venues and in matters ranging from pro bono custody issues to multi-district and class action cases for Fortune 100 companies. Zhonette spent the first part of her career focused on high-stakes complex commercial litigation and white-collar defense. Since changing her legal practice to taming the Administrative State, Zhonette has focused on the Administrative Procedure Act, natural resources, takings issues and other constitutional claims.
Zhonette is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, the State of Colorado, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and various federal courts.
Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP
Roman Martinez is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Latham & Watkins. As a member of the firm’s Supreme Court and Appellate Practice, he focuses primarily on appeals in the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Courts of Appeals, and state appellate courts. Mr. Martinez has handled civil and criminal matters involving a wide range of constitutional, statutory, and administrative law issues, and he has argued cases in the Supreme Court and the D.C., Sixth, Ninth, and Federal Circuits, among other courts.
Mr. Martinez’s appellate practice encompasses civil and criminal matters spanning virtually all areas of law. He recently rejoined Latham after serving as an Assistant to the Solicitor General at the US Department of Justice. In that role, he represented the United States in litigation before the Supreme Court and advised the Solicitor General on the government’s appellate litigation throughout the country.
Mr. Martinez has personally argued seven cases in the Supreme Court, including important cases in the fields of patent law, criminal law, civil rights, and civil procedure. He has filed over 75 briefs in the Supreme Court involving a wide range of legal issues, including administrative, tax, securities, intellectual property, criminal, environmental, education, civil rights, immigration, and First Amendment law.
Over the past year, Mr. Martinez has led Latham appellate teams in cases involving the Administrative Procedure Act, securities, ERISA, products liability, and employment law. Earlier this year, he successfully persuaded the Supreme Court to reject the State of Connecticut’s high-profile effort to reinstate the murder conviction of Michael Skakel. He frequently consults with clients to develop creative approaches to difficult legal questions that arise in and out of litigation.
Mr. Martinez’s extensive pro bono practice focuses chiefly on administrative law challenges to unlawful agency action by the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as on criminal defense appeals. In 2018, he persuaded the Supreme Court to grant certiorari on behalf of a veteran seeking judicial review of an unlawful regulation promulgated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Before joining Latham, Mr. Martinez served as a law clerk to Chief Justice John G. Roberts of the Supreme Court of the United States and to then Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the D.C. Circuit.
From 2002 to 2005, Mr. Martinez served as an advisor on the Iraqi political and constitutional process, in various roles at the White House, at the US Embassy and Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq, and at the Department of Defense. He received the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Global War on Terrorism and the US Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Award for his service in Iraq.
Mr. Martinez is a member of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court, and he serves on the US Chamber of Commerce's Administrative Law & Government Litigation Advisory Committee. He previously served as a member of the D.C. Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Procedures, and he now serves on the US District Court for the District of Columbia’s Committee on Grievances. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and other publications. He has appeared as a guest on the PBS NewsHour and other television programs to discuss the Supreme Court.
Partner, Williams & Connolly
Luke McCloud’s practice focuses on complex civil matters, with an emphasis on patent litigation. Luke has tried cases to judgment in federal and state courts. His clients have included global pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, leading technology companies, financial institutions, law firms, and individuals. In 2023, Luke was recognized as a “Leading Lawyer” by The Legal 500, a “Rising Star” by Law360 and The National Law Journal, and among Bloomberg Law’s “40 Under 40” list. He has also been named a “Rising Star—General Commercial Disputes” by The Legal 500 (2020-2022), and a Managing IP “Rising Star” (2020).
Luke is also an experienced appellate advocate. He has argued twice in the U.S. Supreme Court and in multiple federal courts of appeals, and has filed dozens of briefs in high-stakes cases throughout the federal system. His appellate oral advocacy was praised by The Recorder as “poised and polished.” In the October Term 2014, Luke served as a law clerk to Justice Sonia M. Sotomayor on the Supreme Court of the United States. He previously clerked for then Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Paul V. Niemeyer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Attorney General, Office of the Iowa Attorney General
In November 2022, Brenna Bird was elected as Iowa Attorney General – the first Republican to hold the office since 1979.
Before taking office as Iowa Attorney General, Brenna served as a prosecutor for six years, first as the Fremont County Attorney and then since 2018 as the Guthrie County Attorney. She was elected by her fellow county attorneys to leadership roles with the Iowa County Attorney Association, and served as the Association's President.
Brenna has also engaged in the private practice of law, worked in the Iowa Governor’s Office and the U.S. House of Representatives, and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.
Born and raised on an Iowa farm, where she was homeschooled. Brenna graduated from Drake University and went on to receive her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where she served as symposium editor of the school’s law journal. In addition to her law studies, Brenna also helped entrepreneurs on Chicago’s South Side start their own businesses.
Executive Vice President of Global Governance, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Walmart Inc.
Rachel Brand is Walmart’s executive vice president of global governance, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary. She oversees the company’s global legal, compliance, ethics, corporate governance, digital citizenship, aviation, investigative, and corporate security functions, including Walmart’s Emergency Operations Center.
Immediately before joining Walmart, Rachel served as the United States Associate Attorney General and holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve in this role. She had previously served in the U.S. Department of Justice as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy during President George W. Bush’s administration. Her other government service includes an appointment by President Obama to serve as a Member of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, service as an Associate Counsel to the President at the White House, and judicial clerkships with Justice Charles Fried of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and Justice Anthony Kennedy at the Supreme Court of the United States. In the private sector, Rachel was a lawyer in private practice at two law firms in Washington, D.C. and served as the Vice President and Chief Counsel for Regulatory Litigation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center.
Rachel serves on the board of directors for the Walmart Foundation and is the executive sponsor for Walmart’s Tribal Voices Associate Resource Group. Outside of Walmart, she serves on the board of directors for the International Justice Mission and is a member of The American Law Institute.
Rachel earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Morris and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Martine focuses her practice on high-profile litigation and government investigations matters, particularly those brought by state attorneys general. With experience in both the public and private sectors, she provides clients with comprehensive, strategic advice to guide them through state attorney general investigations and enforcement actions.
Martine is ranked by Chambers USA, where clients describe her as “a very talented lawyer” who is “extremely smart with impressive depth of experience,” who provides “excellent client service” and who has “an incredible body of substantive knowledge and commercial awareness.” As noted by Chambers, she is “an intelligent and complex thinker, able to take thorny legal issues and see a path through. She is extraordinarily analytical and works through complex legal problems.”
Martine served as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel. In this role, she provided legal advice on sensitive, complex matters to senior Executive Branch officials, led the White House response on matters of congressional oversight and investigations by inspectors general, and advised on litigation implicating executive privilege and related issues. Martine also served as Associate Counsel in the same office during the Obama administration.
Prior to joining the Biden White House, Martine served as Deputy Solicitor General in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, where she was an appellate and trial litigator. She argued major cases in federal and state courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and the Virginia Supreme Court, and was the lead drafter for numerous multistate amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. Martine also served in the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel as an Attorney Advisor, where she provided advice to Executive Branch agencies on constitutional and statutory issues, specializing in matters related to congressional oversight and executive privilege.
Martine spent several years as a counsel in Akin’s Supreme Court and Appellate and congressional investigations practices. She briefed and argued cases in the federal courts of appeal and U.S. Supreme Court and advised clients on matters related to congressional and other high-visibility investigations.
Martine served as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Partner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP
Jesse, the former third-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice, helps clients with their most difficult litigation and regulatory issues─whether that means defending against an enforcement action, pursuing high-stakes litigation and appeals, navigating regulatory thickets at federal and state agencies, or crafting a comprehensive strategy to manage a crisis. He approaches these problems with the knowledge gained both from his broad private-practice experience and from having served at the highest levels of federal and state government.
Jesse has experience across a range of substantive and regulatory areas. He has sued the federal government and has also been one of its top law-enforcement officials; he has represented states and has also navigated their regulatory agencies on behalf of clients; and he has represented companies in business disputes, both as defendants and plaintiffs.
Before joining the firm, Jesse was the Acting Associate Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. In that role, he oversaw the civil and criminal work of the Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions. During Jesse’s tenure, the Associate’s office closely managed the Department’s most significant litigation, including matters involving large financial institutions, healthcare companies, automakers, energy companies, and state and local governments. In addition, Jesse served as Chair of DOJ’s Regulatory Reform Task Force and Vice Chair of DOJ’s Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud. Jesse regularly provided legal and strategic advice to the highest-level decision makers in the federal government, including the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, general counsels across the spectrum of federal agencies, and White House officials.
Jesse served for three years as the secretary of Florida’s labor, economic-development, and land-use agency, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Before that, he served as Governor (now Senator) Rick Scott’s general counsel.
Jesse maintains offices in both Washington D.C. and Florida. From Washington, he focuses on federal litigation and crisis management. In Florida, in addition to federal litigation, Jesse employs his knowledge of state government and regulation to help clients in courts across the state, from trial through the Florida Supreme Court.
Jesse currently serves on the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, the body that provides the governor with nominees for appointment to the Florida Supreme Court. Jesse is also a fellow at the Center for the Study of the Administrative State at the Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where he writes and speaks about administrative law.
Attorney General, Office of the Iowa Attorney General
In November 2022, Brenna Bird was elected as Iowa Attorney General – the first Republican to hold the office since 1979.
Before taking office as Iowa Attorney General, Brenna served as a prosecutor for six years, first as the Fremont County Attorney and then since 2018 as the Guthrie County Attorney. She was elected by her fellow county attorneys to leadership roles with the Iowa County Attorney Association, and served as the Association's President.
Brenna has also engaged in the private practice of law, worked in the Iowa Governor’s Office and the U.S. House of Representatives, and taught as an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.
Born and raised on an Iowa farm, where she was homeschooled. Brenna graduated from Drake University and went on to receive her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School, where she served as symposium editor of the school’s law journal. In addition to her law studies, Brenna also helped entrepreneurs on Chicago’s South Side start their own businesses.
Executive Vice President of Global Governance, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Walmart Inc.
Rachel Brand is Walmart’s executive vice president of global governance, chief legal officer, and corporate secretary. She oversees the company’s global legal, compliance, ethics, corporate governance, digital citizenship, aviation, investigative, and corporate security functions, including Walmart’s Emergency Operations Center.
Immediately before joining Walmart, Rachel served as the United States Associate Attorney General and holds the distinction of being the first woman to serve in this role. She had previously served in the U.S. Department of Justice as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy during President George W. Bush’s administration. Her other government service includes an appointment by President Obama to serve as a Member of the U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, service as an Associate Counsel to the President at the White House, and judicial clerkships with Justice Charles Fried of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts and Justice Anthony Kennedy at the Supreme Court of the United States. In the private sector, Rachel was a lawyer in private practice at two law firms in Washington, D.C. and served as the Vice President and Chief Counsel for Regulatory Litigation at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center.
Rachel serves on the board of directors for the Walmart Foundation and is the executive sponsor for Walmart’s Tribal Voices Associate Resource Group. Outside of Walmart, she serves on the board of directors for the International Justice Mission and is a member of The American Law Institute.
Rachel earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota-Morris and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
Martine focuses her practice on high-profile litigation and government investigations matters, particularly those brought by state attorneys general. With experience in both the public and private sectors, she provides clients with comprehensive, strategic advice to guide them through state attorney general investigations and enforcement actions.
Martine is ranked by Chambers USA, where clients describe her as “a very talented lawyer” who is “extremely smart with impressive depth of experience,” who provides “excellent client service” and who has “an incredible body of substantive knowledge and commercial awareness.” As noted by Chambers, she is “an intelligent and complex thinker, able to take thorny legal issues and see a path through. She is extraordinarily analytical and works through complex legal problems.”
Martine served as a Special Assistant to the President and Senior Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel. In this role, she provided legal advice on sensitive, complex matters to senior Executive Branch officials, led the White House response on matters of congressional oversight and investigations by inspectors general, and advised on litigation implicating executive privilege and related issues. Martine also served as Associate Counsel in the same office during the Obama administration.
Prior to joining the Biden White House, Martine served as Deputy Solicitor General in the Office of the Virginia Attorney General, where she was an appellate and trial litigator. She argued major cases in federal and state courts, including the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit and the Virginia Supreme Court, and was the lead drafter for numerous multistate amicus briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. Martine also served in the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel as an Attorney Advisor, where she provided advice to Executive Branch agencies on constitutional and statutory issues, specializing in matters related to congressional oversight and executive privilege.
Martine spent several years as a counsel in Akin’s Supreme Court and Appellate and congressional investigations practices. She briefed and argued cases in the federal courts of appeal and U.S. Supreme Court and advised clients on matters related to congressional and other high-visibility investigations.
Martine served as a law clerk for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge Merrick B. Garland on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
Partner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP
Jesse, the former third-ranking official at the U.S. Department of Justice, helps clients with their most difficult litigation and regulatory issues─whether that means defending against an enforcement action, pursuing high-stakes litigation and appeals, navigating regulatory thickets at federal and state agencies, or crafting a comprehensive strategy to manage a crisis. He approaches these problems with the knowledge gained both from his broad private-practice experience and from having served at the highest levels of federal and state government.
Jesse has experience across a range of substantive and regulatory areas. He has sued the federal government and has also been one of its top law-enforcement officials; he has represented states and has also navigated their regulatory agencies on behalf of clients; and he has represented companies in business disputes, both as defendants and plaintiffs.
Before joining the firm, Jesse was the Acting Associate Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice. In that role, he oversaw the civil and criminal work of the Antitrust, Civil, Civil Rights, Environment and Natural Resources, and Tax Divisions. During Jesse’s tenure, the Associate’s office closely managed the Department’s most significant litigation, including matters involving large financial institutions, healthcare companies, automakers, energy companies, and state and local governments. In addition, Jesse served as Chair of DOJ’s Regulatory Reform Task Force and Vice Chair of DOJ’s Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud. Jesse regularly provided legal and strategic advice to the highest-level decision makers in the federal government, including the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, general counsels across the spectrum of federal agencies, and White House officials.
Jesse served for three years as the secretary of Florida’s labor, economic-development, and land-use agency, the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity. Before that, he served as Governor (now Senator) Rick Scott’s general counsel.
Jesse maintains offices in both Washington D.C. and Florida. From Washington, he focuses on federal litigation and crisis management. In Florida, in addition to federal litigation, Jesse employs his knowledge of state government and regulation to help clients in courts across the state, from trial through the Florida Supreme Court.
Jesse currently serves on the Florida Supreme Court Judicial Nominating Commission, the body that provides the governor with nominees for appointment to the Florida Supreme Court. Jesse is also a fellow at the Center for the Study of the Administrative State at the Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where he writes and speaks about administrative law.
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice
T. Elliot Gaiser is the Office of Legal Counsel’s 27th Assistant Attorney General. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on April 29, 2025, confirmed by the United States Senate on July 30, 2025, and sworn in as AAG by Attorney General Pam Bondi on August 4, 2025.
Prior to joining the Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Gaiser served as the 11th Solicitor General of Ohio. In that role, he represented his home state and its agencies before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Ohio, and other state and federal courts. He also advised Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on significant legal and constitutional matters important to the people of Ohio.
Mr. Gaiser clerked for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Neomi Rao of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the private sector, Mr. Gaiser worked at the law firms Jones Day, Boyden Gray, and Gibson Dunn. He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and Hillsdale College. He is also a husband and father.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Britt C. Grant is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Judge Grant was appointed to the federal bench in August 2018 after serving as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia. Prior to her judicial appointment, she served as the Solicitor General of Georgia and practiced in the Washington, D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Grant served as a law clerk to then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She earned her J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School, where she was the Co-Founder of the Stanford National Security and the Law Society, and the President of the Stanford Law chapter of the Federalist Society. Before enrolling in law school, Judge Grant served in The White House in a variety of domestic policy roles as well as on the staff of Congressman Nathan Deal. Judge Grant earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from Wake Forest University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and three children.
Partner, Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC
At Olson Grimsley, Eric has co-led a trial team that obtained a $20 million antitrust verdict against Johns Manville, a construction material company owned by Berkshire Hathaway; co-leads a team seeking to secure the fair share for college athletes of the revenue they create; and fights for workers who built the Qatar stadiums who claim they are victims of human trafficking.
Before co-founding Olson Grimsley, Eric served as the Solicitor General of Colorado, where he was lead counsel on five merits cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. He led investigations of the Aurora Police and Fire Departments after the killing of Elijah McClain that resulted in one of the first state consent decrees in the country and the Catholic Church for child sex abuse. Eric also designed and executed settlement strategies with McKinsey that led to a $573 million, 49-state settlement for its work contributing to the opioid crisis and separately with local governments for a first-in-the-country agreement that brought $740 million in opioid settlements to Colorado. Eric received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Performance and the Mentor of the Year Award.
Eric previously was a trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck for 16 years where he tried cases to verdict in seven states, served in leadership roles in three major MDLs including trying an MDL class action case to verdict and arguing before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, and recovered over $900 million for plaintiffs in patent, antitrust, and employment cases.
Eric has also served as a mediator in complex business disputes, bringing his diverse experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants to help parties resolve complicated cases.
Eric was first ranked by Chambers in 2013 and is currently ranked in Appellate and Litigation. He was recently selected as one of Denver Business Journal’s Power Book of 45 Business Leaders to Watch and, along with all five founders of Olson Grimsley, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiffs Financial Lawyers.
Attorney General of Tennessee
Jonathan Skrmetti was sworn in to an eight-year term as Tennessee’s Attorney General and Reporter on September 1, 2022.
Prior to his current role, General Skrmetti served as Chief Counsel to Governor Bill Lee and as Chief Deputy Attorney General to his predecessor, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery.
Before working for the State of Tennessee, General Skrmetti was a partner at Butler Snow LLP in Memphis. His legal career began with nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor. He worked at the Civil Rights Division at Main Justice and then at the Memphis U.S. Attorney’s Office and prosecuted sex traffickers, corrupt government officials, and violent white supremacists. In addition, General Skrmetti taught cyberlaw as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis.
General Skrmetti earned honors degrees from George Washington University, the University of Oxford, and Harvard Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Following law school, Jonathan clerked for Judge Steven Colloton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and four children.
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice
T. Elliot Gaiser is the Office of Legal Counsel’s 27th Assistant Attorney General. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on April 29, 2025, confirmed by the United States Senate on July 30, 2025, and sworn in as AAG by Attorney General Pam Bondi on August 4, 2025.
Prior to joining the Office of Legal Counsel, Mr. Gaiser served as the 11th Solicitor General of Ohio. In that role, he represented his home state and its agencies before the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Supreme Court of Ohio, and other state and federal courts. He also advised Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on significant legal and constitutional matters important to the people of Ohio.
Mr. Gaiser clerked for Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. of the Supreme Court of the United States, Judge Neomi Rao of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Judge Edith H. Jones of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In the private sector, Mr. Gaiser worked at the law firms Jones Day, Boyden Gray, and Gibson Dunn. He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School and Hillsdale College. He is also a husband and father.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
Britt C. Grant is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Judge Grant was appointed to the federal bench in August 2018 after serving as a Justice on the Supreme Court of Georgia. Prior to her judicial appointment, she served as the Solicitor General of Georgia and practiced in the Washington, D.C. office of Kirkland & Ellis. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Grant served as a law clerk to then-Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She earned her J.D., with distinction, from Stanford Law School, where she was the Co-Founder of the Stanford National Security and the Law Society, and the President of the Stanford Law chapter of the Federalist Society. Before enrolling in law school, Judge Grant served in The White House in a variety of domestic policy roles as well as on the staff of Congressman Nathan Deal. Judge Grant earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from Wake Forest University, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. She now lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and three children.
Partner, Olson Grimsley Kawanabe Hinchcliff & Murray LLC
At Olson Grimsley, Eric has co-led a trial team that obtained a $20 million antitrust verdict against Johns Manville, a construction material company owned by Berkshire Hathaway; co-leads a team seeking to secure the fair share for college athletes of the revenue they create; and fights for workers who built the Qatar stadiums who claim they are victims of human trafficking.
Before co-founding Olson Grimsley, Eric served as the Solicitor General of Colorado, where he was lead counsel on five merits cases at the U.S. Supreme Court. He led investigations of the Aurora Police and Fire Departments after the killing of Elijah McClain that resulted in one of the first state consent decrees in the country and the Catholic Church for child sex abuse. Eric also designed and executed settlement strategies with McKinsey that led to a $573 million, 49-state settlement for its work contributing to the opioid crisis and separately with local governments for a first-in-the-country agreement that brought $740 million in opioid settlements to Colorado. Eric received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Performance and the Mentor of the Year Award.
Eric previously was a trial lawyer at Bartlit Beck for 16 years where he tried cases to verdict in seven states, served in leadership roles in three major MDLs including trying an MDL class action case to verdict and arguing before the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, and recovered over $900 million for plaintiffs in patent, antitrust, and employment cases.
Eric has also served as a mediator in complex business disputes, bringing his diverse experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants to help parties resolve complicated cases.
Eric was first ranked by Chambers in 2013 and is currently ranked in Appellate and Litigation. He was recently selected as one of Denver Business Journal’s Power Book of 45 Business Leaders to Watch and, along with all five founders of Olson Grimsley, Lawdragon’s 500 Leading Plaintiffs Financial Lawyers.
Attorney General of Tennessee
Jonathan Skrmetti was sworn in to an eight-year term as Tennessee’s Attorney General and Reporter on September 1, 2022.
Prior to his current role, General Skrmetti served as Chief Counsel to Governor Bill Lee and as Chief Deputy Attorney General to his predecessor, Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery.
Before working for the State of Tennessee, General Skrmetti was a partner at Butler Snow LLP in Memphis. His legal career began with nearly a decade as a federal prosecutor. He worked at the Civil Rights Division at Main Justice and then at the Memphis U.S. Attorney’s Office and prosecuted sex traffickers, corrupt government officials, and violent white supremacists. In addition, General Skrmetti taught cyberlaw as an adjunct professor at the University of Memphis.
General Skrmetti earned honors degrees from George Washington University, the University of Oxford, and Harvard Law School, where he was editor-in-chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Following law school, Jonathan clerked for Judge Steven Colloton on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. He lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with his wife and four children.
Federalism & Separation of Powers: A Revival of the Separation of Powers at the Supreme Court?
Russell Balikian, Daniel Bress, Zhonette M. Brown, Roman Martinez, Luke McCloud
2024 National Lawyers Convention
The Supreme Court’s most recent term was one of significance with respect to the separation...
Federalism & Separation of Powers: A Revival of the Separation of Powers at the Supreme Court?
Russell Balikian, Daniel Bress, Zhonette M. Brown, Roman Martinez, Luke McCloud
2024 National Lawyers Convention
The Supreme Court’s most recent term was one of significance with respect to the separation...
In-House Counsel Network: What Does the Next Administration Mean For Business?
Brenna Bird, Rachel L. Brand, Martine Cicconi, Jesse Panuccio
2024 National Lawyers Convention
By the time of the National Lawyers Convention, the American electorate will have decided on...
In-House Counsel Network: What Does the Next Administration Mean For Business?
Brenna Bird, Rachel L. Brand, Martine Cicconi, Jesse Panuccio
2024 National Lawyers Convention
By the time of the National Lawyers Convention, the American electorate will have decided on...
Practice Groups: Special Solicitude— Lawsuits Against the Executive Branch and Their Futures
T. Elliot Gaiser, Britt C. Grant, Eric Olson, Jonathan Skrmetti
2024 National Lawyers Convention
Over the past four years, state attorneys general have brought many significant lawsuits against the...
Practice Groups: Special Solicitude— Lawsuits Against the Executive Branch and Their Futures
T. Elliot Gaiser, Britt C. Grant, Eric Olson, Jonathan Skrmetti
2024 National Lawyers Convention
Over the past four years, state attorneys general have brought many significant lawsuits against the...
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