Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Austin E. Owen Research Scholar & Professor of Law, The University of Richmond School of Law
Dean Kristen Jakobsen Osenga teaches and writes in the areas of patent law, antitrust, and legislation and regulation. Some of her recent scholarship focuses on standard development organizations, patent eligible subject matter, patent licensing firms, litigation and remedies for patent infringement, and patent law reform. She has written numerous law review articles on these and other topics, as well as book chapters and op eds on various aspects of patent law. Additionally, she has spoken on these issues at many academic conferences and bar events. Dean Osenga is Chief Policy Counselor for the Inventors Defense Alliance, as well as an active member of the Federal Circuit Bar Association and the American Intellectual Property Law Association.
Dean Osenga received a B.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Iowa, an M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, and a J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude. After law school, she practiced at the law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett, & Dunner LLP, (now Finnegan) where she did patent prosecution and litigation. She then clerked for the Judge Richard Linn of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. After clerking, she entered academia, teaching first at Chicago-Kent College of Law and then at the University of Richmond, where she has been since 2006. She has also been a Visiting Professor at Emory University School of Law and at William & Mary School of Law.
Internet Policy Counsel and Director of Appellate Litigation, TechFreedom
Corbin Barthold is TechFreedom's Internet Policy Counsel and Director of Appellate Litigation.
Corbin clerked for the Hon. Steven D. Merryday (M.D. Fla.) and the Hon. Robert H. Cleland (E.D. Mich.). After his clerkships, he became an associate, and later a partner, in the Los Angeles office of Browne George Ross LLP, where he engaged in high-stakes complex litigation. He then served as Senior Litigation Counsel at Washington Legal Foundation, a D.C. public-interest firm, where his practice focused on appeals involving administrative law, the separation of powers, antitrust, and tech policy.
Corbin received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He also holds a B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, San Diego, and an Msc., with distinction, from the London School of Economics.
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
William has more than three decades of experience in the fields of antitrust and consumer protection. Most of his experience has been in private practice, but from 2005 to 2009 he served as the General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission.
In private practice, his engagements have involved evaluation and advice, regulatory filings, civil and criminal investigations, advocacy before federal and state enforcement agencies (most frequently the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission), coordination with foreign counsel, negotiation and entry of consent orders, and federal court litigation. Notable representative matters have included the following public-record cases:
During Bill’s four-year term as General Counsel of the FTC, he served as the agency’s chief law officer. His responsibilities included advising the Commission on law and policy, representing the agency in federal and state courts, and coordinating with other agencies of government. Among his other activities while at the FTC, Bill:
Associate Director, NERA Economic Consulting
Andrew Stivers specializes in the economics of consumer protection and privacy. He has developed and conducted analysis of novel and complex questions of consumer behavior and injury related to privacy, algorithmically driven practices, and cutting-edge promotion and advertising strategies.
Dr. Stivers has provided his economic expertise to companies in the top tiers of the video/audio streaming, retail platform, gig economy, gaming, and health data industries. He has also consulted with a broad range of established and growing businesses, including in the telecommunications, payments, investment, and food and supplement industries. Dr. Stivers helps clients achieve fair outcomes that are grounded in rigorous and accessible economic analysis.
Prior to joining NERA, Dr. Stivers was a senior official in the US Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics, where he oversaw economic analysis of all consumer protection and privacy matters. He advised the Bureau of Consumer Protection and Commissioners on hundreds of regulatory and law enforcement matters during his seven-year tenure leading this work at the Commission. Dr. Stivers was directly involved in developing economic analysis and standards for evaluating novel and consequential matters.
Prior to his leadership role at the FTC, Dr. Stivers served as the Director of the Division of Public Health Informatics and Analytics at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, overseeing the Center’s statistical, epidemiological, and consumer research groups. His regulatory work for the agency included providing economic and behavioral analysis to consumer nutrition labeling initiatives. As an academic, Dr. Stivers focused his research on the regulation of information and language in the marketplace.
Dr. Stivers has written and presented on complex and wide-ranging economic topics, published economic papers, and presented keynotes and panel discussions on a variety of informational, privacy, data security, and consumer behavior topics. These include invited presentations at academic and regulator-sponsored conferences and workshops, including by the FTC and the Bank of Canada.
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
Svetlana S. Gans is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP where she helps clients navigate complex consumer protection, privacy, and competition related regulatory proceedings before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), , U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, State Attorneys General and other enforcement bodies. Ms. Gans also assists on litigation matters and provides strategic counseling and advice related to public policy issues.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, she served as the Vice President & Associate General Counsel at NCTA, the Internet & Television Association, where she helped lead the association’s consumer protection and competition policy work. Prior to joining NCTA, Ms. Gans served with distinction as Chief of Staff to Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen at the FTC. As the agency chief of staff, Ms. Gans managed and oversaw agency operations, including bureau and office heads reporting to the Chairman, a seven-member office staff, and an agency budget of over $300 million. She also served as the Acting Chairman’s key advisor on consumer protection and competition investigations and litigation, working with a diverse team of attorneys and economists to preserve competition and protect U.S. consumers. She created, executed, and oversaw several strategic initiatives for the agency, including the agency process reform, regulatory reform, and data security transparency initiatives. Previously, Ms. Gans had the unique experience of serving in both litigating bureaus of the FTC: the Bureau of Competition and the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Prior to her time in government, Ms. Gans worked as an antitrust associate at major law firms. Her practice focused on defending consumer product, financial services, and trade association clients in regulatory and private investigations alleging conspiracy and violations of antitrust and consumer protection laws.
Ms. Gans has been an active leader in the ABA Antitrust Law Section (“Section”) for two decades, and currently serves as the Section’s Marketing Officer. Ms. Gans helped create the Section’s Young Lawyer Representative Program, now in its 10th year, and the Section’s Law Ambassador Program, each aimed at developing and promoting the next generation of consumer protection and competition attorneys. Ms. Gans is also active in the Federal Communications Bar Association, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Diversity Pipeline Initiative and the Women’s Leadership Committee.
Ms. Gans received her law degree with high honors from the University of Denver College of Law. During law school, Ms. Gans served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr. and as an Honors Program Paralegal for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Merger Taskforce. Ms. Gans earned her undergraduate degree cum laude from Boston University.
Internet Policy Counsel and Director of Appellate Litigation, TechFreedom
Corbin Barthold is TechFreedom's Internet Policy Counsel and Director of Appellate Litigation.
Corbin clerked for the Hon. Steven D. Merryday (M.D. Fla.) and the Hon. Robert H. Cleland (E.D. Mich.). After his clerkships, he became an associate, and later a partner, in the Los Angeles office of Browne George Ross LLP, where he engaged in high-stakes complex litigation. He then served as Senior Litigation Counsel at Washington Legal Foundation, a D.C. public-interest firm, where his practice focused on appeals involving administrative law, the separation of powers, antitrust, and tech policy.
Corbin received his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. He also holds a B.A., magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of California, San Diego, and an Msc., with distinction, from the London School of Economics.
Partner, Sidley Austin LLP
William has more than three decades of experience in the fields of antitrust and consumer protection. Most of his experience has been in private practice, but from 2005 to 2009 he served as the General Counsel of the Federal Trade Commission.
In private practice, his engagements have involved evaluation and advice, regulatory filings, civil and criminal investigations, advocacy before federal and state enforcement agencies (most frequently the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission), coordination with foreign counsel, negotiation and entry of consent orders, and federal court litigation. Notable representative matters have included the following public-record cases:
During Bill’s four-year term as General Counsel of the FTC, he served as the agency’s chief law officer. His responsibilities included advising the Commission on law and policy, representing the agency in federal and state courts, and coordinating with other agencies of government. Among his other activities while at the FTC, Bill:
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP
Svetlana S. Gans is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP where she helps clients navigate complex consumer protection, privacy, and competition related regulatory proceedings before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), , U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division, State Attorneys General and other enforcement bodies. Ms. Gans also assists on litigation matters and provides strategic counseling and advice related to public policy issues.
Before joining Gibson Dunn, she served as the Vice President & Associate General Counsel at NCTA, the Internet & Television Association, where she helped lead the association’s consumer protection and competition policy work. Prior to joining NCTA, Ms. Gans served with distinction as Chief of Staff to Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen at the FTC. As the agency chief of staff, Ms. Gans managed and oversaw agency operations, including bureau and office heads reporting to the Chairman, a seven-member office staff, and an agency budget of over $300 million. She also served as the Acting Chairman’s key advisor on consumer protection and competition investigations and litigation, working with a diverse team of attorneys and economists to preserve competition and protect U.S. consumers. She created, executed, and oversaw several strategic initiatives for the agency, including the agency process reform, regulatory reform, and data security transparency initiatives. Previously, Ms. Gans had the unique experience of serving in both litigating bureaus of the FTC: the Bureau of Competition and the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Prior to her time in government, Ms. Gans worked as an antitrust associate at major law firms. Her practice focused on defending consumer product, financial services, and trade association clients in regulatory and private investigations alleging conspiracy and violations of antitrust and consumer protection laws.
Ms. Gans has been an active leader in the ABA Antitrust Law Section (“Section”) for two decades, and currently serves as the Section’s Marketing Officer. Ms. Gans helped create the Section’s Young Lawyer Representative Program, now in its 10th year, and the Section’s Law Ambassador Program, each aimed at developing and promoting the next generation of consumer protection and competition attorneys. Ms. Gans is also active in the Federal Communications Bar Association, currently serving as Co-Chair of the Diversity Pipeline Initiative and the Women’s Leadership Committee.
Ms. Gans received her law degree with high honors from the University of Denver College of Law. During law school, Ms. Gans served as a Judicial Intern to the Honorable John L. Kane, Jr. and as an Honors Program Paralegal for the United States Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Merger Taskforce. Ms. Gans earned her undergraduate degree cum laude from Boston University.
Associate Director, NERA Economic Consulting
Andrew Stivers specializes in the economics of consumer protection and privacy. He has developed and conducted analysis of novel and complex questions of consumer behavior and injury related to privacy, algorithmically driven practices, and cutting-edge promotion and advertising strategies.
Dr. Stivers has provided his economic expertise to companies in the top tiers of the video/audio streaming, retail platform, gig economy, gaming, and health data industries. He has also consulted with a broad range of established and growing businesses, including in the telecommunications, payments, investment, and food and supplement industries. Dr. Stivers helps clients achieve fair outcomes that are grounded in rigorous and accessible economic analysis.
Prior to joining NERA, Dr. Stivers was a senior official in the US Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Economics, where he oversaw economic analysis of all consumer protection and privacy matters. He advised the Bureau of Consumer Protection and Commissioners on hundreds of regulatory and law enforcement matters during his seven-year tenure leading this work at the Commission. Dr. Stivers was directly involved in developing economic analysis and standards for evaluating novel and consequential matters.
Prior to his leadership role at the FTC, Dr. Stivers served as the Director of the Division of Public Health Informatics and Analytics at the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, overseeing the Center’s statistical, epidemiological, and consumer research groups. His regulatory work for the agency included providing economic and behavioral analysis to consumer nutrition labeling initiatives. As an academic, Dr. Stivers focused his research on the regulation of information and language in the marketplace.
Dr. Stivers has written and presented on complex and wide-ranging economic topics, published economic papers, and presented keynotes and panel discussions on a variety of informational, privacy, data security, and consumer behavior topics. These include invited presentations at academic and regulator-sponsored conferences and workshops, including by the FTC and the Bank of Canada.
Founding Partner, Compton Jones Dresher LLP
Paul Compton is a founding partner of Compton Jones Dresher, a law practice based in Birmingham, Alabama that focuses on transactional and regulatory matters for clients in the real estate, financial services and community bank industries. Paul’s practice especially involves affordable housing and tax credit supported community development projects. He is currently a member of the Housing Advisory Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center. He is an adjunct Professor at the University of Alabama School of Law and a member of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Affordable Housing Association.
From 2018 to 2020 Paul served as General Counsel of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, Washington, D.C. In that capacity he also served on the Federal Housing Administration Mortgagee Review Board and Mortgage Risk Review Council.
Before Paul’s service at HUD he was a partner and member of the managing board of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP in its Birmingham office.
Paul is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law and the University of Alabama. He attended the London School of Economics and Political Science and is a Truman Scholar.
Devon Westhill is the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The U.S. Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s nomination of Westhill on October 7, 2025.
Westhill returns to the USDA where he previously headed the civil rights office as Deputy Assistant Secretary in President Trump’s first term. His previous government appointments also include service at the U.S. Department of Labor, liaison to the Administrative Conference of the U.S., and liaison to the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Prior to returning to government service, Westhill was President and General Counsel of a nonprofit civil rights organization.
Westhill has testified on civil rights matters before Congress, federal agencies, and as an expert witness in federal court. He has spoken hundreds of times at college campuses, conferences, and on radio and TV programs, and he is frequently quoted in print publications, and his writing has appeared in numerous national outlets. A U.S. Navy veteran, Westhill earned his BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his JD from the University of Florida.
General Counsel, National Fair Housing Alliance
Morgan Williams is responsible for leading NFHA’s strategic and tactical legal initiatives and affairs. Mr. Williams leads NFHA’s efforts to pursue pioneering litigation under the federal Fair Housing Act, often utilizing testing-based evidence and working in partnership with NFHA’s network of local fair housing centers. He coordinates NFHA’s actions to file amicus briefs to promote sound fair housing jurisprudence. Mr. Williams also provides training and technical support to local fair housing centers across the country on investigation and enforcement strategies, as well as training to housing providers and servicers on a range of complicated and emerging topics. In addition, he assists with NFHA’s federal public policy advocacy, in coordination with legislative offices and federal agencies, and helps local advocates address state and local legislative matters.
Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Health Law & Policy, Georgetown University
David A. Hyman, M.D., J.D., is the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Health Law & Policy at Georgetown University. Professor Hyman focuses his research and writing on the regulation and financing of health care. He teaches or has taught health care regulation, civil procedure, insurance, medical malpractice, law & economics, professional responsibility, and tax policy.
While serving as Special Counsel to the Federal Trade Commission, Professor Hyman was principal author and project leader for the first joint report ever issued by the Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice, “Improving Health Care: A Dose of Competition” (2004). He is also the author of Medicare Meets Mephistopheles, which was selected by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce/National Chamber Foundation as one of the top ten books of 2007, and the co-author (with Charles Silver) of Overcharged: Why Americans Pay Too Much for Health Care (2018). He has published widely in student-edited law reviews and peer-reviewed medical, health policy, law, and economics journals.
Former Associate Director for Social Sciences, FDA
Dr. Richard A. Williams was at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Nutrition for twenty-seven years. He ended up as the Director of Social Science and received the agency’s highest honor: the Award of Merit. Since leaving the agency, he has continued to study and write about food safety issues and has written professional articles in the Risk Analysis, the Journal of Food Science and Technology, Regulation magazine, and the Dickinson Law Review. He has written op-eds for the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, and the Chicago Tribune. He has appeared on television (CNN, C-SPAN) and radio (The Diane Rehm Show, NPR). Dr. Williams has given presentations throughout the U.S., Europe, South Korea, Australia, and China on food safety and nutrition issues. He regularly gives talks at the Society for Risk Analysis and Arizona State Universities Governance of Emerging Technologies and Science conference, in addition to the food industry and various academic settings.
Managing Partner, West Loop Ventures
Timing is everything, and no one knows this better than a trader. Jeff traded his own money at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and was on its board. In the mid-nineties, he was part of a group of equity owners that saw a huge opportunity and remade the entire exchange. When he joined the CME Board, it was worth less than $200 million and had less than $20 million in the bank. CME was the first exchange to demutualize, and the first to go public in November of 2002. Today it is a $55B company and the largest exchange in the world. In April of 2007, he used his market intuition and network to help found Hyde Park Angels. HPA is one of the most active angel groups in the United States. Jeff actively recruited like minded investors dedicated to fostering the entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout the Midwest. In 2017, He was an advisor to the G7 on the future of work, artificial intelligence and big data.
MBA Chicago Booth (2006)
BS Gies College of Business University of Illinois
Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
Patrick Daugherty is a senior corporate and securities law partner of Foley & Lardner LLP, based in Chicago. He also is an adjunct professor of Cornell Law School, where he teaches in residence each Fall Term.
Mr. Daugherty is a member of the Bar in New York, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Michigan and Illinois. Credentialing organizations have named him “Lawyer of the Year” in both Michigan (2007) and Illinois (2022). A graduate of Northwestern University and of Cornell Law School (Class of 1981), he clerked for SDNY Chief Judge Lloyd F. MacMahon for a year before entering private practice. Mr. Daugherty also served as Counsel to SEC Commissioner Edward H. Fleischman in Washington, D.C., from 1986 to 1989. An Emeritus Member of the American Law Institute, he is the author, co-author or editor of several books and many articles on securities regulation and new financial products.
Mr. Daugherty believes that he was the first lawyer inside the SEC to join the Federalist Society when he became a member in the late 1980s. A mainstay of the Chicago Lawyers Chapter, at the national level of the Society he serves on the Executive Committee for the Financial Services & E-Commerce Practice Group.
Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Clients trust Dan’s experience to help mitigate risks in the face of investigations and enforcement actions and to assess rules issued by financial agencies. From futures commission merchants to swap dealers to derivatives clearing organizations, he is well-positioned to advise on potential enforcement priorities, staff relief and exemptive orders, and submit comments on proposed financial agency rules. Dan has particular experience in handling fraud-related allegations under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and can help clients develop compliance practices for meeting regulatory requirements. He also has successfully challenged rulemakings by financial agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) first rulemaking under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act regarding proxy access and the SEC’s attempt to regulate fixed indexed annuities.
In Dan’s role at the CFTC, he assisted with the creation and development of LabCFTC, the agency’s hub for engagement with the fintech community to promote innovation and fair competition. He is highly experienced with helping crypto exchanges, bank and other fintech entities in working with distributed ledger technologies. He also provides counsel on meeting regulatory requirements when bringing new products to market. Dan had a distinguished career at the CFTC, receiving the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in 2019. This award is the CFTC’s highest honor, given to one employee annually in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments and superior service dedicated to realizing the vision, mission and values of the CFTC.
Dan has the full range of litigation experience, having practiced in federal and state court, defending clients in arbitration and jury trial, and arguing ten cases before the federal courts of appeals. He excels at crisis litigation, having successfully obtained a rarely granted writ of mandamus on behalf of the CFTC. Dan uses his extensive litigation experience to advise clients on both litigation and regulatory matters.
Previously, Dan served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division for the US Department of Justice. He also clerked for the Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. While in law school, Dan served as Executive Editor of The University of Chicago Law Review.
Chief Executive Officer, Typhon Capital Management, LLC
Mr. Koutoulas is the head of Typhon Capital Management, a NFA-registered Commodity Trading Advisor and Commodity Pool Operator. Typhon manages several CTA strategies, each isolated to a single asset class so that investors may select specific niche exposures that best suit their portfolios. Typhon also offers customized multi-strategy programs that are available either via cross-margined managed accounts, or in custom fund structures.
James has a broad background across the hedge fund industry, including alternative investment analysis, risk management, corporate finance, securities law, IT/software development, and marketing honed through his experience managing eight startups. He has supervised the trading of several alternative investment strategies, served as the COO and chief analyst of a boutique fund of funds provider, was the head of operations and software development at a market and operational risk firm, and ran an IT and management consulting company with national operations.
James earned his law degree from Northwestern Law where he specialized in securities law. He also has a degree in Finance from the University of Florida, where he was a National Merit Scholar and AP National Scholar.
George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
John O. McGinnis is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He also has an MA degree from Balliol College, Oxford, in philosophy and theology. Professor McGinnis clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. From 1987 to 1991, he was deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. He is the author of Accelerating Democracy: Transforming Government Through Technology (Princeton 2013) and Originalism and the Good Constitution (Harvard 2013) (with M. Rappaport). He is a past winner of the Paul Bator award given by the Federalist Society to an outstanding academic under 40. He has been listed by the United States on the roster of panelists who may be called upon to decide World Trade Organization Disputes.
Managing Partner, West Loop Ventures
Timing is everything, and no one knows this better than a trader. Jeff traded his own money at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, and was on its board. In the mid-nineties, he was part of a group of equity owners that saw a huge opportunity and remade the entire exchange. When he joined the CME Board, it was worth less than $200 million and had less than $20 million in the bank. CME was the first exchange to demutualize, and the first to go public in November of 2002. Today it is a $55B company and the largest exchange in the world. In April of 2007, he used his market intuition and network to help found Hyde Park Angels. HPA is one of the most active angel groups in the United States. Jeff actively recruited like minded investors dedicated to fostering the entrepreneurial ecosystem throughout the Midwest. In 2017, He was an advisor to the G7 on the future of work, artificial intelligence and big data.
MBA Chicago Booth (2006)
BS Gies College of Business University of Illinois
Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
Patrick Daugherty is a senior corporate and securities law partner of Foley & Lardner LLP, based in Chicago. He also is an adjunct professor of Cornell Law School, where he teaches in residence each Fall Term.
Mr. Daugherty is a member of the Bar in New York, the District of Columbia, North Carolina, Michigan and Illinois. Credentialing organizations have named him “Lawyer of the Year” in both Michigan (2007) and Illinois (2022). A graduate of Northwestern University and of Cornell Law School (Class of 1981), he clerked for SDNY Chief Judge Lloyd F. MacMahon for a year before entering private practice. Mr. Daugherty also served as Counsel to SEC Commissioner Edward H. Fleischman in Washington, D.C., from 1986 to 1989. An Emeritus Member of the American Law Institute, he is the author, co-author or editor of several books and many articles on securities regulation and new financial products.
Mr. Daugherty believes that he was the first lawyer inside the SEC to join the Federalist Society when he became a member in the late 1980s. A mainstay of the Chicago Lawyers Chapter, at the national level of the Society he serves on the Executive Committee for the Financial Services & E-Commerce Practice Group.
Partner, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Clients trust Dan’s experience to help mitigate risks in the face of investigations and enforcement actions and to assess rules issued by financial agencies. From futures commission merchants to swap dealers to derivatives clearing organizations, he is well-positioned to advise on potential enforcement priorities, staff relief and exemptive orders, and submit comments on proposed financial agency rules. Dan has particular experience in handling fraud-related allegations under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and can help clients develop compliance practices for meeting regulatory requirements. He also has successfully challenged rulemakings by financial agencies, such as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) first rulemaking under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act regarding proxy access and the SEC’s attempt to regulate fixed indexed annuities.
In Dan’s role at the CFTC, he assisted with the creation and development of LabCFTC, the agency’s hub for engagement with the fintech community to promote innovation and fair competition. He is highly experienced with helping crypto exchanges, bank and other fintech entities in working with distributed ledger technologies. He also provides counsel on meeting regulatory requirements when bringing new products to market. Dan had a distinguished career at the CFTC, receiving the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in 2019. This award is the CFTC’s highest honor, given to one employee annually in recognition of extraordinary accomplishments and superior service dedicated to realizing the vision, mission and values of the CFTC.
Dan has the full range of litigation experience, having practiced in federal and state court, defending clients in arbitration and jury trial, and arguing ten cases before the federal courts of appeals. He excels at crisis litigation, having successfully obtained a rarely granted writ of mandamus on behalf of the CFTC. Dan uses his extensive litigation experience to advise clients on both litigation and regulatory matters.
Previously, Dan served as counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division for the US Department of Justice. He also clerked for the Honorable Douglas H. Ginsburg, Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. While in law school, Dan served as Executive Editor of The University of Chicago Law Review.
Chief Executive Officer, Typhon Capital Management, LLC
Mr. Koutoulas is the head of Typhon Capital Management, a NFA-registered Commodity Trading Advisor and Commodity Pool Operator. Typhon manages several CTA strategies, each isolated to a single asset class so that investors may select specific niche exposures that best suit their portfolios. Typhon also offers customized multi-strategy programs that are available either via cross-margined managed accounts, or in custom fund structures.
James has a broad background across the hedge fund industry, including alternative investment analysis, risk management, corporate finance, securities law, IT/software development, and marketing honed through his experience managing eight startups. He has supervised the trading of several alternative investment strategies, served as the COO and chief analyst of a boutique fund of funds provider, was the head of operations and software development at a market and operational risk firm, and ran an IT and management consulting company with national operations.
James earned his law degree from Northwestern Law where he specialized in securities law. He also has a degree in Finance from the University of Florida, where he was a National Merit Scholar and AP National Scholar.
George C. Dix Professor in Constitutional Law, Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law
John O. McGinnis is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. He also has an MA degree from Balliol College, Oxford, in philosophy and theology. Professor McGinnis clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. From 1987 to 1991, he was deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. He is the author of Accelerating Democracy: Transforming Government Through Technology (Princeton 2013) and Originalism and the Good Constitution (Harvard 2013) (with M. Rappaport). He is a past winner of the Paul Bator award given by the Federalist Society to an outstanding academic under 40. He has been listed by the United States on the roster of panelists who may be called upon to decide World Trade Organization Disputes.
Partner, Wilson Sonsini
David Berger specializes in corporate governance and M&A litigation as well as rapid response shareholder activism and corporate governance risk oversight. David’s practice is an unusual blend of corporate governance advisory work and litigation, and he is nationally recognized for his expertise in both the boardroom and the courtroom. David also represents directors and companies in internal investigations and public companies on disclosure and SEC proceedings.
David has represented many leading technology and other companies in a variety of governance matters, including Google, Hewlett-Packard, Tesla, Genentech, Dropbox, Box, TD Ameritrade, Copart, Lumentum, Coherent, and Chevron. In addition, David represents many leading investment banks and private equity firms, including Morgan Stanley, SilverLake, TPG, Oak Hill, Francisco Partners, and Qatalyst Partners.
David is a senior fellow at NYU’s Center for Corporate Governance and Finance, and is a visiting professor at NYU Law School. David taught M&A Litigation and was a visiting Fellow in the Program on Corporate Governance at Harvard Law School in 2018. He has also been a visiting lecturer at a number of other leading law schools, including Duke, Stanford, Hebrew University, and Tel Aviv University, among others.
Founding Partner, Boyden Gray & Associates
Ambassador C. Boyden Gray is the founding partner of Boyden Gray & Associates, a law and strategy firm in Washington, D.C., focused on constitutional and regulatory issues.
Mr. Gray worked in the White House for twelve years, first as counsel to the Vice President during the Reagan administration and then as White House Counsel to President George H.W. Bush. In the Reagan administration, he was Counsel to the Presidential Task Force on Regulatory Relief, for which he wrote the original Executive Order 12291 requiring cost-benefit analysis and White House review of regulations (later renumbered as current EO 12866). In the George H.W. Bush Administration, Mr. Gray was in charge of judicial selection and was also instrumental in the enactment of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, the Energy Policy Act of 1992, and a cap-and-trade system for acid rain emissions. In 1993, he received the Presidential Citizens Medal. Under President George W. Bush, Mr. Gray was U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and U.S. Special Envoy to Europe for Eurasian Energy.
Mr. Gray practiced law for 25 years at the law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering and was chairman of the Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice Section of the American Bar Association from 2000 to 2002. Early in his career, Mr. Gray helped to develop the Business Roundtable and served as its first counsel. He is an adjunct professor at Antonin Scalia Law School and a former adjunct professor at NYU Law School (teaching energy and environmental law). Mr. Gray is on the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Council, the Federalist Society, Reason Foundation, and the Trust for the National Mall.
Mr. Gray earned his A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard, where he was an editor of the Crimson, and his J.D. with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was editor-in-chief of the Law Review. Mr. Gray served in the United States Marine Corps, and after law school, he clerked for Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
Of Counsel, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
Leo E. Strine, Jr., is Of Counsel in the Corporate Department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Prior to joining the firm, he was the Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court from early 2014 through late 2019. Before becoming the Chief Justice, he had served on the Delaware Court of Chancery as Chancellor since June 22, 2011, and as a Vice Chancellor since November 9, 1998.
In his judicial positions, Mr. Strine wrote hundreds of opinions in the areas of corporate law, contract law, trusts and estates, criminal law, administrative law, and constitutional law. Notably, he authored the lead decision in the Delaware Supreme Court case holding that Delaware’s death penalty statute was unconstitutional because it did not require the key findings necessary to impose a death sentence to be made by a unanimous jury.
Mr. Strine holds long-standing teaching positions at Harvard and University of Pennsylvania, where he has and continues to teach diverse classes in corporate law addressing, among other topics, mergers and acquisitions, the role of independent directors, valuation, and corporate law theories. He is a member of the American Law Institute, and currently serves as an advisor on the project to create a restatement of corporate law.
Mr. Strine also serves as the Michael L. Wachter Distinguished Fellow in Law and Policy at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, the Ira M. Millstein Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Ira M. Millstein Center for Global Markets and Corporate Ownership at Columbia Law School and a Senior Fellow of the Harvard Program on Corporate Governance. From 2006 to 2019, Mr. Strine served as the special judicial consultant to the ABA’s Committee on Corporate Laws. He also was the special judicial consultant to the ABA’s Committee on Mergers & Acquisitions from 2014 to 2019.
Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Paul S. Atkins was sworn into office as the 34th Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21, 2025, after being nominated by President Donald J. Trump on January 20, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 9, 2025.
Prior to returning to the SEC, Chairman Atkins was most recently chief executive of Patomak Global Partners, a company he founded in 2009. Chairman Atkins helped lead efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset sector. He served as an independent director and non-executive chairman of the board of BATS Global Markets, Inc. from 2012 to 2015.
Chairman Atkins was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as a Commissioner of the SEC from 2002 to 2008. During his tenure, he advocated for transparency, consistency, and the use of cost-benefit analysis at the agency. Chairman Atkins also represented the SEC at meetings of the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets and the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Economic Council. From 2009 to 2010, he was appointed a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.
Before serving as an SEC Commissioner, Chairman Atkins was a consultant on securities and investment management industry matters, especially regarding issues of strategy, regulatory compliance, risk management, new product development, and organizational control.
From 1990 to 1994, Chairman Atkins served on the staff of two chairmen of the SEC, Richard C. Breeden and Arthur Levitt, ultimately as chief of staff and counselor, respectively. He received the SEC’s 1992 Law and Policy Award for work regarding corporate governance matters.
Chairman Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He was resident for 2½ years in his firm's Paris office and admitted as conseil juridique in France.
A member of the New York and Florida bars, Chairman Atkins received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983 and was Senior Student Writing Editor of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his A.B., Phi Beta Kappa, from Wofford College in 1980.
Originally from Lillington, North Carolina, Chairman Atkins grew up in Tampa, Florida. He and his wife Sarah have three sons.
Commissioner, United States Securities and Exchange Commission
Hester M. Peirce was appointed by President Donald J. Trump to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and was sworn in on January 11, 2018.
Prior to joining the SEC, Commissioner Peirce conducted research on the regulation of financial markets at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. She was a Senior Counsel on the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, where she advised Ranking Member Richard Shelby and other members of the Committee on securities issues. Commissioner Peirce served as counsel to SEC Commissioner Paul S. Atkins. She also worked as a Staff Attorney in the SEC’s Division of Investment Management. Commissioner Peirce was an associate at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) and clerked for Judge Roger Andewelt on the Court of Federal Claims.
Commissioner Peirce earned her bachelor’s degree in Economics from Case Western Reserve University and her JD from Yale Law School.
Executive Vice President, Goldwater Institute
Christina Sandefur is the Executive Vice President at the Goldwater Institute. She develops policies and litigates cases advancing healthcare freedom, free enterprise, private property rights, free speech, and taxpayer rights.
Christina is a co-drafter of the Right to Try initiative, now federal law, which protects terminally ill patients' right to try safe investigational treatments that have been prescribed by their physician but are not yet FDA-approved. She has won important victories for property rights in Arizona and works nationally to promote the Institute's Private Property Rights Protection Act, a state-level reform that requires government to pay owners when regulations destroy property rights and reduce property values.
Christina is the co-author of the book Cornerstone of Liberty: Private Property Rights in 21st Century America (2016). She is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs, has provided expert legal testimony to various legislative committees, and is a frequent speaker at conferences. She is the recipient of the 2018 Buckley Award in recognition of her leadership in the freedom movement, and she is an Advisory Board Member of the Network of enlightened Women. Christina serves on the board of the Phoenix Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society and is a member of the executive committee for the Federalist Society's Regulatory Transparency Project: FDA & Health.
Christina is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law and Hillsdale College.
Attorney, Institute for Justice
Josh Windham is an attorney at the Institute for Justice.
Originally from Charlotte, Josh joined the Institute’s headquarters office in 2016. He received his law degree in 2016 from the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he served as president of the Federalist Society and as judicial extern to the Honorable Robert Numbers in the Eastern District of North Carolina. Josh graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in History. He is an avid sports fan and dessert lover.
Josh is licensed in North Carolina.
Mr. Fortney is a co-founder of Fortney & Scott, LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm counseling and advising clients on the full spectrum of work-place related matters, including employment discrimination and labor matters, compliance programs, government contracting, international dispute resolution and counseling matters, and developing strategies for avoiding or responding to workplace-related crises.
Mr. Fortney has a broad-based practice representing and counseling employers and executives in employment and labor matters, including equal employment opportunity requirements, wage and hour matters, federal contractor's affirmative action and non-discrimination obligations, collective bargaining, and workplace health and safety. He brings experience from the public and private sectors in advising clients on these issues, and he frequently represents clients before federal and state agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor's agencies, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board.
Mr. Fortney has been widely recognized for his professional accomplishments, including being named one of the leading employment lawyers in Washington, D.C. by the CHAMBERS USAsurvey of America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in all years from 2005 through 2015. He was selected for inclusion in the 2008 through present editions of The Best Lawyers in America, Washington D.C.’s, Washington D.C.’s Best Lawyers, and Super Lawyers. Mr. Fortney was also awarded an AV rating (the highest level) by Martindale-Hubbell.
Before co-founding the firm, Mr. Fortney previously served as the chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. during the term of President George H.W. Bush. As Acting Solicitor of Labor, he was responsible for enforcing over 140 laws regulating the nation's workplaces and managing an agency with 800 attorneys and support staff. He advised Secretaries of Labor Elizabeth Dole and Lynn Martin and the Department of Labor agencies on a broad range of legal, policy, legislative, regulatory and enforcement issues.
Mr. Fortney has testified before the U.S. Congress on several occasions and a state legislative committee on wage and hour matters.
Mr. Fortney is a frequent lecturer and writer on employment-related topics, including appearances on CNN, CBS and Fox News. Mr. Fortney is the co-editor of the Federal Employment Law Insider monthly newsletter, Chapter Editor of The Family and Medical Leave Act (2006) published by BNA Books, co-author of the Military Leave Compliance Kit (2001), published by M. Lee Smith Publishers, and lead author of the Guide to Employee Leave(1997), published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont.
Former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Policy, U.S. Department of Labor
Leon Sequeira served as Assistant Secretary of Labor (Policy) for President George W. Bush. Prior to this, he served as Legal Counsel in the office of United States Senator Mitch McConnell. Earlier in his career, he served as Counsel of the U.S. Senate Committee on Rules and Administration.
Mr. Sequeira received his bachelor's degree from Northwest Missouri State University and his JD from George Washington University Law School.
Staff Attorney, National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation
Glenn Taubman is a Staff Attorney for the National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation (1982 to the present). He was a Law Clerk for Senior Circuit Judge Warren L. Jones, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits, Jacksonville, Florida, from 1981-82, and a Staff Attorney for the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, from 1980-81. His Bar Admissions include: Georgia, 1980; New York, 1981; U.S. Supreme Court, 1983; District of Columbia, 1985. He regularly appears before the National Labor Relations Board and various federal courts, representing individual employees only.
He is the author of "'Neutrality Agreements' and the Destruction of Employees' Section 7 Rights" (2005) and co-author of "Union Discipline and Employee Rights," a monograph published by the National Right to Work Foundation.
A partial listing of his reported cases includes: Lucas v. NLRB, 333 F.3d 927 (9th Cir. 2003);Penrod v. NLRB, 203 F.3d 41 (D.C. Cir. 2000);Production Workers v. NLRB, 161 F.3d 1047 (7th Cir. 1998);Food & Commercial Workers Local 951 v. Mulder, 31 F.3d 365 (6th Cir. 1994);NLRB v. Office Employees Local 2, 902 F.2d 1164 (4th Cir. 1990);Tierney v. City of Toledo, 917 F.2d 927 (6th Cir. 1990);Lowary v. Lexington Local Board of Education, 902 F.2d 422 (6th Cir. 1990);Lowary v. Lexington Local Board of Education, 854 F.2d 131 (6th Cir. 1988);Tierney v. City of Toledo, 824 F.2d 1497 (6th Cir. 1987);Masiello v. US Airways, Inc., 113 F. Supp. 2d 870 (W.D.N.C. 2000);Jordan v. City of Bucyrus, 739 F. Supp. 1124 (1990),further proceedings, 754 F. Supp. 554 (N.D. Ohio 1991);Dana Corp., 341 N.L.R.B. No. 150, 2004 WL 1329345 (June 7, 2004);California Saw & Knife Works, 320 N.L.R.B. 224 (1995),enforced, 133 F.3d 1012 (7th Cir. 1998).
Partner, O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Gregory Jacob is a partner in O’Melveny’s Washington, D.C. office. Greg Jacob represents financial services companies including banks, investment managers, health care payors, and insurers, as well as other employers, in class action and other litigation concerning ERISA and other labor and employment matters. A former Solicitor of Labor, Greg has extensive knowledge on a wide variety of labor and employment issues including ERISA, FLSA, OFCCP, and whistleblower law. He regularly litigates in federal courts throughout the country, defends clients against Department of Labor investigations, and provides counseling to plans and plan sponsors.
Prior to rejoining O’Melveny in 2021, Greg served as Counsel to Vice President Pence and Deputy Assistant to the President. He directly advised the Vice President on all legal issues relating to the Office of the Vice President, and advised the White House Coronavirus Task Force concerning the Defense Production Act and other legal issues related to bolstering the domestic supply chain.
COVID-19 and IP Protections on Critical Medical Innovations
Kristen Osenga
A Regulatory Transparency Project Fourth Branch Video
The development of COVID-19 vaccines and other related technologies is enabling the world to slowly...
Deep Dive Episode 203 – FTC’s Revolution Through Rulemaking
Corbin K. Barthold, William Blumenthal, Andrew Stivers, Svetlana Gans
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
The FTC is undertaking an ambitious and historic effort to craft de novo competition and...
FTC’s Revolution Through Rulemaking
Corbin K. Barthold, William Blumenthal, Svetlana Gans, Andrew Stivers
A Regulatory Transparency Project Webinar
The FTC is undertaking an ambitious and historic effort to craft de novo competition and...
Deep Dive Episode 202 – HUD and the Disparate Impact Rule
Paul Compton, Devon Westhill, Morgan Williams
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
On June 25, 2021, President Biden’s newly appointed Housing Secretary Marcia Fudge proposed to rescind...
Deep Dive Episode 201 – Fixing Food: An FDA Insider Unravels the Myths and the Solutions
David Hyman, Richard A. Williams
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
In this episode, Professor David Hyman interviews Dr. Richard Williams about Dr. Williams' new book,...
Digital Assets in 2021
Jeffrey R. Carter, Patrick Daugherty, Daniel J. Davis, James Koutoulas, Matt Lisle, John O. McGinnis
Chicago Lawyers Chapter
Hear from a panel of experts who will discuss key legal and regulatory issues surrounding...
Digital Assets in 2021
Jeffrey R. Carter, Patrick Daugherty, Daniel J. Davis, James Koutoulas, Matt Lisle, John O. McGinnis
Chicago Lawyers Chapter
Hear from a panel of experts who will discuss key legal and regulatory issues surrounding...
Deep Dive Episode 200 – Corporate Social Responsibility, Investment Strategy, and Liability Risks
David J. Berger, C. Boyden Gray, Leo E. Strine, Paul S. Atkins, Hester M. Peirce
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance (ESG) investing is growing in popularity, especially after major investment firm BlackRock signaled support...
Explainer Episode 30 – An Update on Telemedicine Laws and Regulations
Christina Sandefur, Josh Windham
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal and state governments relaxed rules that limit telemedicine—technology that enables...
Deep Dive Episode 199 – Pass or Fail? Grading the NLRB, EEOC, and DoL
David Fortney, Leon Sequeira, Glenn Taubman, Gregory Frederick Jacob
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
Collectively the Department of Labor, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the National Labor Relations Board...