Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mohammad “Mo” Jazil is a partner with Holtzman Vogel. His broad litigation practice includes state and federal constitutional cases, financial disputes, environmental disputes, white-collar criminal matters, and government investigations. Mohammad has served as first chair in federal and state court trials. He has briefed and argued dispositive motions and appeals before the federal courts, state appellate courts, and state supreme courts. He has also briefed cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, though he has never argued a case there.
Chambers USA calls Mohammad “a very good thinker,” “fantastic,” and “an excellent litigator.”
Since the summer of 2018, Mohammad has represented two Florida Governors and four Florida Secretaries of State on election-related and redistricting matters before federal and state trial courts, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, this work includes wins in nine federal cases related to Florida’s 2018 recounts; the successful defense of Florida’s felon re-enfranchisement program; federal and state-court decisions upholding Florida’s most recent congressional plan; and the defense of various election-related statutes.
Mohammad represents other public officials as well. He has represented two Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives on issues as varied as cannabis regulation and transportation policy. And he has represented Florida’s Surgeon General, members of Florida’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, and the head of Florida’s Medicaid agency on health-policy issues.
Finally, Mohammad routinely represents companies and individuals on a variety of issues. This work includes pricing and tax disputes involving some of the country’s largest companies, commercial disputes where he has obtained and collected on eight-figure trial judgments, and criminal proceedings.
David Johnson is a partner at Holtzman Vogel and focuses his practice on political and election law regulatory compliance, appellate law, and state attorneys general investigations and litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, David was Policy Director and General Counsel to the Republican Attorneys General Association, as well as serving as president for the Rule of Law Defense Fund and Center for Law and Policy. In these roles, he worked closely with Republican attorneys general and their staff on developing and advancing policy priorities. He has also worked with President Trump's administration and other leading Republican political and conservative policy organizations with respect to key policy initiatives.
Previously, David was Senior Counsel with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General where he advised the Attorney General on strategy with respect to litigation, communications, complex legal objectives, and policy goals. Prior to joining the Indiana Office of Attorney General, David served as Corporation Counsel for Lawrence, Indiana. In that role, David advised on myriad issues including municipal bonding, human resources, and capital projects. And before that, David served as Deputy General Counsel and Policy Director for Governor Mike Pence, providing strategic counsel to the Governor on litigation, policy, crisis communications, and legislative strategy, as well as guiding policy efforts on gaming issues in Indiana.
He earned his AB from Wabash College, and his JD from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mark Pinkert is a litigation and appellate partner with Holtzman Vogel. He represents clients at every stage of litigation, in state and federal courts around the country. He has extensive experience in constitutional law, administrative law, political law, antitrust, white collar defense, and complex commercial disputes. Additionally, Mark maintains an active practice focused on religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and combatting antisemitism, especially on college campuses.
Mark is a formidable writer and advocate. He has drafted letters, white papers to government agencies, legal memoranda, regulatory comments, complaints, dispositive motions, motions in limine, appellate briefs, and several briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. His incisive and persuasive writing style has helped him earn key victories for his clients. Mark has argued a Daubert motion in a multi-billion-dollar environmental dispute and was recently appointed lead counsel by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to represent an indigent petitioner in a habeas corpus appeal. Mark’s legal commentary has been published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Times of Israel, Daily Business Review, University of Miami Law Review, and many others.
Mark is also an adept legal strategist, advising some of the largest companies in the world on their most pressing issues. Rather than merely react to problems, he provides holistic thinking and anticipates issues before they arise. He helps clients develop proactive plans of action that mitigate risks, avoid conflict, and reduce costs.
Before joining Holtzman Vogel, Mark worked at a global law firm and clerked for the Honorable Adalberto Jordan (11th Cir.) and the Honorable Roy K. Altman (S.D. Fla.). Clerking at both the trial and appellate levels has given him rare insight into the federal court system and has sharpened his advocacy.
At Yale Law School, Mark was an Articles Editor for the Yale Law Journal and an editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Humanities. He was also a research assistant and taught constitutional law to high school students in New Haven.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC
Brandon Smith is a partner at Holtzman Vogel, based in Tennessee, where he focuses on government investigations, white collar matters, and specialty litigation. A seasoned government leader and legal strategist, Brandon has played a central role in shaping conservative policy and litigation at the highest levels of state government.
Before joining the firm, Brandon served as Chief of Staff and Assistant Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. In that role, he led multi-state litigation, high-profile constitutional challenges, and efforts to counter federal overreach and ESG-related corporate activism. He worked closely with nearly every Republican Attorney General’s Office in the country, coordinating litigation, strategy, and multi-state policy efforts.
Earlier in his career, Brandon served as Executive Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and as Policy Director to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, where he helped drive key legislative and budget initiatives. He also held roles as Deputy Director of the Federalist Society and as an adjunct professor at American University.
Brandon’s career has been defined by a commitment to defending federalism, advancing conservative governance, and shaping legal and policy fights that matter.
Solicitor General, Iowa Office of the Attorney General
Eric Wessan serves as Iowa’s Solicitor General in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. In that
role, Wessan leads Iowa’s litigation before State and federal appellate courts, including the Iowa
and U.S. Supreme Courts. Before that role, Wessan worked on complex commercial litigation at
two large law firms in Chicago. Wessan also served as a law clerk for the Honorable James C.
Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for the Honorable John F. Kness on the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Wessan is a graduate of the University of
Chicago Law School, with honors, and of the University of Chicago.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mohammad “Mo” Jazil is a partner with Holtzman Vogel. His broad litigation practice includes state and federal constitutional cases, financial disputes, environmental disputes, white-collar criminal matters, and government investigations. Mohammad has served as first chair in federal and state court trials. He has briefed and argued dispositive motions and appeals before the federal courts, state appellate courts, and state supreme courts. He has also briefed cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, though he has never argued a case there.
Chambers USA calls Mohammad “a very good thinker,” “fantastic,” and “an excellent litigator.”
Since the summer of 2018, Mohammad has represented two Florida Governors and four Florida Secretaries of State on election-related and redistricting matters before federal and state trial courts, the Florida Supreme Court, the Eleventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Notably, this work includes wins in nine federal cases related to Florida’s 2018 recounts; the successful defense of Florida’s felon re-enfranchisement program; federal and state-court decisions upholding Florida’s most recent congressional plan; and the defense of various election-related statutes.
Mohammad represents other public officials as well. He has represented two Speakers of the Florida House of Representatives on issues as varied as cannabis regulation and transportation policy. And he has represented Florida’s Surgeon General, members of Florida’s Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine, and the head of Florida’s Medicaid agency on health-policy issues.
Finally, Mohammad routinely represents companies and individuals on a variety of issues. This work includes pricing and tax disputes involving some of the country’s largest companies, commercial disputes where he has obtained and collected on eight-figure trial judgments, and criminal proceedings.
David Johnson is a partner at Holtzman Vogel and focuses his practice on political and election law regulatory compliance, appellate law, and state attorneys general investigations and litigation.
Prior to joining the firm, David was Policy Director and General Counsel to the Republican Attorneys General Association, as well as serving as president for the Rule of Law Defense Fund and Center for Law and Policy. In these roles, he worked closely with Republican attorneys general and their staff on developing and advancing policy priorities. He has also worked with President Trump's administration and other leading Republican political and conservative policy organizations with respect to key policy initiatives.
Previously, David was Senior Counsel with the Office of the Indiana Attorney General where he advised the Attorney General on strategy with respect to litigation, communications, complex legal objectives, and policy goals. Prior to joining the Indiana Office of Attorney General, David served as Corporation Counsel for Lawrence, Indiana. In that role, David advised on myriad issues including municipal bonding, human resources, and capital projects. And before that, David served as Deputy General Counsel and Policy Director for Governor Mike Pence, providing strategic counsel to the Governor on litigation, policy, crisis communications, and legislative strategy, as well as guiding policy efforts on gaming issues in Indiana.
He earned his AB from Wabash College, and his JD from the Indiana University McKinney School of Law.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mark Pinkert is a litigation and appellate partner with Holtzman Vogel. He represents clients at every stage of litigation, in state and federal courts around the country. He has extensive experience in constitutional law, administrative law, political law, antitrust, white collar defense, and complex commercial disputes. Additionally, Mark maintains an active practice focused on religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and combatting antisemitism, especially on college campuses.
Mark is a formidable writer and advocate. He has drafted letters, white papers to government agencies, legal memoranda, regulatory comments, complaints, dispositive motions, motions in limine, appellate briefs, and several briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. His incisive and persuasive writing style has helped him earn key victories for his clients. Mark has argued a Daubert motion in a multi-billion-dollar environmental dispute and was recently appointed lead counsel by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to represent an indigent petitioner in a habeas corpus appeal. Mark’s legal commentary has been published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Times of Israel, Daily Business Review, University of Miami Law Review, and many others.
Mark is also an adept legal strategist, advising some of the largest companies in the world on their most pressing issues. Rather than merely react to problems, he provides holistic thinking and anticipates issues before they arise. He helps clients develop proactive plans of action that mitigate risks, avoid conflict, and reduce costs.
Before joining Holtzman Vogel, Mark worked at a global law firm and clerked for the Honorable Adalberto Jordan (11th Cir.) and the Honorable Roy K. Altman (S.D. Fla.). Clerking at both the trial and appellate levels has given him rare insight into the federal court system and has sharpened his advocacy.
At Yale Law School, Mark was an Articles Editor for the Yale Law Journal and an editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Humanities. He was also a research assistant and taught constitutional law to high school students in New Haven.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC
Brandon Smith is a partner at Holtzman Vogel, based in Tennessee, where he focuses on government investigations, white collar matters, and specialty litigation. A seasoned government leader and legal strategist, Brandon has played a central role in shaping conservative policy and litigation at the highest levels of state government.
Before joining the firm, Brandon served as Chief of Staff and Assistant Solicitor General in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. In that role, he led multi-state litigation, high-profile constitutional challenges, and efforts to counter federal overreach and ESG-related corporate activism. He worked closely with nearly every Republican Attorney General’s Office in the country, coordinating litigation, strategy, and multi-state policy efforts.
Earlier in his career, Brandon served as Executive Director of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs for Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin and as Policy Director to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, where he helped drive key legislative and budget initiatives. He also held roles as Deputy Director of the Federalist Society and as an adjunct professor at American University.
Brandon’s career has been defined by a commitment to defending federalism, advancing conservative governance, and shaping legal and policy fights that matter.
Solicitor General, Iowa Office of the Attorney General
Eric Wessan serves as Iowa’s Solicitor General in the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. In that
role, Wessan leads Iowa’s litigation before State and federal appellate courts, including the Iowa
and U.S. Supreme Courts. Before that role, Wessan worked on complex commercial litigation at
two large law firms in Chicago. Wessan also served as a law clerk for the Honorable James C.
Ho on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and for the Honorable John F. Kness on the
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Wessan is a graduate of the University of
Chicago Law School, with honors, and of the University of Chicago.
Solicitor General, Louisiana
Ben Aguiñaga is the Solicitor General of Louisiana. He earned his B.A. from Baylor University in 2012 and his J.D. from Louisiana State University summa cum laude in 2015. He served as a law clerk for then-Justice Don Willett of the Texas Supreme Court and Judge Edith Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He spent
a year as the chief of staff for the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., during President Trump’s first administration. He subsequently served as a law clerk for Justice Samuel Alito of the United States Supreme Court in the 2018 Term. Most recently, he was an Issues and Appeals associate at Jones Day
before transitioning to Louisiana in January 2024. He has since presented five oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court, including argument and reargument in Louisiana v. Callais.
Solicitor General of Nebraska
Cody Barnett previously served as legal counsel on Alliance Defending Freedom’s Appellate Advocacy Team, where he represented various ADF clients before appellate courts across the country.
Before joining ADF, Barnett served as the William H. Rehnquist Fellow at Cooper & Kirk PLLC. He then went on to clerk for the Honorable Amul R. Thapar and the Honorable Raymond M. Kethledge, both of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, and for the Honorable Justin R. Walker of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
Barnett earned his J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 2017, where he graduated first in his class. He also served as president of the Christian Legal Society and as an articles editor for the Kentucky Law Journal. He completed ADF’s Blackstone Legal Fellowship in 2017. Prior to law school, Barnett earned a Bachelor of Arts in both history and political science from Transylvania University.
Barnett is admitted to practice law in Kentucky, the District of Columbia, and before several U.S. Courts of Appeal.
Principal Deputy Solicitor General of Texas
Mr. Cole joined the Office of the Attorney General in April 2021 as an Assistant Solicitor General and he promoted to Deputy Solicitor General in February 2024. During his time in the Solicitor General Division, he has successfully handled some of most consequential legal issues facing Texas. Mr. Cole has argued more than a dozen appeals, including in the U.S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Texas Supreme Court, and soon the U.S. Supreme Court. Previously, Mr. Cole practiced in the Appellate & Constitutional Law and Class Actions practice groups at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. He began his career clerking for the Honorable Edith H. Jones of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and obtained his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his undergraduate degree from Pepperdine University.
Office of the Florida Attorney General
JEFFREY DESOUSA served as the Acting Solicitor General in the Florida Attorney General’s Office, where he focused on criminal appeals and constitutional litigation, primarily in the United States and Florida Supreme Courts, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeal, and the Florida district courts. He is a member of the Florida Bar’s Appellate Court Rules Committee and the First District Appellate American Inn of Court. After graduating with honors from Georgetown Law, Jeffrey served as an appellate attorney for the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office. He has worked on hundreds of appellate cases and presented oral argument in approximately 70, including 18 in the Florida Supreme Court.
Associate, Wright Close & Barger, LLP
Conor is a highly motivated, creative, and seasoned lawyer, with a level of courtroom experience usually found in lawyers far more senior. He has significant appellate skills, deep knowledge of the Texas Supreme Court, and outstanding analytical and writing abilities. Conor has handled every stage of civil litigation, including drafting initial pleadings and answers, seeking and repelling discovery, taking and defending depositions, and handling high-stakes claims and defenses at trial. Conor brings keen insights and innovative legal arguments to all his cases.
An eighth-generation Texan born and raised in Houston, Conor’s devotion to Texas runs deep. Appointed by Governor Abbott and confirmed by the Texas Senate, he serves as a commissioner of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement, the statewide agency of more than 130 employees that sets and enforces standards that ensure the citizens of Texas are served by highly trained and ethical law enforcement, corrections, and telecommunications personnel.
Conor also maintains an active pro bono practice focusing on religious liberty disputes.
Solicitor General, Arkansas
Autumn Hamit Patterson is currently the Solicitor General of Arkansas.
Autumn’s previous experience includes serving as a Special Assistant Solicitor General for the Office of the Louisiana Attorney General, a Senior Attorney at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, an Issues and Appeals Associate at Jones Day, and a Solicitor General Fellow for the Office of the Texas Attorney General. Autumn also clerked for Justice Eva Guzman on the Supreme Court of Texas and Judge Andrew Oldham on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. In 2021 and 2022, Autumn was named one of “Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch” for appellate practice.
Autumn earned her J.D. from Duke University School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude. While in law school, she served as co-president of the Federalist Society. Autumn graduated summa cum laude from Furman University, where she received a B.A. in History and Political Science.
Partner, Ellinger and Associates, LLC
Marc Ellinger is a founding partner of Ellinger and Associates, LLC, and represents businesses, individuals, organizations and committees in disputes. Marc focuses his practice in election law, legislative and rulemaking practice, municipal finance and structuring, issues of state and federal constitutional law, gaming law, and appellate practice and has achieved a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rating.
Marc served as legal counsel for the Missouri State Auditor in 1993. In that role advised the State Auditor constitutional and tax law matters, as well as matters related to municipal and state debt financing and regularly appeared before the state appellate courts and the Missouri Supreme Court on the Auditor’s behalf. Marc transitioned to private practice in 1999. Prior to founding Ellinger and Associates, LLC, Marc was a member of Blitz, Bardgett & Deutsch, LC.
Marc has more than twenty years of experience in election law and campaign finance compliance, including the representation of candidates, as well as ballot measure campaigns and Political Action Committees across the State of Missouri. Marc has drafted initiative petitions covering a broad range of subjects and has been involved in the coordination of campaigns and litigation on ballot measures, on behalf of both proponents and opponents.
Marc is also actively involved in representing businesses and individuals in gaming law, particularly with respect to the Missouri Gaming Commission license and compliance matters. He represents casino operators, gaming equipment suppliers, game developers and key persons throughout the gaming industry on a broad range of gaming and licensing matters. He is one of only two Missouri attorneys recognized as a General Member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and is recognized as a Super Lawyer in the Gaming Law area.
Marc’s background as a CPA allows him to view tax matters through multiple lenses. Marc has represented numerous clients in administrative and civil cases involving sales, use and property tax law. He also regularly advises clients regarding transaction structuring.
Marc has significant appellate experience in Missouri. He has argued more than twenty cases in the Missouri Supreme Court and dozens more in the Eastern and Western Districts of the Missouri Court of Appeals. From local government issues of first impression, to tax matters, to numerous election law cases, Marc has protected the interests of businesses, individuals and local governments across Missouri.
Associate, Covington & Burling LLP
Eli Nachmany is an associate at Covington & Burling LLP in the Washington, DC, office. He clerked for Judge Steven J. Menashi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Eli graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy. Prior to law school, Eli served as the speechwriter to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and as a domestic policy aide in the White House Office of American Innovation. He graduated summa cum laude from New York University with a B.S. in Sports Management. Eli’s scholarship on administrative law and executive power has appeared in the BYU Law Review, George Mason Law Review, Wake Forest Law Review, and Yale Law Journal Forum.
Office Managing Partner, Husch Blackwell LLP
Lowell has more than 30 years of experience navigating the intersection of business and government at both the state and federal levels.
A wide range of clients – including regulated businesses in manufacturing, aviation and healthcare; individual political candidates and political action committees (PACs); and political subdivisions – rely on Lowell’s extensive experience in administrative law; election law and political campaign finance law; as well as government contract and procurement matters. A trusted litigator, he has handled numerous cases in the federal and state courts challenging government action, and has made multiple appearances before the Missouri Supreme Court in employment and constitutional cases.
Clients appreciate Lowell’s deep background within and innate understanding of public policy. Lowell worked in Washington, DC, as a policy advisor to the Judicial Conference of the United States and as counsel to Bob Dole’s 1988 presidential election campaign. He also served as both Missouri’s Deputy Director of Revenue and general counsel to Missouri Governor Matt Blunt. Lowell has been a regular speaker on administrative law, tax and election law issues to groups such as the Associated Industries of Missouri (AIM), the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Missouri. His proven collaborative and relationship-building skills move client goals forward.
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