Partner, Vinson & Elkins LLP
Fry Wernick is a Chambers-rated lawyer and former federal prosecutor who serves as a partner in the Government Investigations and White Collar Practice Group in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Dallas offices.
As a former federal prosecutor and supervisor of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Fraud Section with experience as lead attorney in over 30 trials, Fry has a broad range of white collar enforcement and courtroom experience. Fry regularly conducts internal investigations and defends companies and individuals against government investigations into a broad range of conduct and he has specific experience prosecuting and defending cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), anti-money laundering (AML) statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the False Claims Act (FCA), sanctions, campaign finance laws, and other fraud, consumer protection and corruption-related offenses. Fry also has extensive experience representing clients and appearing before numerous alphabet agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Department of Education (ED) and other regulators and investigative bodies. Fry also draws on his experience as a former counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary to help prepare and defend companies and individuals facing inquiries and investigations by Congress.
An important part of Fry’s practice is advising publicly traded and privately held companies on transactional risk, particularly concerning business transactions in emerging markets, and he helps companies develop effective compliance programs. Fry also understands all aspects of crisis management, and he draws on his extensive experience to tailor and coordinate sophisticated responses to investigations and inquiries from governmental, legislative and media sources in order to minimize the potential for legal and reputational risk for his clients.
As a former supervisor in DOJ’s FCPA Unit, Fry is one of the few former federal prosecutors who has actually prosecuted violations of the FCPA, and he has keen insight into how the Department of Justice prioritizes and investigates cases involving alleged violations of the FCPA and other white collar crimes. At DOJ, Fry led and supervised dozens of the Department’s most high-profile cases, including six of the largest-ever FCPA corporate criminal resolutions and dozens of individual prosecutions. Fry has extensive experience negotiating corporate settlements. including DPAs, NPAs and declinations under the recent revisions to the Department’s Corporate Enforcement Policy. In addition, Fry has conducted multiple cross-border criminal investigations and coordinated resolutions with multiple foreign and domestic government authorities, and he has developed an advanced understanding of how foreign regulators enforce the U.K. Bribery Act, the French Sapin II, and other anti-bribery laws.
Fry is a thought leader on the FCPA and white collar matters and he is frequently published and quoted in the press, including recently by the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Law 360, Global Investigations Review, The Anti-Corruption Report, The FCPA Professor, Energy Voice and other publications. Fry also has been recognized by Chambers USA, Legal 500, Lawdragon 500 and Who’s Who Legal for his investigations and white collar practice, and Law360 named Fry a “2021 Compliance MVP.”
In 2022, Fry took over as the firm’s Pro Bono Partner where he helps manage Vinson & Elkins’ firmwide pro bono program.
Partner, Jones Day
Brian Rabbitt is a litigator with extensive experience handling complex investigations, enforcement matters, civil litigation, and appellate matters at the highest levels of government. He represents clients in high-stakes matters involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Congress, and state attorneys general, as well as in internal investigations. Brian has been recognized as a leading white collar and investigations lawyer by Law360, The National Law Journal, and Chambers USA, which describes him as "smart, practical, and [having] great judgment."
Prior to joining Jones Day, Brian was the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Criminal Division, where he led hundreds of prosecutors responsible for investigating and prosecuting white collar cases (including securities, commodities, and health care fraud), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, and money laundering (AML), public corruption, computer crime, intellectual property, and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) matters. Under Brian's leadership, the Criminal Division resolved several of the most significant corporate criminal matters in DOJ history; prosecuted billions of dollars in health care fraud; and led the government's response to COVID-19-related stimulus fraud.
Before heading the Criminal Division, Brian served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General at DOJ, in senior enforcement and policy roles at the SEC, and in the White House Counsel's Office, where he advised on investigations, congressional oversight, and financial regulatory policy. Brian began his career at a leading Washington law firm, where his practice focused on complex civil litigation and government investigations and enforcement matters.
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.
Head of Policy & General Counsel, Crypto, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Miles Jennings joined the a16z Crypto team as General Counsel in August 2021.
Miles was most recently a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he focused on working with startups and investors in heavily regulated sectors including life sciences and, most importantly, crypto. He has been the go-to, trusted advisor for countless startups and crypto projects, guiding them from incorporation through financings, acquisitions, token offerings, and governance matters.
Miles’ experience within the sector stretches back to 2017, when he first began working with ConsenSys, a firm client, and he quickly became one of the most sought-after legal minds working in crypto. During his time at Latham, he co-chaired its global blockchain and cryptocurrency task force, which was composed of over 80 lawyers around the globe. In addition, he worked regularly with almost every venture firm operating in crypto, designing several of the investment structures they use today, and he was counsel to dozens of startups in the sector, including Aave, Bitwise, Avalanche, Element, Idle, Connext, 3Box, and Aztec. Miles was also an editor of Latham’s Global Fintech & Payments blog and has published several articles relating to legal matters relevant to crypto startups.
Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Steven Lofchie advises financial institutions on regulatory issues and financial instruments.
In his regulatory practice, Steven counsels clients on securities laws, the CEA, and related bankruptcy issues. His transactional practice focuses on securities credit and derivative transactions.
Steven is the founder and manager of an acclaimed legal website (now renamed Fried Frank Regulatory Intelligence) that has been endorsed by former chairpersons of both the SEC and CFTC. Subscribers to the website include government regulators and major buy- and sell-side firms.
Chambers USA has ranked Steven in Band 1 for eight years running, for both financial services regulation and derivatives. He is the only lawyer in the country to be top-ranked in both of those categories. Steven was also part of the team that was named 2020 Regulatory Team of the Year by IFLR Americas. The Best Lawyers in America recognized Steven as “Lawyer of the Year” for Administrative/Regulatory Law in New York in 2017, and U.S. News and World Report ranked him as the best regulatory lawyer in New York for 2014. In 2012, a derivatives transaction developed by Steven was cited as the best international structured product of the year by International Financial Law Review.
General Counsel, Ava Labs
Lee Schneider serves as General Counsel for Ava Labs, a leading blockchain software company. Mr. Schneider is responsible for all aspects of the legal function as well as the company’s government affairs initiatives.
As an early lawyer in the financial services and technology space (FinTech) and a leading voice in blockchain law and policy, Mr. Schneider has been involved in many significant projects in FinTech and blockchain, including some of the largest and most popular token sales. He also co-hosts a FinTech podcast with former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes, available on iTunes and other podcast services.
Prior to Ava Labs, Mr. Schneider served as General Counsel of block.one and as a practice leader at two major US law firms. Mr. Schneider has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law (’91).
Head of Legal for the Americas, Crypto.com
Justin is Head of Legal for the Americas at Crypto.com where he leads the company's North and South American legal and regulatory strategy. Prior to joining Crypto.com, he was a partner with the international law firm of K&L Gates where his practice focused on the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory issues impacting decentralized technologies including cryptocurrencies, decentralized financial (DeFi) platforms, smart contracts, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other related concepts.
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.
Head of Policy & General Counsel, Crypto, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Miles Jennings joined the a16z Crypto team as General Counsel in August 2021.
Miles was most recently a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he focused on working with startups and investors in heavily regulated sectors including life sciences and, most importantly, crypto. He has been the go-to, trusted advisor for countless startups and crypto projects, guiding them from incorporation through financings, acquisitions, token offerings, and governance matters.
Miles’ experience within the sector stretches back to 2017, when he first began working with ConsenSys, a firm client, and he quickly became one of the most sought-after legal minds working in crypto. During his time at Latham, he co-chaired its global blockchain and cryptocurrency task force, which was composed of over 80 lawyers around the globe. In addition, he worked regularly with almost every venture firm operating in crypto, designing several of the investment structures they use today, and he was counsel to dozens of startups in the sector, including Aave, Bitwise, Avalanche, Element, Idle, Connext, 3Box, and Aztec. Miles was also an editor of Latham’s Global Fintech & Payments blog and has published several articles relating to legal matters relevant to crypto startups.
Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Steven Lofchie advises financial institutions on regulatory issues and financial instruments.
In his regulatory practice, Steven counsels clients on securities laws, the CEA, and related bankruptcy issues. His transactional practice focuses on securities credit and derivative transactions.
Steven is the founder and manager of an acclaimed legal website (now renamed Fried Frank Regulatory Intelligence) that has been endorsed by former chairpersons of both the SEC and CFTC. Subscribers to the website include government regulators and major buy- and sell-side firms.
Chambers USA has ranked Steven in Band 1 for eight years running, for both financial services regulation and derivatives. He is the only lawyer in the country to be top-ranked in both of those categories. Steven was also part of the team that was named 2020 Regulatory Team of the Year by IFLR Americas. The Best Lawyers in America recognized Steven as “Lawyer of the Year” for Administrative/Regulatory Law in New York in 2017, and U.S. News and World Report ranked him as the best regulatory lawyer in New York for 2014. In 2012, a derivatives transaction developed by Steven was cited as the best international structured product of the year by International Financial Law Review.
General Counsel, Ava Labs
Lee Schneider serves as General Counsel for Ava Labs, a leading blockchain software company. Mr. Schneider is responsible for all aspects of the legal function as well as the company’s government affairs initiatives.
As an early lawyer in the financial services and technology space (FinTech) and a leading voice in blockchain law and policy, Mr. Schneider has been involved in many significant projects in FinTech and blockchain, including some of the largest and most popular token sales. He also co-hosts a FinTech podcast with former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes, available on iTunes and other podcast services.
Prior to Ava Labs, Mr. Schneider served as General Counsel of block.one and as a practice leader at two major US law firms. Mr. Schneider has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law (’91).
Head of Legal for the Americas, Crypto.com
Justin is Head of Legal for the Americas at Crypto.com where he leads the company's North and South American legal and regulatory strategy. Prior to joining Crypto.com, he was a partner with the international law firm of K&L Gates where his practice focused on the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory issues impacting decentralized technologies including cryptocurrencies, decentralized financial (DeFi) platforms, smart contracts, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other related concepts.
AI Innovation and Law Fellow, University of Texas School of Law
Kevin Frazier is an AI Innovation and Law Fellow with University of Texas School of Law.
Senior Fellow, R Street Institute
Prior to R Street, Adam spent 12 years as a senior fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Before the Mercatus Center, he served as the president of the Progress and Freedom Foundation. Adam has also worked for the Adam Smith Institute, the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute.
Adam has published 10 books on a wide range of topics, including online child safety, internet governance, intellectual property, telecommunications policy, media regulation and federalism.
In 2008, Adam received the Family Online Safety Institute’s “Award for Outstanding Achievement.”
Director, Center on Technology Policy, New York University
He was previously the head of online expression policy at UNC’s Center on Technology policy, and was a senior policy associate at the Center on Science & Technology Policy at Duke University. Prior to Duke, Scott was a research fellow at the University of Oxford, where he led research for the Oxford Martin Programme on Misinformation, Science, and Media, which examined the interplay between media change and misinformation about science, technology, and health.
Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director, Cicero Institute
Jonathan Wolfson is the Chief Legal Officer and Policy Director at the Cicero Institute. Before joining Cicero, he led the Policy Office at the U.S. Department of Labor where he managed DOL's deregulatory efforts and oversaw DOL's internal policy development think tank. He previously was a litigator and regulatory attorney at an international law firm representing clients before state and federal courts across the country. Following law school he served as a law clerk to The Honorable Edith Brown Clement of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Before law school, Jonathan was a policy analyst at the White House Council of Economic Advisers.
Jonathan received an A.B. in Economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an Olin Law and Economic Fellow and won the John M. Olin Prize for best original law and economics research.
Policy Director, Fulcrum Foundation
Reeve T. Bull is the Policy Director of the Fulcrum Foundation. In this role, he promotes executive and legislative reforms designed to update and streamline the regulatory system. These reforms draw upon the work Mr. Bull undertook in his previous role as the Director of the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management (ORM). During his time at ORM, he led the Commonwealth's efforts related to regulatory streamlining and permitting transparency and the development and implementation of artificial intelligence policy.
Previously, Mr. Bull served as the Research Director of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). At ACUS, he worked on projects related to international regulatory cooperation, the use of science by administrative agencies, presidential review of agency rulemaking, cost-benefit analysis, government contractor ethics, and e-rulemaking, among other things. Mr. Bull has also served as an Adjunct Professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School and the George Washington University, teaching courses on Administrative Law. Mr. Bull has published numerous articles in highly regarded law journals, including the Administrative Law Review, George Washington Law Review, and Law and Contemporary Problems. Mr. Bull is an Elected Member of the American Law Institute and a Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Bull worked in the private sector as an associate with the law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and in government service as a law clerk to the Honorable Alvin A. Schall of the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals. During his time as an associate with Gibson Dunn, Mr. Bull worked on a variety of litigation and regulatory matters. He participated in cases appearing before the United States Supreme Court, several federal Courts of Appeals, and numerous federal district courts and state trial courts. His experience spanned a variety of practice areas, including administrative, constitutional, intellectual property, antitrust, environmental, securities, and white collar criminal law. During his clerkship for Judge Schall, Mr. Bull assisted with appeals in cases spanning a variety of areas, with particular emphasis on administrative and patent law.
Mr. Bull attended law school at Duke University, where he graduated with highest honors and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. He was one of two recipients of the Willis Smith Award for compiling the most outstanding academic record in the graduating class and the recipient of the James S. Bidlake Memorial Award for achieving the highest grade in his first year legal writing section. Mr. Bull also served as a Note Editor on the Duke Law Journal. Prior to law school, Mr. Bull attended the University of Oklahoma, where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors in Chemistry and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
General Counsel, Office of Indiana Governor Mike Braun
Partner, First & Fourteenth PLLC
Michael Francisco is a public and commercial litigator with extensive appellate experience who often serves as a strategic advisor to clients facing acute legal challenges. He has represented clients nationally for public impact litigation, bet-the-company lawsuits, and in defense of constitutional rights. Michael served as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and Judge Timothy Tymkovich of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
Michael regularly takes on challenging matters where citizens must rely on the judiciary to vindicate their rights. His experience runs the gambit from successfully seeking injunctive relief, winning critical legal motions, defending judgments on appeal, overturning multi-million-dollar judgments, and obtaining discretionary high court review. He relishes the opportunity to develop a well-crafted legal strategy to solve the most novel and complex problems that may arise.
Michael has deep experience with political litigation representing candidates, voters, political parties, and advocacy organizations for ballot access, election administration, campaign finance, and for the unfortunate trend of criminalization of political activity.
After deciding to pursue a legal career to defend religious liberty, Michael has regularly engaged in constitutional litigation under the religion clauses and the free speech clause. He has been involved in many recent U.S. Supreme Court cases involving these core freedoms, including Groff v. DeJoy, 303 Creative v. Elenis, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, National Institute of Family & Life Advocates v. Becerra, Trinity Lutheran Church v. Pauley, and similar cases in lower courts on topics ranging from the ministerial exception, church property disputes, to religious land use disputes.
As an appellate advocate Michael frequently handles matters before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals, and Colorado appellate courts. He has argued four times before the Colorado Supreme Court and briefed 19 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Michael also frequently advises clients on strategic public matters challenging federal government authority and overreach. He has regularly litigated business disputes, employment matters, as well as represented clients before state and federal administrative agencies or arbitration panels.
Prior to joining First & Fourteenth, Michael was a partner at McGuireWoods, LLP in Washington D.C., representing litigation, white collar, and government investigation clients.
At home Michael is married with four children and he enjoys many outdoor activities, ranging from competitive shooting to fixing his jeep.
Vice President for Legal Strategy, Stand Together
Casey Mattox is Vice President for Legal Strategy at Stand Together and Senior Advisor at
Americans for Prosperity. In these roles he advocates for and creates strategies and
partnerships to ensure a constitutionally limited government that protects the civil liberties of all
Americans. Prior to joining Stand Together and AFP Casey’s legal career focused on defending
the First Amendment rights of students, faculty, healthcare workers and religious organizations.
Casey has a J.D. from Boston College School of Law and an undergraduate degree from the
University of Virginia. You can find him on Twitter at @CaseyMattox_ and on LinkedIn at
@Casey-Mattox-ST.
Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School
Professor Derek Muller is a nationally-recognized scholar in the field of election law. His research focuses on the role of states in the administration of federal elections, the constitutional contours of voting rights and election administration, the limits of judicial power in the domain of elections, and the Electoral College.
He has published more than two dozen academic works, and his op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He has testified before Congress, and he is a contributor at the Election Law Blog. He is a co-author on a Federal Courts casebook published by Carolina Academic Press. He is also the co-reporter on a new Restatement of the Law, Election Litigation, an effort led by the American Law Institute.
Professor Muller teaches Election Law, Civil Procedure, and Evidence.
Partner, Clement & Murphy, PLLC
Erin Murphy is founding partner of Clement & Murphy, PLLC. She is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading Supreme Court and appellate advocates. She has argued dozens of cases in appellate and trial courts throughout the country, including the Supreme Court and nearly all of the federal courts of appeals. Erin has long been ranked by Chambers & Partners rankings as a leading appellate practitioner, and the National Law Journal has named her one of the nation’s “Outstanding Women Lawyers.” Erin also has an active pro bono practice, through which she has successfully represented many religious organizations and adherents, criminal defendants, asylum applicants, adoptive parents, and more.
Erin is an adjunct professor at her alma mater the Georgetown University Law Center, a member and former officer of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court, and a frequent speaker on topics relating to the Supreme Court and appellate advocacy. In her spare time, Erin serves on the board of directors of Street Law.
Executive Director, ADF International
Paul Coleman serves as executive director of ADF International from its headquarters in Vienna, overseeing the advocacy and operations of the global, alliance-building human rights organization.
Specializing in international human rights and European law, Mr. Coleman has been involved in more than 20 cases before the European Court of Human Rights and has authored complaints and submissions to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, International Criminal Court, Court of Justice of the European Union, UN Human Rights Committee, and numerous national courts.
Mr. Coleman was part of the legal team in the historic Eweida and others v. United Kingdom case, where the court handed down a landmark ruling on religious freedom. Mr. Coleman has also authored legal submissions in numerous precedent-setting cases before the European Court, including three Grand Chamber victories. In Gross v. Switzerland, he submitted that no right to assisted suicide or euthanasia exists under the European Convention on Human Rights. In F.G. v. Sweden, Mr. Coleman argued that European countries have a duty to protect Christian converts escaping persecution in their native countries. In Nagy v. Hungary, he argued that churches must have the freedom to manage their internal affairs without interference from the government or other state bodies.
Coleman earned his LL.M. and postgraduate diploma in legal practice, with distinction, from the Northumbria Law School. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws, with first-class honours, from Newcastle University. Coleman is a solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales and is the author of two books and numerous articles.
Professor of Law, University of San Diego School of Law
Maimon Schwarzschild is Professor of Law at the University of San Diego, where he has taught
since 1982. He has published extensively on constitutional law, jurisprudence, law and religion,
and civil rights. He is an English barrister and an American lawyer: he was an attorney in the
Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice from 1976 to 1981 and practised as a
barrister in London in the 1980s. He was a visiting professor at the Sorbonne for several years,
and has been a visiting professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is a Director of the
Institute of Law and Religion at the University of San Diego and a member of the editorial board
of Law and Philosophy. With Gail Heriot he recently co-edited a volume entitled “A Dubious
Expediency: How Race Preferences Damage Higher Education”, published by Encounter Books.
Partner, Clement & Murphy, PLLC
Paul served as the 43rd Solicitor General of the United States from June 2005 until June 2008. Before his confirmation as Solicitor General, he served as Acting Solicitor General for nearly a year and as Principal Deputy Solicitor General for over three years.
Paul has argued over 100 cases before the United States Supreme Court, including McConnell v. FEC, Tennessee v. Lane, United States v. Booker, MGM v. Grokster, Hobby Lobby v. Burwell, Epic Systems Corp. v. Lewis, Rucho v. Common Cause, Facebook v. Duguid, and TransUnion v. Ramirez. Paul has argued more Supreme Court cases since 2000 than any lawyer in or out of government. He has also argued many important cases in the lower courts, including Walker v. Cheney, United States v. Moussaoui and NFL v. Brady.
Paul’s practice focuses on appellate matters, constitutional litigation and strategic counseling. He represents a broad array of clients in the Supreme Court and in federal and state appellate courts. Last year, for example, he successfully argued Supreme Court cases involving significant issues of energy regulation, statutory interpretation, state sovereign immunity and Article III standing, and successfully argued a trademark appeal in the Fourth Circuit, and a constitutional appeal before the en banc Eleventh Circuit.
Paul focuses on high-stakes appeals. In recent years, he successfully defended a $1.2 billion jury verdict for clients in a Tenth Circuit case, while securing the reversal of an over $2 billion jury verdict for another client in the Seventh Circuit and the approval of a nearly $1 billion dollar class action settlement in the Third Circuit. He has initiated major administrative law challenges and constitutional litigation against the federal government, such as the successful challenge to the HHS drug-pricing rule and threatened challenges that led to the withdrawal of the Treasury Department’s proposed cryptocurrency regulations. He also counsels clients on a variety of strategic legal questions, whether arising from pending legislation, government inquiries or ongoing litigation.
Paul has undertaken substantial pro bono engagements in the Supreme Court, such as twice successfully representing the defendant in Bond v. United States and successfully representing the Omaha Tribe in Nebraska v. Parker, the guardian ad litem in Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, the defendant in Sekhar v. United States, a high school football coach in Kennedy v. Bremerton, and the Little Sisters of the Poor. Paul’s pro bono representation also precipitated the federal government’s confession of error in United States v. Rojas.
Following law school, Paul clerked for Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and for Associate Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court. After his clerkships, he went on to serve as Chief Counsel of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on the Constitution, Federalism and Property Rights.
Paul is a Distinguished Lecturer in Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, where he has taught in various capacities since 1998. He also serves as a Senior Fellow of the Law Center’s Supreme Court Institute. He is the Justice Joseph Story Distinguished Practitioner in Residence at the Gray Center at Scalia Law School.
Partner, Briscoe Prows Kao Ivester & Bazel LLP
Tony Francois is experienced in Water and Real Property Law, Land Use and Zoning, Environmental Regulation, Natural Resources Development, Agricultural Law, and Constitutional Law. He has represented homeowners, builders, farmers and ranchers, trade associations, and water districts in administrative, civil, and criminal proceedings before state and federal administrative agencies and state and federal trial and appellate courts. He is a member of the California State Bar and the Northern, Eastern, and Central Districts of California and the Districts of New Mexico and North Dakota, and has litigated cases in federal courts in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuit Courts of Appeals. He has appeared before the Supreme Courts of California, Idaho, Nevada, and the United States.
Prior to attending law school, he served as an infantry officer in the United States Army, and was stationed in the former West Germany during the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Tony was an Attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation from 2012 to 2021. He was a lobbyist for 10 years, first with California Farm Bureau Federation from 2003 to 2007, and then with KP Public Affairs from 2007 to 2012. He was an attorney at McQuaid, Bedford & Van Zandt in San Francisco from 1999 – 2003.
Chief Legal Officer, Airbnb
Ron Klain oversees Airbnb’s global legal and ethics functions and community policy team.
Ron served as the 30th White House Chief of Staff, from January 2021 to February 2023 – the longest tenure of any Democratic President’s first chief of staff.
Ron’s career in public service began as a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Byron White for the Court’s 1987 and 1988 Terms. Following his time clerking at the Supreme Court, Ron was Chief Counsel of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Staff Director of the Senate Democratic Leadership Committees, Associate Counsel for Judicial Selection under President Clinton, Chief of Staff to Vice President Al Gore, Chief of Staff and Counselor to the US Attorney General, and Chief of Staff to Vice President Joe Biden. In the Obama administration, Ron served as White House Ebola Response Coordinator, to tackle the West African Ebola epidemic of 2014-15.
In the private sector, Ron has served as Partner and National Practice Group Chair at the law firm of O’Melveny & Myers, from 1999-2004 and again in 2023. Earlier he was General Counsel for the technology investment firm Revolution LLC from 2005 to 2020.
Professor of Law and Executive Director, Law and Economics Center, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Donald Kochan is Professor of Law and Executive Director of the Law & Economics Center (LEC). Professor Kochan is an elected member of the American Law Institute (ALI) and serves as an Adviser to ALI's Restatement of the Law Fourth, Property project. Professor Kochan is a Nonresident Scholar at the Center for the Constitution at Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a Visiting Scholar in residence during Fall 2018. Before joining the Antonin Scalia Law School faculty, he was the Parker S. Kennedy Professor in Law at Chapman University’s Dale E. Fowler School of Law from 2004 to 2020. From 2003 to 2004, Professor Kochan was an Olin Fellow at the University of Virginia School of Law. During 2002-2003, he was a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at George Mason’s Scalia Law School.
Professor Kochan’s scholarship focuses on areas of property law, constitutional law, administrative law, local government law, natural resources and environmental law, and law & economics. He has published several books and more than 50 scholarly articles and essays in well-regarded law journals. His work has been cited in more than a dozen state and federal court opinions, in more than 75 briefs filed in state and federal courts including more than 25 filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, in dozens of books and treatises, and in more than 800 scholarly articles.
Professor Kochan received his JD from Cornell Law School, where he was a John M. Olin Scholar in Law and Economics and managing editor of the Cornell International Law Journal. During law school, he also served as editor and executive editor of the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy symposium issues in 1997 and 1998. He received his BA from Western Michigan University, magna cum laude, with majors in both political science and philosophy, where he studied as the John W. Gill Medallion Scholar and was honored as the Presidential Scholar (awarded to the top graduate in the political science department).
After graduating from law school, Professor Kochan was a law clerk to The Honorable Richard F. Suhrheinrich of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Following his clerkship, Professor Kochan was an associate with the firm of Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, D.C., where he specialized in natural resources & environmental law as well as tort, products, and consumer civil litigation & legislative affairs.
Chief Policy Counsel, Council on Criminal Justice and Senior Advisor, Right on Crime
Marc A. Levin is the Chief Policy Counsel for the Council on Criminal Justice (counciloncj.org) and Senior Advisor for Right on Crime.
An attorney and accomplished author on legal and public policy issues, Marc began the Foundation’s criminal justice program in 2005. This work contributed to nationally praised policy changes that have been followed by dramatic declines in crime and incarceration in Texas. Building on this success, in 2010, Levin developed the concept for the Right on Crime initiative, a TPPF project in partnership with Prison Fellowship and the American Conservative Union Foundation. Right on Crime has become the national clearinghouse for conservative criminal justice reforms and has contributed to the adoption of policies in dozens of states that fight crime, support victims, and protect taxpayers.
In 2014, Levin was named one of the “Politico 50” in the magazine’s annual “list of thinkers, doers, and dreamers who really matter in this age of gridlock and dysfunction.”
Marc has testified on criminal justice policy on four occasions before Congress and has testified before legislatures in states including Texas, Nevada, Kansas, Wisconsin, and California. He also has met personally with leaders such as U.S. Presidents, Speakers of the House, and the Justice Commtitee of the United Kingdom Parliament to share his ideas on criminal justice reform. In 2007, he was honored in a resolution unanimously passed by the Texas House of Representatives that stated, “Mr. Levin’s intellect is unparalleled and his research is impeccable.”
Since 2005, Marc has published dozens of policy papers on topics such as sentencing, probation, parole, reentry, and overcriminalization which are available on the TPPF website. Levin’s articles on law and public policy have been featured in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Texas Review of Law & Politics, National Law Journal, New York Daily News, Jerusalem Post, Toronto Star, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Times, Los Angeles Daily Journal, Charlotte Observer, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Austin American-Statesman, San Antonio Express-News and Reason Magazine.
In 1999, Marc graduated with honors from the University of Texas with a B.A. in Plan II Honors and Government. In 2002, Marc received his J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law. Marc was a Charles G. Koch Summer Fellow in 1996. He served as a law clerk to Judge Will Garwood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Staff Attorney at the Texas Supreme Court.
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.
Head of Policy & General Counsel, Crypto, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z)
Miles Jennings joined the a16z Crypto team as General Counsel in August 2021.
Miles was most recently a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he focused on working with startups and investors in heavily regulated sectors including life sciences and, most importantly, crypto. He has been the go-to, trusted advisor for countless startups and crypto projects, guiding them from incorporation through financings, acquisitions, token offerings, and governance matters.
Miles’ experience within the sector stretches back to 2017, when he first began working with ConsenSys, a firm client, and he quickly became one of the most sought-after legal minds working in crypto. During his time at Latham, he co-chaired its global blockchain and cryptocurrency task force, which was composed of over 80 lawyers around the globe. In addition, he worked regularly with almost every venture firm operating in crypto, designing several of the investment structures they use today, and he was counsel to dozens of startups in the sector, including Aave, Bitwise, Avalanche, Element, Idle, Connext, 3Box, and Aztec. Miles was also an editor of Latham’s Global Fintech & Payments blog and has published several articles relating to legal matters relevant to crypto startups.
Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright
Steven Lofchie advises financial institutions on regulatory issues and financial instruments.
In his regulatory practice, Steven counsels clients on securities laws, the CEA, and related bankruptcy issues. His transactional practice focuses on securities credit and derivative transactions.
Steven is the founder and manager of an acclaimed legal website (now renamed Fried Frank Regulatory Intelligence) that has been endorsed by former chairpersons of both the SEC and CFTC. Subscribers to the website include government regulators and major buy- and sell-side firms.
Chambers USA has ranked Steven in Band 1 for eight years running, for both financial services regulation and derivatives. He is the only lawyer in the country to be top-ranked in both of those categories. Steven was also part of the team that was named 2020 Regulatory Team of the Year by IFLR Americas. The Best Lawyers in America recognized Steven as “Lawyer of the Year” for Administrative/Regulatory Law in New York in 2017, and U.S. News and World Report ranked him as the best regulatory lawyer in New York for 2014. In 2012, a derivatives transaction developed by Steven was cited as the best international structured product of the year by International Financial Law Review.
General Counsel, Ava Labs
Lee Schneider serves as General Counsel for Ava Labs, a leading blockchain software company. Mr. Schneider is responsible for all aspects of the legal function as well as the company’s government affairs initiatives.
As an early lawyer in the financial services and technology space (FinTech) and a leading voice in blockchain law and policy, Mr. Schneider has been involved in many significant projects in FinTech and blockchain, including some of the largest and most popular token sales. He also co-hosts a FinTech podcast with former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes, available on iTunes and other podcast services.
Prior to Ava Labs, Mr. Schneider served as General Counsel of block.one and as a practice leader at two major US law firms. Mr. Schneider has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law (’91).
Head of Legal for the Americas, Crypto.com
Justin is Head of Legal for the Americas at Crypto.com where he leads the company's North and South American legal and regulatory strategy. Prior to joining Crypto.com, he was a partner with the international law firm of K&L Gates where his practice focused on the rapidly evolving legal and regulatory issues impacting decentralized technologies including cryptocurrencies, decentralized financial (DeFi) platforms, smart contracts, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and other related concepts.
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