Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, Department of Justice
GianCarlo Canaparo serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. There, he oversees the Office's regulatory work and is the Department's liaison to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. He also assists the White House in the process of selecting nominees for federal judgeships and advises Department leadership on policy and legal matters.
Before joining the Department, Canaparo was a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies where he researched constitutional law, administrative law, and civil rights.
Canaparo’s scholarship has appeared in various law reviews including the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, the Notre Dame Law Review, the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, the Texas Review of Law and Politics, and the Administrative Law Review. His research has been cited by Justice Neil Gorsuch and featured in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. His analysis has appeared in Law & Liberty, Civitas, Fox News, The National Review, Law 360, FedSoc Blog, and other outlets.
Canaparo co-hosted The Heritage Foundation’s SCOTUS 101 podcast, which follows the Supreme Court’s arguments and opinions and features interviews with judges, advocates, and scholars.
After graduating Georgetown law, Canaparo spent three years at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and two years as a federal law clerk. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Davis.
Canaparo is a classical pianist and organist.
Partner and Co-Chair, Public Policy Group, Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP
Mark Behrens co-chairs Shook's Washington, DC-based Public Policy Practice Group and is a leading national expert on civil justice issues with over thirty years of experience. A substantial part of his practice is working to improve the civil litigation environment through state and federal legislation; in the courts through amicus curiae briefs; through legal scholarship and judicial education; and in the court of public opinion.
Mark is actively involved in civil justice reform efforts at the federal and state levels. He has testified before the U.S. Congress and most state legislatures on behalf of business and civil justice organizations. Mark also has an active amicus brief practice specializing in tort liability and civil justice issues. He has authored or co-authored over 150 amicus briefs in cases before the United States Supreme Court and federal and state appellate courts on behalf of business, civil justice, and defense lawyer organizations. In addition, Mark routinely files comments on behalf of business, civil justice, and defense lawyer organizations regarding potential changes to federal and state court rules. He chairs the International Association of Defense Counsel’s (IADC) Civil Justice Response Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of Lawyers for Civil Justice (LCJ).
Mark is a member of the American Law Institute (ALI). He received his J.D. in 1990 from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he was a member of the Vanderbilt Law Review. He received his B.A. in economics from the University of Wisconsin in 1987.
Member, Swansburg & Smith, PLLC
J. Brooken Smith is a founding member of Swansburg & Smith, PLLC. Licensed to practice in Kentucky, his practice focuses on representing businesses and employers in litigation and employment matters. Mr. Smith previously practiced with a large regional law firm for more than five years, representing businesses in a variety of legal disputes and defending employers in discrimination and other claims. Mr. Smith practices in state and federal courts throughout Kentucky.
Throughout his career, Mr. Smith has gained extensive experience in public service at the state and federal level. Before entering the private practice of law, Mr. Smith served as a law clerk for the Honorable Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, United States District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He served as the chief of staff for the Kentucky Labor Cabinet and, later, the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. Mr. Smith also served as the ex officio chair of the Unemployment Insurance Commission, a three-member executive branch agency that hears administrative appeals of unemployment insurance claims.
Mr. Smith graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law and earned a bachelor of arts in government from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Policy, Department of Justice
GianCarlo Canaparo serves as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. There, he oversees the Office's regulatory work and is the Department's liaison to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. He also assists the White House in the process of selecting nominees for federal judgeships and advises Department leadership on policy and legal matters.
Before joining the Department, Canaparo was a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies where he researched constitutional law, administrative law, and civil rights.
Canaparo’s scholarship has appeared in various law reviews including the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, the Notre Dame Law Review, the Georgetown Journal of Law and Public Policy, the Texas Review of Law and Politics, and the Administrative Law Review. His research has been cited by Justice Neil Gorsuch and featured in the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. His analysis has appeared in Law & Liberty, Civitas, Fox News, The National Review, Law 360, FedSoc Blog, and other outlets.
Canaparo co-hosted The Heritage Foundation’s SCOTUS 101 podcast, which follows the Supreme Court’s arguments and opinions and features interviews with judges, advocates, and scholars.
After graduating Georgetown law, Canaparo spent three years at the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and two years as a federal law clerk. He earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of California at Davis.
Canaparo is a classical pianist and organist.
Constitutional Scholarship Director and Senior Legal Analyst, Pacific Legal Foundation
Anastasia Boden is Director of Constitutional Scholarship at Pacific Legal Foundation, where she leads the organization’s Supreme Court commentary and directs scholarly analysis in support of the firm’s litigation. She has represented entrepreneurs and small businesses nationwide in challenges to onerous licensing regimes, anti-competitive titling restrictions, Certificate of Need (“competitor’s veto”) laws, and other forms of unnecessary red tape that block economic opportunity.
Prior to this role, Anastasia developed nearly a dozen constitutional challenges to Certificate of Need laws across the country, helping spur legislative reform in Montana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Her victories include a ruling invalidating Houston’s busking restrictions, multiple appellate decisions expanding access to the courts for civil rights plaintiffs, and the legislative repeal of Virginia’s happy-hour advertising ban.
Her writings on law and liberty have been featured in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, Forbes, and more, and she has appeared on Headline News, CBS News, Fox News, ReasonTV, Newsmax, and John Stossel. In 2020, she was featured on Libertarian Party presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen’s Supreme Court shortlist.
Anastasia earned her BA with dean’s honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her JD from Georgetown University Law Center, where she was research assistant to Professor Randy E. Barnett—the “intellectual godfather” of the constitutional challenge to Obamacare. She is the co-creator of the podcast Dissed, about infamous Supreme Court dissents. She authors the biweekly newsletter SCOTUS Scoop and the column, “In Dissent” for SCOTUSblog.
Partner, DBL Law
Mitchel joined DBL Law as a partner in its Louisville office in 2018. Mitchel’s wide range of experience makes him a sought-after attorney and advisor. He uses this experience to advise his client on a wide variety of legal issues. Mitchel primarily focusses in the firm’s Health Care, Administrative Law, Civil Litigation, and Government practice groups. His health care practice focusses on items ranging from Stark and Anti-kickback analysis and defense to mergers and asset purchase arrangements. In the administrative law and civil litigation realm, Mitchel represents numerous entities before various administrative agencies and handles administrative appeals in Kentucky Courts. He also represents entities in employment litigation and other civil litigation in both federal and state courts. Mitchel also regularly advises clients on matters ranging from open records/FOIA disputes, election law, and white collar crime.
Prior to joining the firm, Mitchel was the Assistant Deputy Attorney General in the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General. In that role, he supervised nearly every division in the office, handling the most sensitive and high profile matters. These matters included successful challenges to the Kentucky Governor’s executive authority, litigation involving Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and the prosecution of numerous state and local officials. On the administrative and civil side, Mitchel also oversaw the divisions which enforce non-profit organizations, election laws, environmental law, Medicaid fraud, open records laws, utility rate making, On the criminal side, Mitchel supervised investigations, prosecutions, and appeals of Kentucky’s criminal laws.
As part of his work at the Attorney General’s Office Mitchel advised various Kentucky agencies related to the promulgation of administrative regulations, including co-authoring the controlled substance prescribing standards and the pain clinic regulations. Mitchel served at the Attorney General’s designee on various boards and advised other boards and commissions on matters ranging from constitutional and statutory compliance to personnel matters.
Mitchel has also served as the Executive Director of Medicaid Fraud Control Unit where he led litigation involving pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, obtaining multi-million dollar settlements for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. During his time supervising this division, it collected approximately $300 Million for the Commonwealth. He also previously served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Jefferson County, the state’s largest jurisdiction, prosecuting felony crimes on behalf of the Commonwealth. Working with federal and state law enforcement, he focused on large-scale criminal syndications, including handling what is still the largest criminal syndication case in Kentucky history.
Mitchel is admitted to practice law in Kentucky, the Kentucky Eastern and Western Districts, the Sixth Circuit, the DC Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Mitchel has argued cases before numerous federal and state courts and the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Mitchel is a proud 2019 graduate of Leadership Kentucky. He an active member of the Louisville community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, Treasurer of the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation, and volunteer with the Bluegrass Center for Autism. He resides in Louisville with his wife and three children.
Senior Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation
Oliver Dunford joined the Pacific Legal Foundation in March 2017. He litigates across the country to defend and advance individual liberty and the rule of law. Oliver’s cases involve the separation of powers, economic liberty, property rights, and the First Amendment.
Oliver remains inspired by the Classical Liberal ideals upon which our Founders declared independence and secured the blessings of liberty. The Constitution’s promises, however, are not self-executing. As James Madison explained, “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” Oliver feels lucky that his work helps oblige the government to control itself—to the end that all individuals may pursue their rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Before joining PLF, Oliver clerked at the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio Court of Appeals, and spent more than a decade in private practice working on complex commercial litigation. Originally from Cleveland, Oliver is a graduate of the University of Dayton and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he was a managing editor for the Cleveland State Law Review. Oliver is admitted to the state bars of Florida, California, and Ohio, as well as several federal courts including the United States Supreme Court.
Oliver spends all of his free time following the Cleveland Indians.
Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Andy excels at solving complex problems for his clients using a variety of effective strategies. As former Chief Deputy Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin, Andy Cook has extensive experience representing businesses before state Attorneys General involving investigations and lawsuits. His strong relationships with Attorneys General and their senior staff frequently facilitate the successful resolution of client issues through diplomacy and negotiations. When litigation becomes necessary, Andy effectively advocates for clients throughout the litigation process.
Andy combines his legal expertise in numerous areas of law covered by state Attorneys General, an understanding of how state AG offices operate, and vast knowledge of legal and regulatory issues facing his clients. This substantive and comprehensive legal approach is crucial to effectively representing clients before state Attorneys General. Andy also has substantial experience drafting and enacting complex civil liability reforms before state legislatures to successfully address client goals.
Andy’s main practice focuses on advising Fortune 500 companies before state Attorneys General in the areas of antitrust, consumer protection, False Claims Act, environmental law, and cybersecurity and data privacy. Andy, in collaboration with a team of attorneys, successfully navigated a client through antitrust regulatory review by state Attorneys General in one of the nation’s largest mergers of two major telecommunication companies. Andy also worked with a team of lawyers representing a large corporation involving the multistate opioids litigation brought by state Attorneys General.
Andy gained valuable experience serving as Deputy Attorney General for the State of Wisconsin where he was the second in command of the 700-plus state agency. In his role as Chief Deputy Attorney General, Andy oversaw the day-to-day operations at the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ); directed the State’s litigation strategy; negotiated, reviewed, and approved all settlements; drafted and reviewed attorney general opinions; managed the agency’s budget; oversaw civil and criminal investigations handled by DOJ; and managed DOJ’s legislative agenda.
Andy played college hockey and remains active by running, cross country skiing, and playing golf. On the weekends, Andy and his wife enjoy watching their kids’ sporting events, including soccer, baseball, gymnastics, and track. In his rare spare time, Andy reads history books.
Of Counsel, SpencerFane
Governor Brad Henry represents clients in both the public and private sectors in government and administrative law.
Elected in 2002, Governor Henry served as Oklahoma’s 26th governor. One of only four governors to serve two consecutive terms, Governor Henry, a democrat, was re-elected in 2006 by the largest vote margin in modern times and the second largest margin in state history. During his time in office, he consistently received high approval ratings in public opinion surveys of his governorship, earning him recognition as one of the most popular state chief executives in modern history.
After taking office in the midst of the worst budget crisis in state history, Governor Henry forged a historic bipartisan agreement among legislative leaders that shielded education and health care from massive cuts. Under his leadership, Oklahoma experienced an economic revival, with record budget shortfalls becoming record budget surpluses. His efforts led to the largest personal income tax cut in state history and the elimination of the capital gains tax on Oklahoma-based property.
Governor Henry placed significant emphasis on the improvement of public education. His initiatives raised teacher salaries and benefits to historic levels, put more resources into the classroom and set higher academic standards for students. The governor also expanded Oklahoma’s early childhood education programs, which are now rated among the best in the country, and dramatically increased funding for college scholarship programs.
From his time in office, Governor Henry’s healthcare successes include the Insure Oklahoma program, a nationally-recognized public-private partnership that helps small businesses provide health coverage for their employees. Governor Henry also initatied programs to increase the number of insured children in the state and funded two new state facilities focusing exclusively on cancer and diabetes research and treatment.
During his two terms, Governor Henry served as Chairman of the Council of State Governments, the Southern Growth Policies Board, and the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission. He was also a member of the National Governors Association, the Southern Governors Association, the Western Governors Association and the Democratic Governors Association and currently serves on numerous boards, including the national board and executive committee of the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as well as the board of directors of NIC Inc. (NASDAQ: EGOV), the nation’s leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. He is a former member of the board of the Memorial Institute for the Prevention of Terrorism and was a charter member of the Governors’ Council of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Before his election as governor, Governor Henry practiced law with his father, Charles, in Shawnee and served ten years in the Oklahoma State Senate, chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee and serving as vice-chair of the Senate Economic Development Committee.
In 2010, Governor Henry was appointed by President Barack Obama to the six-member Council of Governors. The Council, created by an Executive Order of President George W. Bush, works closely with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and other defense and national security advisors to exchange views, information and advice on matters of mutual interest pertaining to the National Guard, homeland defense, and synchronization and integration of state and federal military activities.
Governor Henry was a President’s Leadership Scholar at the University of Oklahoma, where he received the Gold Letseizer Medal as the Top Senior Graduate and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1985. In 1988, Governor Henry was awarded his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Law Review.
A third generation Oklahoman, Governor Henry was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and is married to the former Kimberley Blain. They have three daughters, Leah, Laynie and Baylee.
Judge, United States District Court, Western District of Oklahoma
Patrick Wyrick serves as a United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Oklahoma. He was nominated for that position by the President, and assumed duty on April 12, 2019. Before being appointed a federal judge, Wyrick served as Vice Chief Justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Prior to his appointment to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, Wyrick served six years as Oklahoma's Solicitor General.
Partner, DBL Law
Mitchel joined DBL Law as a partner in its Louisville office in 2018. Mitchel’s wide range of experience makes him a sought-after attorney and advisor. He uses this experience to advise his client on a wide variety of legal issues. Mitchel primarily focusses in the firm’s Health Care, Administrative Law, Civil Litigation, and Government practice groups. His health care practice focusses on items ranging from Stark and Anti-kickback analysis and defense to mergers and asset purchase arrangements. In the administrative law and civil litigation realm, Mitchel represents numerous entities before various administrative agencies and handles administrative appeals in Kentucky Courts. He also represents entities in employment litigation and other civil litigation in both federal and state courts. Mitchel also regularly advises clients on matters ranging from open records/FOIA disputes, election law, and white collar crime.
Prior to joining the firm, Mitchel was the Assistant Deputy Attorney General in the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General. In that role, he supervised nearly every division in the office, handling the most sensitive and high profile matters. These matters included successful challenges to the Kentucky Governor’s executive authority, litigation involving Environmental Protection Agency regulations, and the prosecution of numerous state and local officials. On the administrative and civil side, Mitchel also oversaw the divisions which enforce non-profit organizations, election laws, environmental law, Medicaid fraud, open records laws, utility rate making, On the criminal side, Mitchel supervised investigations, prosecutions, and appeals of Kentucky’s criminal laws.
As part of his work at the Attorney General’s Office Mitchel advised various Kentucky agencies related to the promulgation of administrative regulations, including co-authoring the controlled substance prescribing standards and the pain clinic regulations. Mitchel served at the Attorney General’s designee on various boards and advised other boards and commissions on matters ranging from constitutional and statutory compliance to personnel matters.
Mitchel has also served as the Executive Director of Medicaid Fraud Control Unit where he led litigation involving pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers, obtaining multi-million dollar settlements for the Commonwealth of Kentucky. During his time supervising this division, it collected approximately $300 Million for the Commonwealth. He also previously served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Jefferson County, the state’s largest jurisdiction, prosecuting felony crimes on behalf of the Commonwealth. Working with federal and state law enforcement, he focused on large-scale criminal syndications, including handling what is still the largest criminal syndication case in Kentucky history.
Mitchel is admitted to practice law in Kentucky, the Kentucky Eastern and Western Districts, the Sixth Circuit, the DC Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. Mitchel has argued cases before numerous federal and state courts and the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Mitchel is a proud 2019 graduate of Leadership Kentucky. He an active member of the Louisville community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Regional Airport Authority, Treasurer of the Norton Children’s Hospital Foundation, and volunteer with the Bluegrass Center for Autism. He resides in Louisville with his wife and three children.
Senior Attorney, Pacific Legal Foundation
Oliver Dunford joined the Pacific Legal Foundation in March 2017. He litigates across the country to defend and advance individual liberty and the rule of law. Oliver’s cases involve the separation of powers, economic liberty, property rights, and the First Amendment.
Oliver remains inspired by the Classical Liberal ideals upon which our Founders declared independence and secured the blessings of liberty. The Constitution’s promises, however, are not self-executing. As James Madison explained, “In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” Oliver feels lucky that his work helps oblige the government to control itself—to the end that all individuals may pursue their rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Before joining PLF, Oliver clerked at the Ohio Supreme Court and the Ohio Court of Appeals, and spent more than a decade in private practice working on complex commercial litigation. Originally from Cleveland, Oliver is a graduate of the University of Dayton and Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, where he was a managing editor for the Cleveland State Law Review. Oliver is admitted to the state bars of Florida, California, and Ohio, as well as several federal courts including the United States Supreme Court.
Oliver spends all of his free time following the Cleveland Indians.
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