Denver Managing Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
Raymond L. Gifford counsels communications, electric and gas utilities, and information technology companies on state and federal aspects of regulation, administrative law, and competition policy. He is an expert in public utilities law, and the law and economics of regulation of network industries. Mr. Gifford’s law and policy work focuses on the convergence of broadband communications and energy, as well as environmental policy as it applies to the electric industry. He represents clients in state and federal courts and agencies, and serves as an expert witness on utility regulation and its history. He is also a Senior Adjunct Fellow at the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology and Entrepreneurship, and Co-Directs the Institute for Regulatory Law & Economics at University of Colorado Law School.
Mr. Gifford served as Chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission from 1999-2003. Following that, he served as President of The Progress & Freedom Foundation, a Washington DC-based think-tank that studied the digital revolution as it relates to regulation of network industries. He entered the regulatory law world as First Assistant Attorney General in the Colorado Attorney General’s Office. He clerked for the Honorable Richard P. Matsch of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. Mr. Gifford has authored a number of articles on communications law, public utility regulation and competition policy in network industries. He is a graduate of University of Chicago Law School and St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute
Under Secretary of Energy, United States Department of Energy
The Honorable Mark Wesley Menezes, Under Secretary of Energy serves as the Department’s principal advisor on energy policy and on a wide array of existing and emerging energy technologies. The Under Secretary is responsible for driving transformative energy policy, and technology solutions through coordinated planning, management and performance of the Department’s energy programs.
Prior to being confirmed as Under Secretary of Energy, Mr. Menezes was an executive with Berkshire Hathaway Energy in its Washington, D.C. office. Before joining BHE, Mr. Menezes was a partner at Hunton & Williams LLP, where he headed the Regulated Markets and Energy Infrastructure practice group. Prior to Hunton, he served as Chief Counsel, Energy and Environment, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, serving as chief negotiator for the House Majority in the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Before his service with House Energy & Commerce, he was Vice President with Central and South West, and upon its merger with American Electric Power, served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel for federal and state legislative and regulatory affairs.
Mr. Menezes has been named in National Journal’s “Hill 100”—top Congressional staff for his work on both energy and environmental matters. He has been frequent guest speaker and lecturer before numerous associations and civic groups, including legal education seminars where he has been called on to address the nation’s energy and environmental policies, utility restructuring, telecommunications, ethics, merger and acquisition practices, and regulatory and legislative processes. He has co-authored numerous articles, a practice manual, and been quoted in the New York Times, Law360, Oil and Gas Journal, Politico as well as interviewed by E&ETV. He’s been listed Best Lawyers in America 2013–2016, Corporate Counsel’s Top Lawyers 2006–2011, Washington Post’s Top Lawyers 2008–2016, and DC Super Lawyers 2012–2016.
Mr. Menezes is a graduate of Louisiana State University receiving both his undergraduate and juris doctor degree. Until joining the government he was a charter member of the Advisory Council, Louisiana State University Law John P. Laborde Energy Law Center, and served on the Board of Directors of the Congressional Chorus & American Youth Chorus.
Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth, Institute for Economic Freedom and Opportunity
Stephen Moore, who formerly wrote on the economy and public policy for The Wall Street Journal, is the Distinguished Visiting Fellow, Project for Economic Growth, at The Heritage Foundation. Mr. Moore, who also was a member of The Journal’s editorial board, returned to Heritage in January 2014 -- about 25 years after his tenure as the leading conservative think tank’s Grover M. Hermann Fellow in Budgetary Affairs from 1984 to 1987.
As Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Heritage, Mr. Moore focuses on advancing public policies that increase the rate of economic growth to help the United States retain its position as the global economic superpower. He also works on budget, fiscal and monetary policy and showcases states that get fiscal houses in order.
"One of the projects I’m going to be working on is how President Obama has discredited liberal ideas more than anyone,” Mr. Moore said in an interview with The Foundry upon his return to Heritage. “Everything he’s done has been such a massive failure — from the [economic] stimulus to health-care reform to bailouts to green energy.
Mr. Moore’s early career was shaped by three people who had a profound influence on him: Julian Simon, the late Cato Institute scholar; Edwin J. Feulner, a co-founder of Heritage; and Art Laffer, the economist best known for the Laffer curve.
“What makes them so great is they were willing to take on the conventional wisdom. They were subject to a lot of criticism for doing that,” Mr. Moore told The Foundry. “Those are the real change-makers.”
Mr. Moore calls his creation of the Club for Growth the defining moment of his career. The organization, which he left in 2004, helps elect conservative members of Congress (including Heritage President Jim DeMint when he first ran for Senate).
Mr. Moore next founded the Free Enterprise Fund before joining The Wall Street Journal. As senior economics writer for the newspaper’s editorial board, he covered Washington policy debates and state issues.
“Because I’ve been a consumer of think tank material and policy research, I think I have a pretty good sense of what reporters want and how to get it to them in the way they want it,” Mr. Moore said. “Being timely — and not just offering opinion but giving them the facts and data is really critical.”
Mr. Moore, who grew up in New Trier Township, Ill., received a bachelor of arts degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds a master’s of arts in economics from George Mason University.
Senior Public Policy Advisor, Wiley Rein LLP
Nova Daly, an experienced international investment and trade policy professional, has held senior leadership positions at the U.S. Departments of the Treasury and Commerce, the White House, and the U.S. Senate. Drawing on his experience in the management, development, and implementation of the U.S. economic and national security policies and programs, he provides both high-level insight and deep operational experience to help clients navigate the policy and regulatory environment surrounding cross-border business activities, especially through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
Global Public Policy, AT&T, Director
Ms. Geffroy is based in AT&T’s Washington, DC office. She represents AT&T in a wide range of cybersecurity and national security policy issues. Ms. Geffroy also serves as a Senior Fellow with the George Washington University Center for Cyber and Homeland Security.
Prior to assuming her current role, Ms. Geffroy’s experience included serving as Chief Counsel to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and as Counselor to Board Member Elisebeth Collins on the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. As Chief Counsel, Ms. Geffroy led the Committee’s efforts to pass cyber threat information sharing legislation, developed and implemented the Committee’s legislative and parliamentary operations and managed the legal issues arising in the Committee’s regular oversight of the seventeen Intelligence Community elements. Ms. Geffroy also served as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Legislative Affairs where she represented the Department in legislative and oversight matters before Congress on various national security, criminal, and civil matters.
Ms. Geffroy began her career in private practice with a law firm in Washington, D.C. She holds an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University Law School, a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, and a BA in Business Administration from Michigan State University. She lives in Alexandria, VA with her husband and four children.
Partner, Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP
Mr. Johnson provides advice and advocacy to clients navigating the complex terrain at the intersection of technology and security. Having served in a wide variety of national security and cybersecurity leadership roles on Capitol Hill, in the national security and intelligence communities, in the regulatory arena, and in the Executive Branch, Mr. Johnson focuses in particular on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of government-industry collaboration.
Mr. Johnson was Secretary Penny Pritzker’s Senior Adviser for Cybersecurity and Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he coordinated the Department’s cybersecurity initiatives and the Department’s support for the Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity. He was also the Department’s representative for National Security Council staff deliberations on cybersecurity, encryption, and other policy issues at the intersection of technology and security.
Previously, Mr. Johnson was appointed by Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler as the FCC’s first Chief Counsel for Cybersecurity. In this position, he helped develop the FCC’s cybersecurity mission, focusing on creating new legal mechanisms for government collaboration with private sector stakeholders to improve the security and reliability of communications infrastructure. He was also the primary drafter of the charter for the Cybersecurity Forum for Independent and Executive Branch Regulators, a coordinating body of regulatory agencies which is presently chaired by the FCC.
Prior to his time at the FCC, Mr. Johnson was Senator John D. Rockefeller IV’s designated counsel on the Senate Intelligence Committee and counsel for defense, foreign policy, and international trade. In these roles, he was a leading staffer on bipartisan Senate cybersecurity initiatives and the primary staff drafter of the legislation that codified the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s collaborative process to work with industry to develop and update the widely-praised Cybersecurity Framework.
Before his government service, Mr. Johnson worked for a major Washington-based law firm, where he practiced in the areas of international trade, defense, and security. Earlier, he served as an Army officer in Germany, Korea, and the Balkans. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, where he was the editor-in-chief of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law, and he received a master of science degree in international relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard, where he graduated cum laude, cross-enrolled at MIT for service as Executive Officer of its Army ROTC Paul Revere Battalion, and played varsity football.
Clete lives in Alexandria, Va. with his wife, Sheila, and their two children.
Partner, Co-chair of the Litigation & Trial Practice Group, Alston & Bird LLP
Adam Biegel is co-chair of Alston & Bird’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group and former co-chair of its Antitrust Team. He has substantial experience representing clients on antitrust counseling and litigation matters, including those involving government and internal investigations, mergers and joint ventures, pricing and distribution, compliance counseling and training, pre-merger reviews under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act, and multidistrict litigation. He regularly represents clients before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general, and in federal courts.
Adam is recognized for his antitrust experience by Chambers USA and selected to The Best Lawyers in America®, including his recognition as “Lawyer of the Year” for Antitrust Litigation in Washington, D.C., in 2022. He is a longtime member of the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s leadership, currently serving as co-chair of its In-House Counsel Task Force and previously having served on its board, and chaired its Corporate Counseling Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and Spring Meeting conference. He also serves on the board of the Federalist Society’s antitrust practice group.
Adam served as a law clerk to the Hon. Frank M. Hull, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Before attending law school, he worked as a newspaper reporter in Arkansas and on the legislative staff of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch.
Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission
Ian Conner serves as the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission. He previously was a partner in the Antitrust & Competition practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, DC. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Conner was a Trial Attorney in the Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Senior Antitrust Counsel,, Tennessee Attorney General’s Office
Vic is Senior Antitrust Counsel in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and serves as Tennessee’s chief counsel for all state and multistate antitrust investigations and litigation. He also enforces Tennessee’s Nonprofit Act with a special focus on hospital transactions and conducts investigations on behalf of the Tennessee Ethics Commission. He is admitted to practice before all state courts in Tennessee, the U. S. Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee. Vic was named Chair of the NAAG Antitrust Task Force in 2015 and has served as a member of the Long Range Planning Committee of the Antitrust Law Section of the American Bar Association and as a Co-Chair of the State Enforcement Committee. He has written and spoken on numerous antitrust and nonprofit matters and is currently on the Editorial Board of the ABA publication Antitrust Law Developments Updates. He has also planned or participated as a panelist on several ABA teleconferences programs and Spring Meeting sessions. Vic received his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law and has a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University
Senior Associate, Baker Botts L.L.P., Washington, DC
Jeffrey Oliver is an Associate in the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice. Mr. Oliver advises clients on all aspects of antitrust law, with an emphasis on U.S. and international merger reviews. Mr. Oliver has obtained antitrust clearance for transactions in a wide variety of industries, with significant experience in oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and trade associations.
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Mr. Oliver was a Staff Attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Competition. There, Mr. Oliver’s practice focused on merger and conduct investigations in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Oliver has experience in all phases of the FTC’s investigation process, from reviewing HSR filings to challenging mergers in litigation.
Senior Deputy Attorney General, Antitrust Section, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office
Jennifer A. Thomson serves as a Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Antitrust Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which she joined in March of 2003. She practices Antitrust Law, specializing in Intellectual Property, Healthcare and Airline matters, along with a wide array of other industries. Ms. Thomson has given presentations with the American Bar Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, the United States Department of Justice, the American Antitrust Institute and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She authored several papers on topics such as the proposed merger of Highmark and Independence Blue Cross, State Action of the states' objection to the Google Book Search Settlement.
Ms. Thomson earned her J.D. in 2002 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she was an inaugural Fellow for the Samuelson/Glusko Fellowship in IP/Technology Law. As part of this fellowship, she prepared a paper on antitrust in the motion picture industry, which received from the University of Pittsburgh faculty the Thomas M. Cooley, II Legal Writing Award for Most Distinguished Paper. She is admitted to the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, the Untied States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section and the State Enforcement Committee. She has been designated by the Chief Attorney General to sit on their behalf on the State Board of Cosmetology from 2003-2017, the Real Estate Commission Since Fall, 2017, and was recently appointed to serve as part of the Advisory Committee of the Review of the State Professional and Occupational Licensure Board Requirements and Processes pursuant to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's Executive Order 2017-03.
Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate
John Beisner is the leader of Skadden’s Mass Torts, Insurance and Consumer Litigation Group. He focuses on the defense of purported class actions, mass tort matters and other complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts. He also regularly handles appellate litigations and has appeared in matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. Over the past 25 years, he has defended major U.S. and international corporations in more than 600 purported class actions filed in federal courts and in 40 state courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Those class actions have involved a wide variety of subjects, including antitrust/unfair competition, consumer fraud, RICO, ERISA, employment discrimination, environmental issues, product-related matters and securities. He also has handled numerous matters before the Judicial Panel on multidistrict litigation, as well as proceedings before various federal and state administrative agencies, particularly the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Mr. Beisner has advised on numerous high-visibility corporate crisis situations, including congressional hearings, federal agency investigations, state attorneys general inquiries and General Accounting Office reviews. Among others, he represented Merck in its Vioxx litigation. He also negotiated a settlement with state attorneys general regarding the Countrywide Finance/Bank of America mortgage lending practices investigation, resulting in a creative loan modification program intended to help more than 400,000 families maintain ownership of their homes. He was named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer for his role in this case.
Mr. Beisner is a frequent writer and lecturer on class action and complex litigation issues. In 2013 he received the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, which recognizes excellence in legal scholarship. Mr. Beisner also has been an active participant in litigation reform initiatives before Congress, state legislatures and judicial committees. He has testified numerous times on class action and claims aggregation issues before the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees (particularly with respect to the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005) and before state legislative committees. For his integral role in crafting the Class Action Fairness Act, Mr. Beisner was recognized with the 2011 Research and Policy Award by The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.
Mr. Beisner repeatedly has been selected for inclusion, and is in the top tier, inChambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of products liability, and he also is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 U.S., Who’s Who Legal and Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. Mr. Beisner was profiled in an article by The American Lawyer that named Skadden as a finalist in the products liability section of its Litigation Department of the Year contest (January 2012). He was named one of the 2013 “BTI Client Service All-Stars” by The BTI Consulting Group for providing outstanding client service. He also was named one of Law360’s MVPs of 2011 in the products liability category, which recognizes those who have raised the bar in corporate law throughout the year. Law360 also profiled Mr. Beisner in two articles that named Skadden as a “Product Liability Group Of The Year” and“Class Action Group Of The Year” for 2010.
A list of the numerous published federal and state court decisions in which Mr. Beisner has played a role is available on request.
Senior Advisor, Buford Capital
His experience includes roles as in-house counsel at a Fortune 50 company, a litigator at one of the world’s leading law firms and a law clerk at the Supreme Court of the United States.
Prior to helping launch Gerchen Keller in 2013, Mr. Lenkner was a Senior Counsel at The Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace firm and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. While at Boeing, he represented the company in litigation matters and advised senior executives on significant regulatory issues.
Previously, Mr. Lenkner was a litigation and appellate attorney in the New York and Washington offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he represented clients in complex civil and criminal disputes before the Supreme Court and other tribunals.
Mr. Lenkner served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He earned his JD from the University of Kansas School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Kansas Law Review. He graduated from Kansas State University and is the national chair of the board of directors of the university’s alumni association.
Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
William J. Haun is Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and a Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). At Becket, Will litigates nationwide in defense of religious liberty for all faith traditions, particularly before the U.S. Supreme Court and in other federal and state appellate courts. His litigation includes being a member of the U.S. Supreme Court team that prevailed 9-0 for Catholic Social Services in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, arguing before multiple federal appellate courts, federal district courts, and the Supreme Court of Texas. At AEI, Will writes and researches on constitutionalism and self-government’s prerequisites, especially the role of religion in securing and preserving freedom.
Before joining Becket and AEI, Will practiced appellate and antitrust law at two international law firms—Shearman & Sterling and Hunton & Williams. He also served as a law clerk to Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Claude Hilton of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Will often writes on constitutional law issues, including in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, the Catholic University Law Review, National Affairs, Law & Liberty, National Review Online, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He also speaks on these topics, including at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Princeton University, the University of Virginia School of Law, and the University of Chicago Law School. He received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, cum laude, where he was a published member of the Law Review. He received his B.A. from American University in political science, cum laude. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children, where they enjoy sailing, cheering on their favorite baseball teams, and discovering the great traditions of their Catholic faith.
Partner, Co-chair of the Litigation & Trial Practice Group, Alston & Bird LLP
Adam Biegel is co-chair of Alston & Bird’s Litigation & Trial Practice Group and former co-chair of its Antitrust Team. He has substantial experience representing clients on antitrust counseling and litigation matters, including those involving government and internal investigations, mergers and joint ventures, pricing and distribution, compliance counseling and training, pre-merger reviews under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act, and multidistrict litigation. He regularly represents clients before the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division, Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general, and in federal courts.
Adam is recognized for his antitrust experience by Chambers USA and selected to The Best Lawyers in America®, including his recognition as “Lawyer of the Year” for Antitrust Litigation in Washington, D.C., in 2022. He is a longtime member of the American Bar Association Antitrust Law Section’s leadership, currently serving as co-chair of its In-House Counsel Task Force and previously having served on its board, and chaired its Corporate Counseling Committee, Long Range Planning Committee, and Spring Meeting conference. He also serves on the board of the Federalist Society’s antitrust practice group.
Adam served as a law clerk to the Hon. Frank M. Hull, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Before attending law school, he worked as a newspaper reporter in Arkansas and on the legislative staff of U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch.
Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission
Ian Conner serves as the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Competition at the Federal Trade Commission. He previously was a partner in the Antitrust & Competition practice at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Washington, DC. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Conner was a Trial Attorney in the Transportation, Energy and Agriculture Section of the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Senior Antitrust Counsel,, Tennessee Attorney General’s Office
Vic is Senior Antitrust Counsel in the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office and serves as Tennessee’s chief counsel for all state and multistate antitrust investigations and litigation. He also enforces Tennessee’s Nonprofit Act with a special focus on hospital transactions and conducts investigations on behalf of the Tennessee Ethics Commission. He is admitted to practice before all state courts in Tennessee, the U. S. Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee. Vic was named Chair of the NAAG Antitrust Task Force in 2015 and has served as a member of the Long Range Planning Committee of the Antitrust Law Section of the American Bar Association and as a Co-Chair of the State Enforcement Committee. He has written and spoken on numerous antitrust and nonprofit matters and is currently on the Editorial Board of the ABA publication Antitrust Law Developments Updates. He has also planned or participated as a panelist on several ABA teleconferences programs and Spring Meeting sessions. Vic received his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law and has a B.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University
Senior Associate, Baker Botts L.L.P., Washington, DC
Jeffrey Oliver is an Associate in the firm’s Antitrust and Competition Practice. Mr. Oliver advises clients on all aspects of antitrust law, with an emphasis on U.S. and international merger reviews. Mr. Oliver has obtained antitrust clearance for transactions in a wide variety of industries, with significant experience in oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and trade associations.
Prior to joining Baker Botts, Mr. Oliver was a Staff Attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Competition. There, Mr. Oliver’s practice focused on merger and conduct investigations in the oil and gas industry. Mr. Oliver has experience in all phases of the FTC’s investigation process, from reviewing HSR filings to challenging mergers in litigation.
Senior Deputy Attorney General, Antitrust Section, Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office
Jennifer A. Thomson serves as a Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Antitrust Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, which she joined in March of 2003. She practices Antitrust Law, specializing in Intellectual Property, Healthcare and Airline matters, along with a wide array of other industries. Ms. Thomson has given presentations with the American Bar Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, the United States Department of Justice, the American Antitrust Institute and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. She authored several papers on topics such as the proposed merger of Highmark and Independence Blue Cross, State Action of the states' objection to the Google Book Search Settlement.
Ms. Thomson earned her J.D. in 2002 from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she was an inaugural Fellow for the Samuelson/Glusko Fellowship in IP/Technology Law. As part of this fellowship, she prepared a paper on antitrust in the motion picture industry, which received from the University of Pittsburgh faculty the Thomas M. Cooley, II Legal Writing Award for Most Distinguished Paper. She is admitted to the bars of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Western, Middle and Eastern Districts of Pennsylvania, the Untied States District Court for the District of Columbia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She is a member of the American Bar Association Antitrust Section and the State Enforcement Committee. She has been designated by the Chief Attorney General to sit on their behalf on the State Board of Cosmetology from 2003-2017, the Real Estate Commission Since Fall, 2017, and was recently appointed to serve as part of the Advisory Committee of the Review of the State Professional and Occupational Licensure Board Requirements and Processes pursuant to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf's Executive Order 2017-03.
Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate
John Beisner is the leader of Skadden’s Mass Torts, Insurance and Consumer Litigation Group. He focuses on the defense of purported class actions, mass tort matters and other complex civil litigation in both federal and state courts. He also regularly handles appellate litigations and has appeared in matters before the U.S. Supreme Court. Over the past 25 years, he has defended major U.S. and international corporations in more than 600 purported class actions filed in federal courts and in 40 state courts at both the trial and appellate levels. Those class actions have involved a wide variety of subjects, including antitrust/unfair competition, consumer fraud, RICO, ERISA, employment discrimination, environmental issues, product-related matters and securities. He also has handled numerous matters before the Judicial Panel on multidistrict litigation, as well as proceedings before various federal and state administrative agencies, particularly the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Mr. Beisner has advised on numerous high-visibility corporate crisis situations, including congressional hearings, federal agency investigations, state attorneys general inquiries and General Accounting Office reviews. Among others, he represented Merck in its Vioxx litigation. He also negotiated a settlement with state attorneys general regarding the Countrywide Finance/Bank of America mortgage lending practices investigation, resulting in a creative loan modification program intended to help more than 400,000 families maintain ownership of their homes. He was named “Litigator of the Week” by The American Lawyer for his role in this case.
Mr. Beisner is a frequent writer and lecturer on class action and complex litigation issues. In 2013 he received the Burton Award for Legal Achievement, which recognizes excellence in legal scholarship. Mr. Beisner also has been an active participant in litigation reform initiatives before Congress, state legislatures and judicial committees. He has testified numerous times on class action and claims aggregation issues before the U.S. Senate and House Judiciary Committees (particularly with respect to the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005) and before state legislative committees. For his integral role in crafting the Class Action Fairness Act, Mr. Beisner was recognized with the 2011 Research and Policy Award by The U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform.
Mr. Beisner repeatedly has been selected for inclusion, and is in the top tier, inChambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in the area of products liability, and he also is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 U.S., Who’s Who Legal and Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America. Mr. Beisner was profiled in an article by The American Lawyer that named Skadden as a finalist in the products liability section of its Litigation Department of the Year contest (January 2012). He was named one of the 2013 “BTI Client Service All-Stars” by The BTI Consulting Group for providing outstanding client service. He also was named one of Law360’s MVPs of 2011 in the products liability category, which recognizes those who have raised the bar in corporate law throughout the year. Law360 also profiled Mr. Beisner in two articles that named Skadden as a “Product Liability Group Of The Year” and“Class Action Group Of The Year” for 2010.
A list of the numerous published federal and state court decisions in which Mr. Beisner has played a role is available on request.
Senior Advisor, Buford Capital
His experience includes roles as in-house counsel at a Fortune 50 company, a litigator at one of the world’s leading law firms and a law clerk at the Supreme Court of the United States.
Prior to helping launch Gerchen Keller in 2013, Mr. Lenkner was a Senior Counsel at The Boeing Company, the world’s largest aerospace firm and the leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. While at Boeing, he represented the company in litigation matters and advised senior executives on significant regulatory issues.
Previously, Mr. Lenkner was a litigation and appellate attorney in the New York and Washington offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where he represented clients in complex civil and criminal disputes before the Supreme Court and other tribunals.
Mr. Lenkner served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy and Judge Brett M. Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He earned his JD from the University of Kansas School of Law, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Kansas Law Review. He graduated from Kansas State University and is the national chair of the board of directors of the university’s alumni association.
Senior Counsel, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty
William J. Haun is Senior Counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and a Nonresident Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI). At Becket, Will litigates nationwide in defense of religious liberty for all faith traditions, particularly before the U.S. Supreme Court and in other federal and state appellate courts. His litigation includes being a member of the U.S. Supreme Court team that prevailed 9-0 for Catholic Social Services in Fulton v. City of Philadelphia, arguing before multiple federal appellate courts, federal district courts, and the Supreme Court of Texas. At AEI, Will writes and researches on constitutionalism and self-government’s prerequisites, especially the role of religion in securing and preserving freedom.
Before joining Becket and AEI, Will practiced appellate and antitrust law at two international law firms—Shearman & Sterling and Hunton & Williams. He also served as a law clerk to Judge Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Judge Claude Hilton of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Will often writes on constitutional law issues, including in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, the Catholic University Law Review, National Affairs, Law & Liberty, National Review Online, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He also speaks on these topics, including at the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Princeton University, the University of Virginia School of Law, and the University of Chicago Law School. He received his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, cum laude, where he was a published member of the Law Review. He received his B.A. from American University in political science, cum laude. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children, where they enjoy sailing, cheering on their favorite baseball teams, and discovering the great traditions of their Catholic faith.
Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Justice Charles Canady was born in Lakeland, Florida, in 1954. He is married to Jennifer Houghton, and they have two children. He received his B.A. from Haverford College in 1976 and his J.D. from the Yale Law School in 1979.
Justice Canady practiced law with the firm of Holland and Knight in Lakeland from 1979 through 1982. He practiced with the firm of Lane, Trohn, et al., from 1983 through 1992.
From November 1984 to November 1990, Justice Canady served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, and from January 1993 to January 2001, he served four terms in the United States House of Representatives. Throughout his service in Congress, Justice Canady was a member of the House Judiciary Committee. For three terms, from January 1995 to January 2001, Justice Canady was the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Upon leaving Congress, Justice Canady became General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush. He was appointed by Governor Bush to the Second District Court of Appeal for a term beginning November 20, 2002.
On August 28, 2008, Justice Canady was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Charlie Crist and took office on September 8, 2008. He served as Chief Justice from July 2010 through June 2012. In March 2018, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chief Justice for a second time, with his two-year term starting July 1, 2018, and a third time starting July 1, 2020.
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Robert (Bob) J. Cordy’s practice includes business litigation, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, appellate work and major public/private projects.
Bob previously served for 16 years as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He has worked with judges from Mexico, Russia, China, Kosovo, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Afghanistan and other countries on issues relating to judicial ethics, rule of law principles and the American judicial system. Bob also served as chair of the Supreme Judicial Court Rules Committee, co-chair of the Supreme Judicial Court Judiciary-Media Committee and member of the Committee for Capital Planning for the Judicial System.
Bob began his career working for the Massachusetts Public Defenders Office, and subsequently held positions with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission and the United States Attorney’s Office where he became the chief of the Public Corruption prosecution unit. Bob also served as chief legal counsel to Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld, working on a wide range of policy issues including regulatory and criminal justice reform, ethics in government and the appointment of judges. Before his appointment to the Supreme Judicial Court in 2001, Bob was a partner and head of McDermott’s Boston office.
Bob is also a member of our legal cannabis industry group. Our Cannabis Industry group is a multidisciplinary team of lawyers providing clients with regulatory, litigation, intellectual property, trade and tax services with respect to their investments and participation in the cannabis industry, all subject to the Firm’s obligations under federal and state laws and bar licensure rules.
U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Nathaniel M. Gorton is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He joined the court in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. At the time of appointment, he was a private practice in Massachusetts.
United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts
Patti B. Saris is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is also the former Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission.
Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
JEFFREY S. SUTTON is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He has served as Chair of the Federal Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules, and Chair of the Supreme Court Fellows Commission. He currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Since 1993, Chief Judge Sutton has been an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University College of Law, where he teaches seminars on State Constitutional Law, the United States Supreme Court, and Appellate Advocacy. He also teaches a class on State Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School. Among other publications, he is the author of Who Decides? States as Laboratories of Constitutional Experimentation and 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law. He is the co-author of a casebook, State Constitutional Law: The Modern Experience, as well as The Law of Judicial Precedent. He is also the co-editor of The Essential Scalia: On the Constitution, the Courts, and the Rule of Law. In 2006, Chief Judge Sutton was elected to the American Law Institute, and in 2017 he was elected to its Council.
U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Douglas Preston Woodlock is a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He joined the court in 1986 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. At the time of appointment, Woodlock served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services.
U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Rya Weickert Zobel is a federal judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She joined the court in 1979 after being nominated by President Jimmy Carter. At the time of her appointment, Zobel was a private practice attorney inMassachusetts.
Chief Justice, Florida Supreme Court
Justice Charles Canady was born in Lakeland, Florida, in 1954. He is married to Jennifer Houghton, and they have two children. He received his B.A. from Haverford College in 1976 and his J.D. from the Yale Law School in 1979.
Justice Canady practiced law with the firm of Holland and Knight in Lakeland from 1979 through 1982. He practiced with the firm of Lane, Trohn, et al., from 1983 through 1992.
From November 1984 to November 1990, Justice Canady served three terms in the Florida House of Representatives, and from January 1993 to January 2001, he served four terms in the United States House of Representatives. Throughout his service in Congress, Justice Canady was a member of the House Judiciary Committee. For three terms, from January 1995 to January 2001, Justice Canady was the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution.
Upon leaving Congress, Justice Canady became General Counsel to Governor Jeb Bush. He was appointed by Governor Bush to the Second District Court of Appeal for a term beginning November 20, 2002.
On August 28, 2008, Justice Canady was appointed to the Florida Supreme Court by Governor Charlie Crist and took office on September 8, 2008. He served as Chief Justice from July 2010 through June 2012. In March 2018, he was elected by his colleagues to serve as Chief Justice for a second time, with his two-year term starting July 1, 2018, and a third time starting July 1, 2020.
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery
Robert (Bob) J. Cordy’s practice includes business litigation, white collar criminal defense, internal investigations, appellate work and major public/private projects.
Bob previously served for 16 years as an associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. He has worked with judges from Mexico, Russia, China, Kosovo, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Afghanistan and other countries on issues relating to judicial ethics, rule of law principles and the American judicial system. Bob also served as chair of the Supreme Judicial Court Rules Committee, co-chair of the Supreme Judicial Court Judiciary-Media Committee and member of the Committee for Capital Planning for the Judicial System.
Bob began his career working for the Massachusetts Public Defenders Office, and subsequently held positions with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission and the United States Attorney’s Office where he became the chief of the Public Corruption prosecution unit. Bob also served as chief legal counsel to Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld, working on a wide range of policy issues including regulatory and criminal justice reform, ethics in government and the appointment of judges. Before his appointment to the Supreme Judicial Court in 2001, Bob was a partner and head of McDermott’s Boston office.
Bob is also a member of our legal cannabis industry group. Our Cannabis Industry group is a multidisciplinary team of lawyers providing clients with regulatory, litigation, intellectual property, trade and tax services with respect to their investments and participation in the cannabis industry, all subject to the Firm’s obligations under federal and state laws and bar licensure rules.
U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Nathaniel M. Gorton is a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He joined the court in 1992 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. At the time of appointment, he was a private practice in Massachusetts.
United States District Judge for the District of Massachusetts
Patti B. Saris is the Chief United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She is also the former Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission.
Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
JEFFREY S. SUTTON is the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He has served as Chair of the Federal Judicial Conference Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Appellate Rules, and Chair of the Supreme Court Fellows Commission. He currently serves as Chair of the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. Since 1993, Chief Judge Sutton has been an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University College of Law, where he teaches seminars on State Constitutional Law, the United States Supreme Court, and Appellate Advocacy. He also teaches a class on State Constitutional Law at Harvard Law School. Among other publications, he is the author of Who Decides? States as Laboratories of Constitutional Experimentation and 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law. He is the co-author of a casebook, State Constitutional Law: The Modern Experience, as well as The Law of Judicial Precedent. He is also the co-editor of The Essential Scalia: On the Constitution, the Courts, and the Rule of Law. In 2006, Chief Judge Sutton was elected to the American Law Institute, and in 2017 he was elected to its Council.
U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Douglas Preston Woodlock is a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. He joined the court in 1986 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. At the time of appointment, Woodlock served as Chairman of the Massachusetts Committee for Public Counsel Services.
U.S. District Court Judge, District of Massachusetts
Rya Weickert Zobel is a federal judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. She joined the court in 1979 after being nominated by President Jimmy Carter. At the time of her appointment, Zobel was a private practice attorney inMassachusetts.
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