Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
Kelly J. Deere is a graduate of Northwestern University School of law and Cornell University. Prof. Deere currently is a full-time faculty member at Rutgers teaching Legal Analysis, Writing, Research and Skills (LAWRS). Prof. Deere taught as a part-time instructor in both the day and evening program teaching both LAWRS and Advanced Legal Writing.
Prof. Deere was an adjunct instructor at Seton Hall University School of Law from 2011-2014. From 2010-2018, Ms. Deere was Of Counsel to the firm Kates, Nussman, Rapone, Ellis & Farhi in Hackensack, N.J. Ms. Deere was brought in as an experienced attorney to assist the firm in its litigation and zoning cases.
Prof. Deere began her legal career at the firm of Donovan Leisure Newton & Irvine in New York where she practiced commercial litigation and bankruptcy. Prof. Deere also worked as a trial attorney for the Administration for Children’s services handling hundreds of abuse and neglect cases from inception through trial. Prof. Deere transitioned to GMHC, Inc. – the largest private AIDS organization in the world where she was initially responsible for managing its family law practice and eventually supervised the majority of the legal department including family law, housing rights, social security law, trusts and estates and bankruptcy.
Founder, President, and General Counsel, Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty
Rick Esenberg is the founder and current President and General Counsel of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a rapidly expanding law and policy organization headquartered in Milwaukee. Under Rick’s leadership, WILL has grown into one of the more active state-based think tanks and litigation centers in the country. Rick is a frequent litigator in state and federal courts and nationally recognized scholar and commentator on constitutional law, particularly the First Amendment’s guarantees of freedom of speech and religion. He is one of the leading experts on the Wisconsin Constitution and a frequent advocate before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Rick’s work seeks to advance the rule of law and individual liberty, formed by a robust civil society that forms individual and community character, preserving the wisdom of the past and an openness to the future.
Rick’s commentary has been featured in such outlets as the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Weekly Standard, Real Clear Politics, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Washington Examiner. Formerly on the faculty of Marquette University Law School, his scholarship has appeared in such publications as the Harvard Law Review, Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, Wake Forest Law Review and William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. Back when they were a thing, he operated a blog called Shark and Shepherd where he tried to suggest something about the duality of man – “the Jungian thing.”
Rick holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review, and a B.A., summa cum laude, in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In addition to service on the Marquette Faculty, he was formerly a litigation partner at Foley & Lardner and General Counsel of an international manufacturing firm headquartered in Wisconsin. He lives in Mequon Wisconsin with his wife Karen, golden retrievers Cooper and Riley and more books than he can find places for.
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.
Shareholder, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A.
A versatile litigation and appellate attorney with deep ties to his native Charleston, South Carolina, Mac McQuillin blends an established government and business litigation practice with an emerging practice as a certified South Carolina Mediator. In addition to his law practice, Mac was elected in 2014 to serve on the Berkeley County School District Board (the fourth largest school district in South Carolina) and currently serves as the school board’s Vice Chairman and Chairman of the Facilities and Capital Planning Committee.
Prior to Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, Mac served as a law clerk to then South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, where he researched existing and proposed legislation and its impact on South Carolina. He also advised the Governor’s Chief Legal Counsel on various legal matters involving the Executive Office. Mac also clerked for South Carolina Senator George E. (Chip) Campsen III. While working for Senator Campsen, he was responsible for constituent research and provided assistance during Senate debates on tort reform.
Mac is listed in The Best Lawyers in America© Commercial Litigation (2020-2021) and South Carolina Super Lawyers® “Rising Stars” Business Litigation (2014-2020). In 2017, Mac was awarded the South Carolina Lawyers Weekly Leadership in Law Award and recognized by Charleston Business Magazine as one of the “Legal Elite of the Lowcountry” for Government Affairs.
Mac is a frequent speaker on government and litigation topics, including “Local Government Litigation Update – Impact Fee Litigation, Opioid Litigation (State and Federal) and FOIA,” “Legal Issues Affecting Local Government and Municipalities,” and “Recent Developments Under the South Carolina Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”
Mac received his law degree, with honors, from the University of South Carolina School of Law (Order of Coif) and undergraduate degree from the University of South Carolina.
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.
Emergency Powers in the Pandemic [The FedSoc Films Podcast]
Kelly Deere
In this episode of the FedSoc Films Podcast, Kelly Deere, Professor of Law at Rutgers...
Fabick v. Evers [The FedSoc Films Podcast]
Rick M. Esenberg
In this episode of the FedSoc Films Podcast, Rick Esenberg, Founder & President of the...
Legislature v. Palm [The FedSoc Films Podcast]
In this episode of the FedSoc Films Podcast, Rick Esenberg, Founder & President of the...
Topics
Pandemic Powers: What Happened in Wisconsin?
In March 2020, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, like many governors in America, declared a “state...
Film Screening
2023 Wisconsin Chapters Conference
Pewaukee, WIDeep Dive Episode 181 – State of Emergency? Kentucky’s Legislature vs. Governor
Mitchel Denham, Oliver Dunford
On June 10, the Kentucky Supreme Court heard a pair of cases to consider whether...
Deep Dive Episode 181 – State of Emergency? Kentucky’s Legislature vs. Governor
Regulatory Transparency Project's Fourth Branch Podcast
TeleforumState Court Docket Watch: Adams v. McMaster
Stafford (Mac) J. McQuillin
Background In early March, South Carolina’s Governor, Henry McMaster, issued a State of Emergency following...