Acting Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Brian M. Fish is currently the Senior Advisor to the General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security where he works on immigration and law enforcement issues. Previously, he was a trial attorney with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he represented the Department of Homeland Security in removal hearings before the U.S. Immigration Court. Additionally, he was a Special Assistant United States Attorney and a Baltimore City homicide prosecutor. He is a member of the Federalist Society's Criminal Law & Procedure Practice Group Executive Committee and the President of its Baltimore Lawyers Chapter. He earned his B.A. from LaSalle University in 1992 and his J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1998.
Director of Litigation, Immigration Reform Law Institute
Mr. Hajec joined the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) in 2017 as its Director of Litigation, and is responsible for overseeing IRLI’s public interest litigation. Previously, he has focused his career on constitutional and other civil rights law in the public interest, and has had an abiding concern about the many adverse effects of illegal and excessive legal immigration on American jobs and communities.
At IRLI, in addition to representing plaintiffs in immigration-related civil lawsuits, he has overseen the drafting and filing of nearly 100 briefs, mostly amicus curiae briefs in defense of the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives, which have been subjected to an unprecedented degree of legal assault by well-funded interest groups.
Prior to joining IRLI, Mr. Hajec was an attorney at the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), where he litigated a string of high-profile cases, including the defense of videographer James O’Keefe in suits brought by former ACORN employees, a class action suit on behalf of Asian American students discriminated against by the New York City public schools, and a case that resulted in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s striking down Texas’s psychologists licensing statute as an overbroad restriction on free speech.
Before CIR, Mr. Hajec was an officer in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he served as a defense counsel before courts-martial and then as Appellate Government Counsel, arguing over 100 appeals before the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He received the Navy Commendation Medal for his legal work, and also because of his poor handling of an emergency during a hurricane.
He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Miami, and studied philosophy and sociology at Oxford University.
Partner, Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP
William A. Stock (Bill) is one of the country’s leading immigration lawyers. A founding member of Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, he has practiced immigration law exclusively for over twenty years. His clients include small businesses, medium sized companies, and multinational corporations and their employees, as well as individual clients, investors and researchers.
Bill leads a team of thirty-two attorneys, senior and junior paralegals in obtaining employment-based immigration benefits for clients, such as nonimmigrant visa classification (H-1B, L-1, E-1 and E-2, TN and O-1); permanent residence or “green card” status through Labor Certification or as immigrants of Exceptional or Extraordinary Ability (EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3); investment-based immigration (EB-5); and unusual or complicated matters such as physician J-1 waivers, visas for entrepreneurs, and mandamus or APA review actions brought in federal court.
Bill served as President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the 16,000 member national organization of immigration lawyers in 2017. He has long been active in the association on both a national and state level and has served several terms on the Association’s Board of Governors. In 2000, he received the Association’s Joseph Minsky Award for outstanding accomplishments in immigration law.
Bill is a Senior Editor of AILA’s annual Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook, and is the co-author of the “J Visa Guidebook” from Lexis Publishing. He was an Adjunct Professor at the Villanova University School of Law. He has been included since 2004 in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/ White Inc.); since 2006 in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Chambers and Partners), Who’s Who in American Law, and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers. Bill is also featured as a 20 top practitioner in the area of Immigration Law by Lawdragon.
A summa cum laude graduate of the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), (B.A.1990), he received his law degree from the University of Minnesota (J.D., magna cum laude, 1993) where he was a member of the Order of the Coif.
Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, Independence Institute
Professor Robert G. Natelson is a constitutional scholar and author.
Rob’s constitutional scholarship has been cited repeatedly by justices and parties at the U.S. Supreme Court—as well as by federal appeals courts, and at least 18 state supreme courts.
Rob’s research into the Constitution’s original meaning has carried him to libraries throughout the United States and in Britain, including four months at Oxford University. His books and articles span many different parts of the Constitution, including groundbreaking studies of the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Indian Commerce Clause, federalism, Founding-Era interpretation, regulation of elections, and the amendment process of Article V. He created the first-ever online bibliography for 18th century materials used in constitutional research. He is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (on Magna Carta). He contributed eight essays to the third edition of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution: five on the amendment procedure and one each on the Guarantee Clause, the Postal Clause, and the Recess Appointments Clause.
U.S. Supreme Court justices have relied explicitly on Rob’s research in 41 citations in 13 separate cases.
Senior Fellow in Constitutional Jurisprudence, Independence Institute
Professor Robert G. Natelson is a constitutional scholar and author.
Rob’s constitutional scholarship has been cited repeatedly by justices and parties at the U.S. Supreme Court—as well as by federal appeals courts, and at least 18 state supreme courts.
Rob’s research into the Constitution’s original meaning has carried him to libraries throughout the United States and in Britain, including four months at Oxford University. His books and articles span many different parts of the Constitution, including groundbreaking studies of the Necessary and Proper Clause, the Indian Commerce Clause, federalism, Founding-Era interpretation, regulation of elections, and the amendment process of Article V. He created the first-ever online bibliography for 18th century materials used in constitutional research. He is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of the Supreme Court of the United States (on Magna Carta). He contributed eight essays to the third edition of the Heritage Guide to the Constitution: five on the amendment procedure and one each on the Guarantee Clause, the Postal Clause, and the Recess Appointments Clause.
U.S. Supreme Court justices have relied explicitly on Rob’s research in 41 citations in 13 separate cases.
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.
Acting Assistant Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, Office of Professional Responsibility, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Brian M. Fish is currently the Senior Advisor to the General Counsel at the Department of Homeland Security where he works on immigration and law enforcement issues. Previously, he was a trial attorney with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, where he represented the Department of Homeland Security in removal hearings before the U.S. Immigration Court. Additionally, he was a Special Assistant United States Attorney and a Baltimore City homicide prosecutor. He is a member of the Federalist Society's Criminal Law & Procedure Practice Group Executive Committee and the President of its Baltimore Lawyers Chapter. He earned his B.A. from LaSalle University in 1992 and his J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1998.
Director of Litigation, Immigration Reform Law Institute
Mr. Hajec joined the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) in 2017 as its Director of Litigation, and is responsible for overseeing IRLI’s public interest litigation. Previously, he has focused his career on constitutional and other civil rights law in the public interest, and has had an abiding concern about the many adverse effects of illegal and excessive legal immigration on American jobs and communities.
At IRLI, in addition to representing plaintiffs in immigration-related civil lawsuits, he has overseen the drafting and filing of nearly 100 briefs, mostly amicus curiae briefs in defense of the Trump administration’s immigration initiatives, which have been subjected to an unprecedented degree of legal assault by well-funded interest groups.
Prior to joining IRLI, Mr. Hajec was an attorney at the Center for Individual Rights (CIR), where he litigated a string of high-profile cases, including the defense of videographer James O’Keefe in suits brought by former ACORN employees, a class action suit on behalf of Asian American students discriminated against by the New York City public schools, and a case that resulted in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s striking down Texas’s psychologists licensing statute as an overbroad restriction on free speech.
Before CIR, Mr. Hajec was an officer in the Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he served as a defense counsel before courts-martial and then as Appellate Government Counsel, arguing over 100 appeals before the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals and the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. He received the Navy Commendation Medal for his legal work, and also because of his poor handling of an emergency during a hurricane.
He received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and his undergraduate degree, cum laude, from the University of Michigan. He has a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Miami, and studied philosophy and sociology at Oxford University.
Partner, Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP
William A. Stock (Bill) is one of the country’s leading immigration lawyers. A founding member of Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP, he has practiced immigration law exclusively for over twenty years. His clients include small businesses, medium sized companies, and multinational corporations and their employees, as well as individual clients, investors and researchers.
Bill leads a team of thirty-two attorneys, senior and junior paralegals in obtaining employment-based immigration benefits for clients, such as nonimmigrant visa classification (H-1B, L-1, E-1 and E-2, TN and O-1); permanent residence or “green card” status through Labor Certification or as immigrants of Exceptional or Extraordinary Ability (EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3); investment-based immigration (EB-5); and unusual or complicated matters such as physician J-1 waivers, visas for entrepreneurs, and mandamus or APA review actions brought in federal court.
Bill served as President of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the 16,000 member national organization of immigration lawyers in 2017. He has long been active in the association on both a national and state level and has served several terms on the Association’s Board of Governors. In 2000, he received the Association’s Joseph Minsky Award for outstanding accomplishments in immigration law.
Bill is a Senior Editor of AILA’s annual Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook, and is the co-author of the “J Visa Guidebook” from Lexis Publishing. He was an Adjunct Professor at the Villanova University School of Law. He has been included since 2004 in Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/ White Inc.); since 2006 in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business (Chambers and Partners), Who’s Who in American Law, and The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers. Bill is also featured as a 20 top practitioner in the area of Immigration Law by Lawdragon.
A summa cum laude graduate of the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN), (B.A.1990), he received his law degree from the University of Minnesota (J.D., magna cum laude, 1993) where he was a member of the Order of the Coif.
Founder, Edge AI
Adam Jackson joined the Army in 2007. He served as an infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division. While there, he deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan from 2009 to 2010. He started the Special Forces Qualification Course (SFQC) in 2011. Upon graduation, he was assigned to 5th Special Forces Group. As a member of 5th SFG he deployed to Jordan, Iraq, and Syria. While in Jordan he spearheaded an effort to equip a Jordanian Intelligence unit with secure internet. Upon returning from Jordan, he attended the Joint Terminal Attack Controller Course where he learned to integrate aircraft into ground operations, assess structures and material for blast and penetration tolerance, and prevent friendly fire incidents and collateral damage. In 2016, Adam deployed to Iraq and eventually moved from Iraq to Syria. His team was one of the first Special Forces Teams in Syria. Upon returning from his last deployment Adam started a computer vision company that specializes in Facial Recognition security systems and prepared to leave the military. He is a self-taught programmer, computer networking technician, system integration specialist, and security consultant.
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.
TN Supreme Court Review
Nashville, TNSanctuary Cities
Brian M. Fish, Christopher Hajec, William A. Stock
In 2015, 32-year old Kate Steinle was shot in San Francisco by an Illegal Immigrant....
Sanctuary Cities
Criminal Law & Procedure Practice Group Teleforum
Teleforum“Advice” in the Constitution’s Advice and Consent Clause: New Evidence from Contemporaneous Sources
Robert G. Natelson
Note from the Editor: This article discusses the proper interpretation of the Constitution’s Advice and...
Counting to Two Thirds: How Close Are We to a Convention for Proposing Amendments to the Constitution?
Robert G. Natelson
Note from the Editor: This article argues that, in aggregating applications from states to call...
Deep Dive Episode 31 – Tennessee Licensing Board Alarmed by Entrepreneur’s Facial Recognition Software
Regulatory Transparency Project Teleforum
TeleforumAntitrust Enforcement by State Attorney Generals
Adam Biegel, Ian Conner, Victor Domen, Jeffrey S. Oliver, Jennifer A. Thomson
State Attorneys General often investigate antitrust violations – ranging from price fixing to anticompetitive mergers...
Antitrust Enforcement by State Attorney Generals
TeleforumTopics
Round Two for Obamacare: Sebelius Redux
Rarely do challengers of landmark legislation get a second bite at the apple in constitutional...
A Speech Code for Lawyers? An Appraisal of Tennessee’s Proposed RPC 8.4(g)
Memphis, TN