Shareholder at Kirton McConkie, Former Solicitor General of Idaho
Alan Hurst is the Solicitor General of Idaho, the state’s chief appellate advocate before the Idaho Supreme Court, the federal courts of appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He supervises all civil appellate litigation for the state and all trial-court filings raising significant civil appellate issues. He also advises the Attorney General and other state officers on matters of constitutional and legal policy.
Alan is a graduate of Brigham Young University and Yale Law School and clerked for Justice Christine Durham of the Utah Supreme Court and Judge Monroe McKay on the Tenth Circuit. He has been a fellow at the Yale Center for Faith and Culture, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and BYU’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where he taught property law and related subjects before becoming a litigation partner at a national law firm and an occasional legal columnist for the Deseret News.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel Baran Torchinsky & Josefiak PLLC
Abhishek (Abhi) Kambli is a partner at Holtzman Vogel who represents clients in high-stakes appellate and complex litigation, constitutional challenges, and matters involving state attorneys general and federal agencies. He is one of a handful of lawyers nationally who has both led federal litigation from inside the Department of Justice and multi-state coalition work from a State Attorney General’s office—giving clients a 360-degree perspective on government enforcement, regulatory challenges, and constitutional advocacy.
Prior to joining Holtzman Vogel, Abhi served as Deputy Associate Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice, where he acted as lead counsel in high-priority matters for the Trump Administration, oversaw the Department’s civil components on behalf of the Associate Attorney General, advised the White House Counsel’s Office and federal agencies on litigation risk and strategy, and developed the Department’s national affirmative civil litigation strategy.
Earlier, he served as Deputy Attorney General and Division Chief of the Special Litigation and Constitutional Issues Division at the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, where he launched the division and led multi-state coalitions in trial and appellate courts nationwide, including the United States Supreme Court. He began his career as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Indiana, prosecuting more than 100 federal cases from investigation through appeal.
Abhi is also a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Judge Advocate General's Corps, having served on active duty and in the reserves since 2013. His military service includes criminal trials as both prosecutor and defense attorney, appellate representation before the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and representation of a high-profile detainee before the Military Commissions at Guantánamo Bay.
Former United States Attorney General
William P. Barr was born on May 23, 1950 in New York City. Mr. Barr received his A.B. in government from Columbia University in 1971 and his M.A. in government and Chinese studies in 1973. From 1973 to 1977, he served in the Central Intelligence Agency before receiving his J.D. with highest honors from George Washington University Law School in 1977.
In 1978, Mr. Barr served as a law clerk under Judge Malcolm Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Following his clerkship, Mr. Barr joined the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge as an associate. He left the firm to work in the White House under President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1983 on the domestic policy staff, then returned to the law firm and became a partner in 1985.
Under President George H.W. Bush, Mr. Barr served as the Deputy Attorney General from 1990 to 1991; the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel from 1989 to 1990; and the 77th Attorney General of the United States from 1991 to 1993. While serving at the Department, Mr. Barr helped create programs and strategies to reduce violent crime and was responsible for establishing new enforcement policies in a number of areas including financial institutions, civil rights, and antitrust merger guidelines. Mr. Barr also led the Department’s response to the Savings & Loan crisis; oversaw the investigation of the Pan Am 103 bombing; directed the successful response to the Talladega prison uprising and hostage taking; and coordinated counter-terrorism activities during the First Gulf War.
From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Barr served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for GTE Corporation. Mr. Barr then served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Verizon from 2000 to 2008. At both GTE and Verizon, Mr. Barr led the legal, regulatory, and government affairs activities of the companies.
After retiring from Verizon in 2008, Mr. Barr advised major corporations on government enforcement matters, as well as regulatory litigation. Mr. Barr served as Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in 2009 and rejoined the firm in 2017.
President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Mr. Barr on December 7, 2018, and he was confirmed as the 85th Attorney General of the United States by the U.S. Senate on February 14, 2019. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office. Mr. Barr joins John Crittenden (1841 and 1850-1853) as one of only two people in U.S. history to serve twice as Attorney General.
Partner, Vinson & Elkins LLP
Fry Wernick is a Chambers-rated lawyer and former federal prosecutor who serves as a partner in the Government Investigations and White Collar Practice Group in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Dallas offices.
As a former federal prosecutor and supervisor of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Fraud Section with experience as lead attorney in over 30 trials, Fry has a broad range of white collar enforcement and courtroom experience. Fry regularly conducts internal investigations and defends companies and individuals against government investigations into a broad range of conduct and he has specific experience prosecuting and defending cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), anti-money laundering (AML) statutes, the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the False Claims Act (FCA), sanctions, campaign finance laws, and other fraud, consumer protection and corruption-related offenses. Fry also has extensive experience representing clients and appearing before numerous alphabet agencies, including the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Department of Education (ED) and other regulators and investigative bodies. Fry also draws on his experience as a former counsel to the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary to help prepare and defend companies and individuals facing inquiries and investigations by Congress.
An important part of Fry’s practice is advising publicly traded and privately held companies on transactional risk, particularly concerning business transactions in emerging markets, and he helps companies develop effective compliance programs. Fry also understands all aspects of crisis management, and he draws on his extensive experience to tailor and coordinate sophisticated responses to investigations and inquiries from governmental, legislative and media sources in order to minimize the potential for legal and reputational risk for his clients.
As a former supervisor in DOJ’s FCPA Unit, Fry is one of the few former federal prosecutors who has actually prosecuted violations of the FCPA, and he has keen insight into how the Department of Justice prioritizes and investigates cases involving alleged violations of the FCPA and other white collar crimes. At DOJ, Fry led and supervised dozens of the Department’s most high-profile cases, including six of the largest-ever FCPA corporate criminal resolutions and dozens of individual prosecutions. Fry has extensive experience negotiating corporate settlements. including DPAs, NPAs and declinations under the recent revisions to the Department’s Corporate Enforcement Policy. In addition, Fry has conducted multiple cross-border criminal investigations and coordinated resolutions with multiple foreign and domestic government authorities, and he has developed an advanced understanding of how foreign regulators enforce the U.K. Bribery Act, the French Sapin II, and other anti-bribery laws.
Fry is a thought leader on the FCPA and white collar matters and he is frequently published and quoted in the press, including recently by the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Law 360, Global Investigations Review, The Anti-Corruption Report, The FCPA Professor, Energy Voice and other publications. Fry also has been recognized by Chambers USA, Legal 500, Lawdragon 500 and Who’s Who Legal for his investigations and white collar practice, and Law360 named Fry a “2021 Compliance MVP.”
In 2022, Fry took over as the firm’s Pro Bono Partner where he helps manage Vinson & Elkins’ firmwide pro bono program.
Partner, Jones Day
Brian Rabbitt is a litigator with extensive experience handling complex investigations, enforcement matters, civil litigation, and appellate matters at the highest levels of government. He represents clients in high-stakes matters involving the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Congress, and state attorneys general, as well as in internal investigations. Brian has been recognized as a leading white collar and investigations lawyer by Law360, The National Law Journal, and Chambers USA, which describes him as "smart, practical, and [having] great judgment."
Prior to joining Jones Day, Brian was the Acting Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Criminal Division, where he led hundreds of prosecutors responsible for investigating and prosecuting white collar cases (including securities, commodities, and health care fraud), Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) violations, and money laundering (AML), public corruption, computer crime, intellectual property, and Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) matters. Under Brian's leadership, the Criminal Division resolved several of the most significant corporate criminal matters in DOJ history; prosecuted billions of dollars in health care fraud; and led the government's response to COVID-19-related stimulus fraud.
Before heading the Criminal Division, Brian served as Chief of Staff to the Attorney General at DOJ, in senior enforcement and policy roles at the SEC, and in the White House Counsel's Office, where he advised on investigations, congressional oversight, and financial regulatory policy. Brian began his career at a leading Washington law firm, where his practice focused on complex civil litigation and government investigations and enforcement matters.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Kellen is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who litigates criminal, civil, and regulatory cases in a variety of areas, including cybersecurity & privacy, constitutional law, complex fraud, and national security. In criminal matters, he has obtained declinations, dismissals, misdemeanor pleas, and presidential pardons for prominent individuals and companies facing federal investigations. In civil matters, he has successfully defended Fortune 500 companies in multidistrict litigation and brought affirmative litigation to challenge government overreach. Kellen has a perfect record in both jury trials and appellate arguments: he has twice obtained reversals of jury verdicts on appeal and he won every trial and appeal during his six years as a federal prosecutor.
As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia, Kellen obtained a hacking indictment against Julian Assange and represented the United States at Assange’s extradition hearings. He also received the Attorney General’s Award for leading the trial and arguing the appeal in a case charging a malware-testing company with aiding and abetting the 2013 cyberattack on Target Stores. The case is now the lead precedent governing when tech companies can be held liable for crimes committed by their users. Kellen won convictions in dozens of cases involving hacking, wiretapping, complex fraud, conspiracy/RICO, public corruption, national security, and intellectual property.
Kellen was later promoted to Deputy Assistant Attorney General of DOJ’s National Security Division (NSD), where he ran NSD’s Appellate Unit, which represents the DOJ in civil and criminal appeals affecting national security and advises on sensitive prosecutions involving export controls/sanctions, trade secrets, and the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). In that role, Kellen oversaw the defense of President Trump’s TikTok and WeChat bans and successfully sought certiorari in civil cases interpreting the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and the State Secrets doctrine.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Jonathan Fahey is partner with Holtzman Vogel and focuses his practice on investigations and white-collar criminal defense, representing individuals and corporations in high-stakes litigation in federal and state court.
A former federal and state prosecutor and seasoned trial lawyer, having tried dozens of criminal and civil cases to a jury in federal and state court, Jonathan has also successfully litigated significant constitutional issues. He also utilizes his years of leading grand jury investigations to assist clients with government and corporate investigations.
Jonathan began his career as a judicial law clerk for the Arlington County Circuit Court. He then worked as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Fairfax County before transitioning to the United States Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia, where he served as an Assistant United States Attorney and Special Assistant United States Attorney.
While with the United States Attorney’s Office, Jonathan led grand jury investigations in cases involving RICO, drug trafficking, human trafficking, public corruption, and white-collar offenses. For his work, he received multiple awards, including the Attorney General’s John Marshall Award, for the prosecution of a serial killer and sexual predator. He held several leadership positions within the office, including serving as the chief of the Special Assistant United States Attorney Section, where he trained and supervised attorneys in the prosecution of felony and misdemeanor cases. He also regularly conducted training for law enforcement agencies on legal and ethical issues.
In addition to his work as a criminal prosecutor, Jonathan has significant leadership experience within the executive branch. He served as the general counsel with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. He also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, Acting Principal Legal Advisor and then Acting Director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Jonathan appears frequently on Fox News and Fox Business providing legal analysis as well as commentary on current events and political issues.
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, SAP National Security Services
Joseph Moreno is SAP NS2’s General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer. Joe manages legal risk, oversees compliance, and ensures the company operates within legal boundaries as we conduct business with the U.S. Government and highly regulated entities.
Prior to joining SAP NS2, Joe was a Global Litigation partner with Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP. Before private practice, Joe served as a federal prosecutor at the U.S. Department of Justice in the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, where he investigated and prosecuted international money laundering, terrorist financing, and other financial crimes. A decorated combat veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Joe is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve and has served on active duty in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Joe earned his undergraduate degree from Stony Brook University, his law degree from St. John’s University School of Law, and an M.B.A. from St. John’s University Peter J. Tobin College of Business.
Partner, Holtzman Vogel
Mark Pinkert is a litigation and appellate partner with Holtzman Vogel. He represents clients at every stage of litigation, in state and federal courts around the country. He has extensive experience in constitutional law, administrative law, political law, antitrust, white collar defense, and complex commercial disputes. Additionally, Mark maintains an active practice focused on religious freedom, First Amendment rights, and combatting antisemitism, especially on college campuses.
Mark is a formidable writer and advocate. He has drafted letters, white papers to government agencies, legal memoranda, regulatory comments, complaints, dispositive motions, motions in limine, appellate briefs, and several briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court. His incisive and persuasive writing style has helped him earn key victories for his clients. Mark has argued a Daubert motion in a multi-billion-dollar environmental dispute and was recently appointed lead counsel by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals to represent an indigent petitioner in a habeas corpus appeal. Mark’s legal commentary has been published in The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Times of Israel, Daily Business Review, University of Miami Law Review, and many others.
Mark is also an adept legal strategist, advising some of the largest companies in the world on their most pressing issues. Rather than merely react to problems, he provides holistic thinking and anticipates issues before they arise. He helps clients develop proactive plans of action that mitigate risks, avoid conflict, and reduce costs.
Before joining Holtzman Vogel, Mark worked at a global law firm and clerked for the Honorable Adalberto Jordan (11th Cir.) and the Honorable Roy K. Altman (S.D. Fla.). Clerking at both the trial and appellate levels has given him rare insight into the federal court system and has sharpened his advocacy.
At Yale Law School, Mark was an Articles Editor for the Yale Law Journal and an editor for the Yale Journal of Law & Humanities. He was also a research assistant and taught constitutional law to high school students in New Haven.
Former Special Counsel, U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division
Brendan Ballou is a former special Counsel at U.S. Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, where he served from 2020-2025. He is also the author of Plunder: Private Equity's Plan to Pillage America.
Previously, he worked in private practice, and before that, in the National Security Division of the Justice Department, where he advised the White House on counterterrorism and other policies. He graduated from Columbia University and Stanford Law School.
Partner, Continental PLLC
Stephen is a seasoned trial attorney whose practice centers on high-stakes litigation. Currently, he is a Partner at Continental PLLC based in their Miami and Washington DC offices. He currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Federalist Society's Criminal Law and Procedure Practice Group and as Co-President of the Miami Lawyer Chapter.
Over the course of his career, Stephen has been lead or co-lead trial counsel in more than 30 trials to verdict in both state and federal courts. Most recently, Stephen served as Counselor to the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey. As a Senior Executive in the office, he assisted in overseeing one of the nation’s largest U.S. Attorney’s offices and helped implement nationwide Department of Justice policy initiatives. Immediately prior to that, Stephen was Special Counsel at a global law firm where he handled complex commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, insurance recovery claims, corporate investigations, and white-collar matters.
Stephen began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County. He later served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, where he worked in the appellate, civil, and criminal divisions in Miami. During his time in the criminal division, he prosecuted a wide range of federal offenses including international narcotics and arms trafficking, securities fraud, money laundering, wire fraud, identity theft, firearms offenses, kidnapping, child exploitation, immigration violations, and investigating an international gold smuggling operation. His cases have received national and international media coverage, including a feature on National Geographic’s To Catch a Smuggler.
Outside the courtroom, Stephen is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Miami School of Law, where he teaches courses on civil and criminal pretrial litigation. He also serves as a Commissioner on Florida’s Third District Court of Appeals Judicial Nominating Commission.
Principal, Lauro & Singer
John F. Lauro is an accomplished trial lawyer with over thirty years of experience specializing in complex criminal and commercial litigation. Throughout his career he has concluded several high-profile matters that have generated considerable public attention and successful results for his clients. Mr. Lauro has recently tried two of the most significant white collar cases in the past decade involving complex accounting and medical economics issues. During his career, Mr. Lauro has obtained a Rule 29 acquittal in a high profile federal criminal case on behalf of the former president of a national healthcare company, who had been accused of violating the federal securities and conspiracy laws. Mr. Lauro has successfully represented an individual charged in the first “dot-com securities fraud” case brought in federal court in Manhattan, which resulted in a jury acquittal on all counts. Additionally, he has represented a well-known sports figure, who had been charged with violating the federal wire fraud statute in connection with gambling activities. Mr. Lauro has also obtained a dismissal of all civil claims against a Middle Eastern banking institution in connection with the 9/11 litigation pending in New York. The case went to the Supreme Court, which denied review. Finally, Mr. Lauro obtained a multi-million dollar judgment against a New York investment advisor for defrauding an international jewelry manufacturer in connection with an investment account.
Mr. Lauro grew up in New York and later graduated from Georgetown University in 1979, magna cum laude. While a college student, Mr. Lauro was elected to a position as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner in the District of Columbia. As an elected official, he focused most of his attention on the development of the Georgetown waterfront and other constituent issues. He then attended Georgetown University Law Center and graduated in 1982, magna cum laude. While a law student, Mr. Lauro was an editor of the Georgetown Law Journal.
Following graduation from law school, Mr. Lauro returned to New York and began practicing with the international law firm of Morgan, Lewis, and Bockius. He later joined the criminal division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. After government service, Mr. Lauro established a practice in Florida, and became a partner with a national law firm. In 1994, he founded Lauro Law Firm, which now has offices in New York and Florida.
Senior Counsel - Civil Rights Division, US Department of Justice
Andrew Darlington was appointed in 2025 to serve as Senior Counsel to the US Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. He graduated the US Naval Academy in May, 2010 and was commissioned into the United States Marine Corps. He deployed twice to Afghanistan as an infantry officer. For his actions, he was awarded the Purple Heart and other personal combat awards. He later graduated Fordham University School of Law, and has since served as a prosecutor and in private practice. He joined the Florida Department of State in 2022 and was appointed Director of the Office of Election Crimes and Security in March, 2023. He is a member of the Madison Club, the National Security and International Law Practice Group, and the Washington, DC, Chapter.
Professor of Law, Widener University Commonwealth Law School
Assistant Professor of Law, George Mason University, Antonin Scalia Law School
Robert Leider is an Assistant Professor of Law at Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University. His scholarly interests are in criminal law, criminal procedure, and constitutional law, especially concerning questions about the use of force and the rule of law. He has written on the law of self-defense, the constitutional allocation of military power, and gun control. Among other places, he has published in the Florida Law Review (forthcoming), the Indiana Law Journal, and the Wall Street Journal.
Before joining Antonin Scalia Law School, Professor Leider was at Arnold & Porter in Washington, DC. He was previously with Mayer Brown LLP and was an Olin-Searle-Smith Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He has clerked for Judge Diane S. Sykes, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and Justice Clarence Thomas. Professor Leider earned a BA, summa cum laude, from The George Washington University, a JD from Yale Law School, and a PhD in Philosophy (dissertation defended with distinction) from Georgetown University. While at Yale, he served as an articles editor for the Yale Law Journal.
Professor Leider teaches criminal law and torts.
Federal Special Master, US District Court For The District Of Columbia
Julian McCarthy has had a distinguished career in both military and civilian legal service. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1977 and served as a Surface Warfare Officer aboard the USS Dale (CG-19) from 1977 to 1980. Following his military service at sea, he pursued legal studies, earning his Juris Doctor with honors from Duke University School of Law in 1983.
McCarthy began his legal career as a Trial Counsel at the Naval Legal Service Office in Jacksonville, Florida, from 1983 to 1986. He then served as the Staff Judge Advocate at Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines, from 1986 to 1990. In 1991, he earned a Master of Laws degree with highest honors from The George Washington University Law School. He subsequently served as Executive Assistant to the Navy Judge Advocate General from 1991 to 1992 and as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Navy from 1992 to 1998. He later commanded the Trial Service Office Southeast from 1998 to 2002, before retiring as a Captain in the United States Navy.
Following his military career, McCarthy continued his service in the legal profession and public sector. He practiced law at Holland & Knight before becoming the Director of Military Affairs, Veterans Services, and Disabled Services for the City of Jacksonville. He later served as the Chief Assistant State Attorney for Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit. McCarthy also worked as the Director of Special Programs for the Wounded Warrior Project and served as the Marshal of Florida’s First District Court of Appeal.
Currently, he serves as a Federal Special Master, where he continues his commitment to justice and public service.
John S. Battle Professor of Law, University of Virginia School of Law
Julia D. Mahoney teaches courses in property, government finance, constitutional law and nonprofit organizations. A graduate of Yale Law School, she joined the University of Virginia faculty as an associate professor in 1999 and is now John S. Battle Professor of Law. She has also taught at the University of Southern California Law School and the University of Chicago Law School, and before entering the legal academy, practiced law at the New York firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. Her scholarly articles include works on land preservation, eminent domain, health care reform and property rights in human biological materials.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
On January 14, 2022, Doha Mekki was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. As Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Mekki supervises more than 350 attorneys who investigate and prosecute civil and criminal violations of federal antitrust and other competition laws. She is responsible for overseeing the Division’s civil enforcement, criminal enforcement, litigation, domestic and international policy, advocacy, and economic analysis programs, as well as the Division’s operations.
Ms. Mekki joined the Antitrust Division in 2015 as a Trial Attorney. In that capacity, she led investigations and litigated merger challenges in the rail, commercial vehicle, aviation, and healthcare industries, among others. She later served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust. In that role, she focused on civil antitrust enforcement in healthcare, sports, and digital markets, as well as criminal enforcement in labor markets. From 2020 until 2021, she served as an Assistant Chief in the Antitrust Division’s Defense, Industrials, and Aerospace Section, where she provided legal and policy guidance to attorneys and paralegals working on the section’s merger and anticompetitive conduct investigations and enforcement. Beginning in 2021, she served concurrently as the Antitrust Division’s Special Counsel for Labor. In that capacity, she helped advance the Division’s civil and criminal enforcement in labor markets. She is a two-time recipient of the Assistant Attorney General’s Award of Distinction and she has testified before Congress about competition in labor markets.
She was previously an associate in the antitrust and financial services groups of an international law firm in New York, NY, where her antitrust practice focused on federal antitrust litigation, government investigations, and counseling.
Ms. Mekki holds a B.A. from Duke University, a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and an M.B.E. in Bioethics from the Department of Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Chief Deputy Attorney General
Ryan Newman is currently Chief Deputy Attorney General for Florida Office of the Attorney General.
During the first Trump Administration, he served as Counselor to the United States Attorney General for national security and international affairs, Deputy General Counsel (Legal Counsel) for the Department of Defense, and Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the Department of Justice. Prior to serving in the Executive Branch, Ryan was Chief Counsel to United States Senator Ted Cruz during the 114th Congress.
Ryan served as a law clerk to the Honorable Samuel A. Alito, Jr. on the United States Supreme Court, the Honorable Richard J. Leon on the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, and the Honorable J.L. Edmondson on the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
Prior to law school, Ryan was an armor officer in the United States Army assigned to the 1st Squadron, 10th U.S. Cavalry Regiment (Buffalo Soldiers). He deployed to Iraq in 2003 for Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Ryan graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1998. He earned his law degree with high honors from The University of Texas School of Law in 2007.
Judge, United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
Judge Julius “Jay” Richardson serves on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Jay grew up in Barnwell, South Carolina. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, Jay moved to Hawaii and worked at a pool-side bar-and-grill. Jay later earned his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School, where he served as Articles Editor for the Law Review and right fielder for the law school’s championship softball team. Following law school, Jay clerked for Judge Richard A. Posner and for Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. He then practiced with Kellogg Hansen in Washington, DC before returning to South Carolina as an Assistant United States Attorney. Along with prosecuting violent crime, gangs, terrorism, public corruption, civil rights, and narcotics trafficking, he led the prosecution of Dylann Roof, who was convicted and sentenced to death for his racist massacre of nine Black worshippers during a Bible study at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. He and his wife Macon are blessed with four daughters.
Assistant Professor of Law, Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University
Lael Weinberger is an assistant professor of law at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School. Previously, Lael clerked for Justice Neil Gorsuch on the United States Supreme Court, Judge Frank Easterbrook on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Chief Justice Daniel Eismann on the Idaho Supreme Court. Lael also practiced law at the Washington, D.C., office of Gibson Dunn and held fellowships at Stanford and Harvard law schools. Lael earned a law degree and a Ph.D. in history, both from the University of Chicago. Lael's academic work has appeared in journals such as the University of Chicago Law Review, Notre Dame Law Review, and Constitutional Commentary, among others. He has also written widely for broader public audiences, with his writings and reviews appearing in publications including Newsweek, National Review, Claremont Review, First Things, Christianity Today, LA Review of Books, World, and the New Rambler Review.
Chairman, The Ashcroft Law Firm LLC, and former United States Attorney General
Former U.S. Attorney General, Governor and U.S. Senator John Ashcroft serves as the firm’s founder and chairman. As Attorney General, and the U.S. Justice Department’s CEO, Mr. Ashcroft led the world’s largest and foremost international law firm and law enforcement agency—an organization larger than most Fortune 500 companies, with over 122,000 employees. Mr. Ashcroft integrated strategic planning, budgeting, and performance measures, which resulted in the DOJ earning a clean audit for the first time in its history.
Mr. Ashcroft boldly led the Department of Justice through the transformational period after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He subsequently reorganized the Department to focus on its number one priority: preventing terrorism. The tough antiterrorism campaign he directed helped keep America safe throughout his tenure and resulted in the dismantling of terrorist cells across America and the disruption of over 150 terrorist plots worldwide.
Within two months of the attacks, and with financial markets still reeling, the unprecedented corporate scandals at ENRON, WorldCom and dozens more unfolded, further destabilizing the weakened economy. John Ashcroft was called upon to restore America’s faith in the integrity of our marketplace. He marshaled the resources of the federal government to bring to justice those guilty of massive corporate fraud. At all times, he demanded that cases be brought swiftly, with appropriate serious penalties—always taking into account the best interests of the employees and shareholders whose lives were most directly affected.
From 1985 to 1993, as Governor of Missouri, Ashcroft balanced eight consecutive budgets, built a $120 million budget surplus and established a $190 million operating reserve. His management and fiscal integrity helped generate 338,000 new jobs state-wide, a triple-A bond rating from the three major Wall Street rating agencies, a per capita state and local tax burden ranked 49th in the United States and a 12 percent increase in personal income. His new education performance standards led Fortune magazine to name him as one of the nation’s top ten Education Governors. In 1991, the non-partisan National Governors Association voted him Chairman.
Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994, he brought his management skills to Washington where he authored budget rules protecting Social Security and Medicare and helped balance the federal budget for the first time in decades. As a member of the Senate Judiciary, Foreign Relations and Commerce Committees, he worked to reform laws regulating the banking, telecommunications, aviation, transportation and information technology industries.
In 1973, Mr. Ashcroft served as Missouri Auditor, followed by two terms as Missouri Attorney General. He was raised in Springfield, Missouri, received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago.
Former United States Attorney General
William P. Barr was born on May 23, 1950 in New York City. Mr. Barr received his A.B. in government from Columbia University in 1971 and his M.A. in government and Chinese studies in 1973. From 1973 to 1977, he served in the Central Intelligence Agency before receiving his J.D. with highest honors from George Washington University Law School in 1977.
In 1978, Mr. Barr served as a law clerk under Judge Malcolm Wilkey of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Following his clerkship, Mr. Barr joined the Washington, D.C. office of the law firm of Shaw, Pittman, Potts & Trowbridge as an associate. He left the firm to work in the White House under President Ronald Reagan from 1982 to 1983 on the domestic policy staff, then returned to the law firm and became a partner in 1985.
Under President George H.W. Bush, Mr. Barr served as the Deputy Attorney General from 1990 to 1991; the Assistant Attorney General of the Office of Legal Counsel from 1989 to 1990; and the 77th Attorney General of the United States from 1991 to 1993. While serving at the Department, Mr. Barr helped create programs and strategies to reduce violent crime and was responsible for establishing new enforcement policies in a number of areas including financial institutions, civil rights, and antitrust merger guidelines. Mr. Barr also led the Department’s response to the Savings & Loan crisis; oversaw the investigation of the Pan Am 103 bombing; directed the successful response to the Talladega prison uprising and hostage taking; and coordinated counter-terrorism activities during the First Gulf War.
From 1994 to 2000, Mr. Barr served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for GTE Corporation. Mr. Barr then served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Verizon from 2000 to 2008. At both GTE and Verizon, Mr. Barr led the legal, regulatory, and government affairs activities of the companies.
After retiring from Verizon in 2008, Mr. Barr advised major corporations on government enforcement matters, as well as regulatory litigation. Mr. Barr served as Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in 2009 and rejoined the firm in 2017.
President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Mr. Barr on December 7, 2018, and he was confirmed as the 85th Attorney General of the United States by the U.S. Senate on February 14, 2019. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts administered the oath of office. Mr. Barr joins John Crittenden (1841 and 1850-1853) as one of only two people in U.S. history to serve twice as Attorney General.
Former United States Attorney General
Jeff Sessions served as the 84th Attorney General of the United States from February 9, 2017 until November 7, 2018.
Prior to becoming Attorney General, Mr. Sessions served as a United States Senator for Alabama since 1996. As a United States Senator, he focused his energies on maintaining a strong military, upholding the rule of law, limiting the role of government, and providing tax relief to stimulate economic growth and to empower Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money.
Mr. Sessions was born in Selma, Alabama on December 24, 1946, and grew up in Hybart, the son of a country store owner. Growing up in the country, Sessions was instilled with certain core values – honesty, hard work, belief in God and parental respect – that define him today. In 1964, he became an Eagle Scout and thereafter received the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. After attending school in nearby Camden, Sessions attended Huntingdon College in Montgomery, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969. He received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Alabama in 1973. Sessions served in the United States Army Reserve from 1973 to 1986, ultimately attaining the rank of Captain. He still considers that period to be one of the most rewarding chapters of his life.
Sessions’ interest in the law led to a distinguished legal career, first as a practicing attorney in Russellville, Alabama, and then in Mobile. Following a two-year stint as Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama (1975-1977), Sessions was nominated by President Reagan in 1981 and confirmed by the Senate to serve as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama, a position he held for 12 years. Sessions was elected Alabama Attorney General in 1995, serving as the State’s chief legal officer until 1996, when he entered the United States Senate.
Sessions and his wife, Mary Blackshear Sessions, originally of Gadsden, Alabama, have three children, Mary Abigail Reinhardt, Ruth Sessions Walk, and Sam. They have seven granddaughters, Jane Ritchie, Alexa, Gracie, Sophia, Hannah, Joanna, and Phoebe, and three grandsons, Jim Beau, Lewis, and Nicholas.
Board Member, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Beth A. Williams is a Board Member of the United States Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, an agency whose mission is to ensure that the federal government's efforts to prevent terrorism are balanced with the need to protect privacy and civil liberties.
Prior to her Board service, Ms. Williams was the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Policy at the United States Department of Justice from August 2017 to December 2020. In that role, she served as the primary policy advisor to the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General, and as the Chief Regulatory Officer for the Department. Ms. Williams also led the judicial nomination process for the Department, assisting in the selection and confirmation of more than 230 Article III judges to the bench.
Prior to becoming Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Williams was a litigation and appellate partner at a national law firm, where her practice focused on complex commercial, securities, appellate, and First Amendment litigation. From 2005-2006, Ms. Williams served as Special Counsel to the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where she assisted with the confirmation of Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr. to the United States Supreme Court.
Ms. Williams clerked for the Hon. Richard C. Wesley on the United State Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She graduated from Harvard College magna cum laude, with a degree in History and Literature, and she earned her law degree from Harvard Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy.
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