Madeline O’Connor, an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of
New York (EDNY), has been named the recipient of the 2026 J. Michael Bradford
Memorial Award. The national honor recognizes exceptional performance by an
Assistant United States Attorney whose work on a significant investigation, prosecution
or series of prosecutions has made a substantial impact and merits special recognition.

The award commemorates J. Michael Bradford, who served as U.S. Attorney for the
Eastern District of Texas from 1994 to 2001. Each year, current U.S. Attorneys are
invited to nominate distinguished federal prosecutors whose work reflects the highest
standards of federal service. The award will be presented by the National Association of
Former United States Attorneys on October 16 during the annual conference in St.
Louis.

Madeline has served as an AUSA in the EDNY since 2015, including serving as Deputy
Chief of the Asset Forfeiture Section of the Criminal Division and Chief of the Financial
Litigation Program. She has prosecuted many of EDNY’s most complex and
challenging forfeiture cases, including cases involving forfeiture of property owned by a
sanctioned Russian oligarch; millions of dollars in assets seized and forfeited from the
operator of a pill mill; millions of dollars in properties stolen from an NFL quarterback
and others in a nationwide fencing operation; and forfeiture of millions of dollars
invested by NHL players and others in a complex Ponzi scheme. The nomination
submitted by EDNY includes details of her extraordinary efforts in legal proceedings
before a district court to strike the claims of nominee entities controlled by the fugitive
Russian oligarch, Andrii Derkach, a Russian intelligence officer. The successful
outcome was affirmed by the Second Circuit.

Madeline graduated magna cum laude from St. Joseph’s University and first in her class
from Touro University Law Center. While in law school, she was appointed to the Moot
Court Honors Board and served as Articles Editor for the Law Review. She clerked for
the Honorable Denis R. Hurley in the Eastern District of New York following law school
and practiced at the firm Meyer, Suozzi, English and Klein before joining the EDNY.

The 2026 honor places O’Connor among a distinguished group of federal prosecutors
recognized for consequential work and sustained commitment to justice.

The first panel of speakers on Friday morning, October 16, at the upcoming NAFUSA Conference in St. Louis, will feature a presentation on EOUSA and DOJ Updates, with Francey Hakes, Director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, and Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division.

Hakes was appointed EOUSA Director in July 2025 after more than a decade as a child protection and national security consultant and earlier service as a state and federal prosecutor, including as the first National Coordinator for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction. McDonald was sworn in as the first Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division in April 2026, following DOJ roles as an Associate Deputy Attorney General, an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of California, and a Special Attorney to the Attorney General in the District of Hawaii.

Hakes is expected to discuss developments affecting U.S. Attorneys’ Offices
nationwide, including EOUSA’s role in supporting district operations, training, policy
coordination, and communication with Justice Department leadership.

McDonald will highlight the Department’s newly created Fraud Division, which is
intended to strengthen the federal response to complex fraud involving taxpayer dollars,
government programs, health care, tax matters, trade and commerce, and corporate
misconduct.

At the upcoming conference in St. Louis, attendees will have the opportunity
to hear from a distinguished panel of corporate legal leaders in a timely
discussion titled “From the Courtroom to the Boardroom: Transitioning to
a Corporate Legal Role, Lessons Learned in the Public Sector and How
Outside Counsel Can Help.” Corporate general counsels will discuss the
role of corporate legal counsel and the path to in-house leadership.
The program on Friday morning will bring together general counsel with significant
experience across government, private practice, and enterprise leadership: Erin Nealy
Cox of Walmart; Chris Koster of Centene; and Tony West of Uber. Jeff Taylor of
ExxonMobil will moderate the conversation.

Panelists will discuss how their time in public service shaped their judgment, leadership
style, and approach to risk in the corporate legal environment. The conversation will
explore the skills that translate from the courtroom to the boardroom, the challenges of
moving into a senior in-house role, ethical considerations, and the ways outside counsel
can provide meaningful support to corporate legal departments.

With perspectives from some of the country’s most prominent companies, the panel
promises practical guidance for lawyers interested in corporate legal leadership,
government-to-private-sector transitions, and building stronger partnerships between in-
house teams and outside counsel. The panel promises to be an engaging session on
how public-sector experience can inform strategic legal leadership in today’s complex
business environment.

Stanley Woodward, Jr., current U. S. Associate Attorney General, is scheduled to speak at
the closing dinner for the 2026 NAFUSA Conference. The dinner will be held in the
conference hotel – the Ritz Carlton St. Louis, on Friday, October 16.

ASG Woodward, who served as senior counsel to President Trump from January 2025 to
November 2025, began his legal career as a law clerk in the D.C. Superior Court and Court
of Appeals after graduating from the Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in
2008.

He later joined Akin Gump Strauss Gauer & Feld as a civil litigator, leaving there in 2020 to
establish the Brand Woodward Law Firm. He was nominated by President Trump to be
Associate AG in April 2025 and confirmed by the Senate in October. He has served in that
position since November 2025.

Registration is now open for the 2026 NAFUSA Annual Conference, which will be held October 14-16, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri, at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Louis.

NAFUSA members, sponsors, and guests are encouraged to make plans now for three days of programming, networking, and fellowship in one of the country’s most historic cities. The conference will offer members and guests outstanding substantive sessions, collegial events, and opportunities to experience St. Louis.

Members should complete conference registration and secure hotel accommodations through the links provided in the NAFUSA newsletter, in the email announcing registration opening sent to members on July 30, or on the NAFUSA website.

NAFUSA thanks our conference sponsors, listed on the NAFUSA website, for their generous support.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR CONFERENCE

2026 NAFUSA PROGRAM

The 2026 NAFUSA annual conference will feature a panel on one of the most important
questions now facing trial lawyers: how artificial intelligence can and should be used in
preparing, presenting, and evaluating cases before juries. As courts, litigants, and
clients grapple with rapidly developing AI tools, this session offers a timely focus on
practical uses, professional responsibilities, and the enduring importance of human
judgment in the courtroom.

For conference attendees, largely experienced litigators, the central issue is not
whether AI will affect trial practice, but how lawyers should govern its use. The panel
will address questions of reliability, ethics, bias, disclosure, and courtroom persuasion.
It will also provide an opportunity to consider how AI may influence jury selection, trial preparation, opening statements, demonstratives, expert presentations, and post-
verdict analysis.

The panel, moderated by NAFUSA Board member Jill Steinberg, will feature Daniel
Koffmann, Bill Wenzel, Leo Yeykelis, and Byron Reeves, bringing together perspectives
from trial practice, jury research, behavioral science, and technology. The panel will
discuss the practical uses of AI from a trial lawyer’s perspective, including drafting and
pressure testing case strategies before trial. Their discussion will focus on how AI is
already being tested in litigation settings, including mock trials, juror simulations, theme
development and witness preparation. The panel will discuss AI as a trial preparation
tool, not a substitute for human analysis, and one which requires responsible use by
qualified lawyers mindful of professional obligations.

The panel speakers bring impressive backgrounds in law, research and technology
perspectives. Daniel Koffmann, a trial and appellate advocate whose practice includes
sensitive investigations and white-collar matters, brings the perspective of an
experienced courtroom lawyer confronting the strategic and evidentiary implications of
new technology. Dr. Bill Wenzel, Director of Research & Analytics at DRC Litigation
Strategies, adds a trial focused perspective on how lawyers can use emerging tools
while maintaining credibility with judges and juries.

Leo Yeykelis and Byron Reeves bring research and technology expertise relevant to
AI personas, simulated audiences, media effects, and human-computer interaction.
Their work highlights both the promise and the limits of using AI to model human
reactions, a distinction critical for trial lawyers. AI may be useful for generating
hypotheses, testing messages, and identifying weak spots, but it must be interpreted
with discipline and skepticism.

As AI tools become more accessible, the lawyers who use them best will likely be
those who understand both their power and their limits. NAFUSA is pleased to offer its
members and conference attendees a panel that promises to offer a practical,
balanced discussion of how AI can inform trial strategy.