NAFUSA Board Meets in St Pete Beach

The annual Spring NAFUSA board meeting was held in St. Pete Beach, Florida, on April 14, 2018. President Hal Hardin announced that the annual conference will be held at the Westin in Nashville on October 24-26, 2018, and will feature United States Senator Doug Jones as the keynote speaker on Friday evening. Doug is a NAFUSA member and stepped down as president-elect of NAFUSA to run for the Senate vacancy created when Jeff Sessions became the Attorney General. 

(Photo by Jeronimo Nisa/The Decatur Daily via AP)

Hardin stated that the conference planning committee is working on the program, which will begin with an opening evening reception at the offices of conference sponsor Butler Snow on Wednesday, October 24. The Thursday and Friday morning CLEs will include a panel on the opioid epidemic organized by NAFUSA member and former DEA Administrator Chuck Rosenberg. Other panels are being planned on the Supreme Court, international criminal investigations, and ethics. Thursday evening will feature class reunion dinners. Registration for the conference will open in July. 

Executive Director Rich Rossman reported that organization is financially sound, mainly thanks to the support of our sponsors. We would not be able to hold our annual conferences without our sponsors. The collection of dues is lagging, however. Deputy Director Lisa Rafferty stated that several members have failed to pay their dues by the February 28 deadline. Reminders have been sent.

The board discussed our ongoing tradition of requesting an American flag be flown over Main Justice in honor of a former United States Attorney who has died. The flag is then presented to the family as a token of the regard with which he or she was held by their colleagues. The board expressed its gratitude to EOUSA for its cooperation and noted the increasing cooperation of current U.S. Attorneys in reaching out to NAFUSA when they learn of the passing of one of their predecessors.

There was an extensive discussion of the mission of NAFUSA and when, if ever, it might be appropriate for NAFUSA to take public positions on issues. The mission statement (see About NAFUSA at nafusa.org) states NAFUSA was founded in 1979 “to promote, defend and further the integrity and the preservation of the litigating authority and the independence of the office of the United States Attorney.” In these complicated times, the board mused that we may be the last remaining bipartisan and nonpartisan organization still functioning in the country. The only time NAFUSA has taken a public position as an organization (at least in the memory of those present) dealt with the firing of U.S. Attorneys in the Bush ll Administration, which went to the heart of our mission statement. Since then the board established a super majority rule: the board will not approve a resolution taking a public position without a 75% vote of the voting members of the board. Requests have been made to the board regarding issues surrounding the Mueller investigation and related issues. No action was taken.

As for the newsletter and website, the consensus of the board was that an emphasis should remain with factual member news, with limits on opinion pieces. Our members, of course, are free to express their individual views. Our conferences will continue, however, to vent relevant policy topics, and we will continue to strike a balance and attempt to have all responsible viewpoints recognized.

Rich Rossman has expressed a desire for sometime in stepping down as executive director. The search committee reported that several prospects have been approached as to their interest. Unfortunately, the committee has been unable to identify a potential successor. Rich has agreed to continue for the short run while the search continues. The board expressed its appreciation by awarding both Rich and Lisa a bonus for their efforts. 

President Elect Terry Flynn announced the 2019 conference will be held in San Francisco at the Westin St. Francis. Vice President Paul Coggins announced he is leaning towards Dallas in 2020. On a final note, when we learned that President H.W. Bush’s brother had died and that Board Member Catherine Hanaway was leaving the board meeting to attend the funeral, President Hardin proposed a letter of condolence which was signed by all present and presented by Hanaway to the Bush family. Sadly, Barbara Bush died a few days later. 

As is our custom, NAFUSA board members paid their own travel and hotel expenses to St. Pete. A good time was had by all.

 

Giuliani Joins President’s Legal Team

Rudy Giuliani

NAFUSA lifetime member Rudy Giuliani announced on April 19, 2018, that he has joined President Trump’s legal team dealing with the ongoing special counsel probe. “I’m doing it because I hope we can negotiate an end to this for the good of the country and because I have high regard for the president and for Bob Mueller,” Giuliani said in an interview.

Giuliani became the U.S. Associate Attorney General in 1981-1983. He served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1983-1989. He served two consecutive terms as the Mayor of the City of New York from 1994-2001.

John Raley Dies

John W. Raley, Jr., who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Oklahoma (1990-1997), died on April 6, 2018. Raley was appointed by President H.W. Bush and reappointed by President Clinton, the only sitting U.S. Attorney to be reappointed at that time. Raley also served as an assistant U.S. Attorney from 1961-1969 and was mayor of Ponca City, Oklahoma (1980-1982), and a municipal judge (2000-2004). He was also a captain in the U.S. Naval Reserve. He was a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Law School. Raley is the author of “Beyond the Gate: My Journey as an Oklahoma Boy.”

A celebration of his life will be held on April 12 at 2 PM at the First Baptist Church in Ponca City, OK. As is our custom, NAFUSA has requested that an American flag be flown over Main Justice in John’s honor and it will be presented to his family as a token of the regard with which he was held by his colleagues.

 

 

Greg Brower Joins Brownstein

 

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck announced on April 2, that NAFUSA member Greg Brower joined the firm as a shareholder in the Litigation Department. Brower will split his time between the firm’s Nevada and Washington, D.C., offices and will focus on civil and criminal litigation; enforcement, regulatory, and investigative matters; cybersecurity; as well as government affairs at both the federal and state levels.

“Greg’s deep experience as both a first-chair litigator and as a public servant, both in Nevada and in Washington, D.C., will be an outstanding asset to our clients as well as to our colleagues throughout the firm,” said Ellen Schulhofer, the firm’s Las Vegas office managing partner and Executive Committee member. “From high stakes litigation to significant enforcement actions to complex policy matters, Greg’s broad experience as a trial and appellate advocate and as a policymaker and thought leader will contribute in a very significant way to our range of client services.”

Most recently, Greg was the assistant director for congressional affairs at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving as the FBI’s chief liaison to Congress on a wide range of critical oversight and investigative matters. He previously served as the FBI’s deputy general counsel, managing a diverse portfolio of legal matters, including litigation, privacy, procurement, compliance and ethics. During his time as a senior FBI executive, spanning two administrations, he worked closely with high-ranking officials in the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. intelligence community, and with key leaders on Capitol Hill.

Greg’s prior federal service also includes two years as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, and as general counsel and as inspector general at the U.S. Government Publishing Office. He also previously served in DOJ at Main Justice as legislative counsel in the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.

At the state level, Greg has served in a variety of public policy roles, including several terms in the Nevada Legislature, where he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has also served on the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee, the Nevada Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice, the Nevada Sentencing Commission and the Nevada Juvenile Justice Commission.

Greg has also served the Nevada legal community as an adjunct professor of law at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he has taught courses in national security law and trial advocacy.

He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and The George Washington University Law School. Before attending law school, Greg served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer

Sharon Zealey Joins Cox Enterprises

NAFUSA member Sharon Zealey recently joined Cox Enterprises, Inc. as the Vice President, Compliance.  Sharon is responsible for establishing and achieving corporate compliance operational objectives.  She will design and execute the Company’s compliance strategy and training.  Cox Enterprises, Inc. is a leading communications, media and automotive services company with revenues of $20 billion and 55,000 employees. Company divisions include Cox Communications, Cox Media Group, and Cox Automotive.

Sharon previously served as Lead Counsel for Carestream Dental LLC, a medical device company, where she established its global compliance program. Prior to that, she founded NextGen Compliance LLC in Atlanta and was a business consultant on compliance issues and risk assessment.

Sharon was the Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer for The Coca-Cola Company for seven years.   During her tenure, the company was recognized nationally for its user-friendly hotline, effective global compliance network and corporate integrity.

Sharon served as the former United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, 1997-2001.

Carol Lam Elected to Stanford Board of Trustees

Four new members have been elected to the Stanford Board of Trustees and will begin their posts this April, including NAFUSA member Carol Lam J.D. ’85, senior vice president and deputy general counsel of semiconductor and telecommunications company Qualcomm, Inc.

Carol Lam (Courtesy of Stanford News)

Lam became the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California after serving San Diego as a Superior Court judge. She worked on cases concerning health care and white collar crime and was instrumental in winning a bribery case against former Congressman Randy Cunningham that linked illegal payoffs to the awarding of arms contracts. Lam served on the board of The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California.

 

 

 

 

Peg Lautenschlager Dies

Former United States Attorney Peg Lautenschlager died from cancer early Saturday, March 31, 2018, at her home in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She served as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin from 1993-2001, including service on the AGAC. She also served as the Attorney General of Wisconsin (2003-2007), and as a state representative and as a local district attorney. She is a 1980 graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Peg is survived by her husband, Bill Rippl and her five children and step-children. A memorial service will be held in Fond du Lac on April 15, 2018. Click here to view the obituary. As is our custom, NAFUSA has requested that an American flag be flown over Main Justice in Peg’s honor and it will be presented to her family as a token of the regard with which Peg was held by her colleagues.

Vega Named Chair of Litigation Department at Seltzer Caplan

NAFUSA Past President Greg Vega has been named the Chair of the Litigation Department at Seltzer Caplan McMahon Vitek in San Diego. He replaces the retiring Jerry McMahon. “Honored to try to fill the shoes of the finest litigator in San Diego, Jerry McMahon. I’ll do my best to honor his great legacy,” Vega said.

Vega served as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California (1999-2001). He began his career as a trial attorney for the Office of Chief General Counsel, Internal Revenue Office in Chicago. He also served as an AUSA in the Northern District of Indiana. In 1987 he joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego. He joined Seltzer Caplan in 2001 where his practice focuses on business litigation, white color criminal defense and advising corporate clients in regulated industries.

Paul Fishman Joins Arnold & Porter

Arnold & Porter announced on March 19, 2018, that NAFUSA Board Member Paul J. Fishman, the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey from 2009 to 2017, has joined the firm as a partner. Mr. Fishman will lead Arnold & Porter’s Crisis Management and Strategic Response team and his practice will include internal investigations, compliance counseling, white collar defense, complex civil litigation, and appellate advocacy. He will be resident in the New York office and Newark, New Jersey.

During much of his service as United States Attorney, Fishman was a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee (AGAC) and also served as its Chair.

Firm Chair Richard M. Alexander said, “Paul is a tireless and talented advocate who will bring strategic vision to the most challenging problems facing our clients. They will greatly benefit from his excellent judgment and deep practical experience managing complex matters. He is an outstanding addition to our firm and we are privileged to welcome him back to private practice after his distinguished career in public service.”

“I am proud to join Arnold & Porter, a firm with a deep commitment to client service and a rich tradition of pro bono representation and civic engagement,” said Fishman. “The firm’s lawyers are an extraordinary group of dedicated, talented, and experienced professionals and I look forward to joining their team.”

In addition to his career in public service, Mr. Fishman was in private practice for 12 years where he handled a broad array of white collar and civil litigation matters, representing institutions and individuals and serving as a corporate monitor. In both government service and private practice, he gained wide-ranging experience across a number of diverse industries such as financial services; healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences; consumer products; manufacturing; transportation; energy; and defense and government contracting. He also has extensive experience as a trial lawyer and appellate advocate.

After graduating from law school, he clerked for the Honorable Edward R. Becker of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. He was an Assistant United States Attorney from 1983 to 1994; during that time, he served as Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division, Chief of Narcotics, Chief of the Criminal Division, and First Assistant United States Attorney. From 1994 to 1997, he was a senior adviser to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

Fishman was appointed by the ABA President to the American Bar Association’s Diversity and Inclusion 360 Commission, and served as Co-chair of the Law and Justice Transition Advisory Committee for New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. In addition, he was recently elected to the American Law Institute. He earned his JD from Harvard Law School, where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Law Review, and received his BA from Princeton University, graduating magna cum laude. Mr. Fishman holds an honorary law degree from Seton Hall University where he is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow.