Eileen O’Connor

Effective May 1, 2016, NAFUSA member Eileen O’Connor moved her practice from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, to her own office, Law Office of Eileen J. O’Connor, PLLC. Solely, or in collaboration or consultation with other attorneys,  O’Connor advises on, and represents clients in connection with, civil and criminal federal tax disputes, from administrative investigations through trial and appellate proceedings. She formulates and advises on regulatory and legislative solutions to disputes with government agencies. In addition to designing winning trial strategies and appellate arguments, she has presented oral arguments in the United States Supreme Court and in United States Courts of Appeals, and has testified at numerous committee hearings in United States Senate and House of Representatives on issues relating to tax administration and enforcement.

In addition to her recent move, with co-counsel, she filed amicus briefs supporting challenges to HHS’s imposition of its contraceptive mandate on religious employers.  Those briefs include an amicus brief in support of the petition, and then on the merits, in the case of the Little Sisters of the Poor, and in support of a petition for rehearing en banc in the 11^th Circuit in the case of EWTN v. Burwell.  In his response to a question during rebuttal at oral argument in the Little Sisters case, Paul Clement cited her brief.

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Booth Goodwin

NAFUSA’s newest member, Booth Goodwin, former United States Attorney in the Southern District of West Virginia, has returned to private practice at the law firm of Goodwin & Goodwin, LLP in Charleston, West Virginia. Goodwin’s work as United States Attorney was featured and praised by The New York Times, 60 Minutes and other national and state media for his successful prosecutions in public and corporate corruption cases, most particularly for holding individual corporate officers accountable for criminal activity. Goodwin is most known for his office’s investigation into the 2010 Upper Big Branch (UBB) mine disaster. The UBB investigation resulted in the conviction of five individuals and a $220 million agreement with the successor to Massey Energy Company which owned the UBB mine at the time of the disaster. One of the individuals, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship, was convicted in December 2015 after a two-month trial of conspiring to willfully violate mine safety laws. Blankenship is currently serving a federal prison sentence.

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Brad Pigott

On May 17, 2016, NAFUSA member Brad Pigott penned a guest column for The Clarion-Ledger Pigott: US needs criminal justice reform, in which he describes how a bipartisan group of legislators in Mississippi led the enactment of a task force recommendations aimed at refocusing resources to towards the more serious crimes. Pigott, along with several other NAFUSA members, is part of the 130 current and former law enforcement officials from around the country who have formed Law Enforcement Leaders to Reduce Crime and Incarceration.

Pigott opines,

We think it’s possible to reduce crime and incarceration at the same time. Through both experience and data, we know that reducing unnecessary arrests, prosecutions and incarceration can reduce recidivism and strengthen relationships with the communities we protect. Furthermore, we must use the limited resources available in the most efficient and effective way possible, proving to our communities we value the funding they provide to us.

Pigott served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi 1994-2001.

General Motors Co. announced on April 27, 2016, that it has appointed NAFUSA life member Jeffrey A. Taylor as Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, effective immediately. He will report to Craig Glidden, executive vice president and general counsel.

In his new role, Taylor will have overall responsibility for GM’s ethics and compliance program, and he will support GM’s business operations and leadership team in driving business success through an organizational culture committed to integrity, ethical conduct, workplace and vehicle safety and compliance with the law and company policies.

He will also oversee strategy, communications and training concerning GM’s code of conduct ‘Winning with Integrity’, which governs the ethical and legal obligations of GM’s Board, executives, and more than 75,000 employees around the world.

As Chief Compliance Officer, Jeff will lead a global team of attorneys and compliance professionals responsible for assessing and mitigating risk, devising and implementing compliance training and assessment, assuring the effectiveness of the compliance program, and conducting and overseeing internal and external investigations.

“Jeff is a highly accomplished attorney who has managed extremely complex legal issues,” said Glidden. “His appointment reflects GM’s commitment to the highest levels of global ethics and the strict compliance with the law and internal policies.”

Prior to joining GM in November last year as Deputy General Counsel for Federal Oversight, Taylor was vice president and general counsel of Tewksbury, Mass.-based Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. Before that, he led a team of more than 300 professionals as chief executive of Ernst & Young’s Fraud Investigation and Dispute Services practice in the Americas.

He served as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2006 to 2009. He also served as Counselor to Attorney Generals John D. Ashcroft and Alberto R. Gonzales, and he began his career with the United States Department of Justice in 1995 as an Assistant United States Attorney.

Taylor earned his juris doctor degree from Harvard Law School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Stanford University.

Michael Battle

Barnes &Thornburg LLP announced on April 5, 2016, that NAFUSA member Michael A. Battle has joined the firm’s Washington, D.C., office as a partner in the Litigation Department, where he will join another NAFUSA member, Roscoe Howard (DC 2001-2004).

Battle has held several distinguished public service posts, including serving as director of the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys. Previously, Battle was one of the first three federal defenders in the Western District of New York, where he was eventually appointed U.S. Attorney, serving from 2002-2005. He also spent six years as a judge on the Erie County (New York) Family Court bench, during which he decided hundreds of family law cases. Most recently at Schlam Stone & Dolan LLP, Battle’s practice is concentrated on commercial and civil litigation, white collar criminal issues, and appeals.

“Michael’s vast public service experience not only reflects his deep understanding of a variety of legal issues and intergovernmental agency processes, but his strong character as well,” said Karen McGee, managing partner of Barnes & Thornburg’s Washington, D.C., office. “He brings tremendous skill and clout to the already robust and talented group of white collar practitioners we have in our D.C. office. Adding Michael was just another step forward in our continued expansion of the office and we are excited to be growing through hiring and adding such high quality candidates.”

As U.S. Attorney, Battle sat on the Attorney General’s Subcommittee on Civil Rights, U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and White Collar Fraud, and helped create a U.S. task force to prosecute fraud in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Following his career in public service, Battle has counseled clients on cases involving the Foreign Corruption Practices Act, health care fraud, the False Claims Act, and Disadvantaged Business regulatory violations, among others.

Battle earned his J.D. from SUNY Buffalo Law School, and his B.A. from Ithaca College, where he currently sits on the board of trustees.

With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 13 offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Delaware, Indiana, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com.

Polsinelli announced on April 15, 2016, that Barry Grissom, who stepped down earlier in the month as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas, will join Polsinelli’s national White Collar Defense and Government Investigations and Compliance – Civil and Criminal Practice. Grissom will be a shareholder in its Kansas City headquarters office. Grissom is among NAFUSA’s newest members. He joins Bill Killian (ED Tennessee 2010-2015), another NAFUSA member, at Polsinelli.

“Polsinelli’s reputation for excellence, combined with its entrepreneurial spirit, clearly drew me to the firm,” said Grissom. “I’m particularly excited by Polsinelli’s national footprint, which will enable me to deploy my skillset nationwide.”

Grissom was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas by President Barack Obama in 2010. Grissom was selected by Attorney General Eric Holder to serve on the Attorney’s General Advisory Committee (AGAC).  As a member of the AGAC, Grissom contributed to efforts to reform the federal criminal justice system through his Smart on Crime initiative. He also served on several sub-committees, including Financial Fraud, Health Care Fraud Prevention & Enforcement Team, Terrorism & National Security (Cyber), Native American Issues and Civil Rights.

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On April 20, 2016, Davis Wright Tremaine LLP announced that NAFUSA life member John McKay, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, has joined the firm in Seattle as chair of the firm’s government investigations and crisis management group.

McKay was appointed U.S. Attorney by President George W. Bush in 2001 and served in that position until 2007. He previously spent many years in private practice, representing local and national companies in complex commercial litigation.

As U.S. Attorney, McKay played a vital role in the fight against terrorism. He helped lead the investigation and prosecution of James Ujaama, who pled guilty to assisting the Taliban and later cooperated in terror investigations. He also spearheaded sentencing of Ahmed Ressam, who sought to bomb Los Angeles International Airport.

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