Sandy Coats

Crowe & Dunlevy recently announced former United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Sanford C. Coats has joined the firm as a director in the Oklahoma City office. He serves as co-chair of the firm’s White Collar, Compliance & Investigations practice group and is a member of the Litigation & Trial practice group. He is also NAFUSA’s newest member.

“Sandy has an exceptional reputation as a talented, experienced prosecutor, and we are honored he has joined the firm,” said Kevin D. Gordon, president and CEO of the firm. “His experience during his time as U.S. Attorney for the Western District, including his background in white collar investigations, criminal and litigation work, is extraordinary and will help us provide comprehensive legal counsel to clients here in Oklahoma and across the globe.”

Nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the United States Senate in 2009, Coats was U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma for more than six years, stepping down on January 15, 2016.

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In 2002, NAFUSA Foundation President Mike McKay was appointed to serve on a committee to advise the Seattle Catholic archbishop how to deal with the child sex abuse allegations made against Catholic priests.  The committee reviewed the files and made recommendations on particular cases.  In 2003, it issued a report that included a series of recommendations which, if followed, would decrease the number of cases occurring in the future. The archbishop rejected the report and fired the committee.

A new archbishop arrived in 2010 and appears to now be implementing, however imperfectly, some of the committee’s recommendations.  This includes the release of names of 77 priests accused of child sex abuse. See Seattle Times, January 15, 2016.

But the release of names is not enough, McKay argues, so he and other prominent Catholics are pressing the church to release the underlying files so that church members and the general public will understand the serious nature of these sexual assaults, including where they occurred. See Seattle Times, January 30, 2016.

Last week, the Seattle Times editorial board weighed in to support McKay’s position: The Archdiocese of Seattle should open its secret files on priests accused of sexually abusing minors.

Former U.S. Attorney for Western Washington Mike McKay, left, and former King Co. Judge Terry Carroll, right, discuss their recommendations to the Seattle Archdiocese from 2004 about the Catholic priest abuse cases that went largely ignored, Tues., Jan. 19, 2016, in Seattle. (Ken Lambert/The Seattle Times)

NAFUSA member Jim Cissell, Southern District of Ohio 1978-1982, has published the 2016 edition of Federal Criminal Trials. As NAFUSA member Joe Whitley writes,

Jim Cissell has produced the premier go-to resource for defense counsel and prosecutors engaged in federal criminal litigation. I recommend Jim Cissell’s book as an indispensable resource to getting quickly to the heart of highly complex federal criminal litigation issues. It is a must-have for federal criminal practitioners.

Cissell is offering a discount on the new edition between now and the end of May. Click here to view the flyer for the new publication, including the discount offer. Federal Criminal Trials 2016.

NAFUSA member Frank Keating, the former governor of Oklahoma, has joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office. Gov. Keating was formerly the president and CEO of the American Bankers Association (ABA). He will focus on serving clients in the financial services industry.

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NAFUSA members Tom Heffelfinger, Paul Charlton, David Iglesias, Brendan Johnson and Tim Purdon, joined by former U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke, have filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in U.S. v. Bryant. In a brief authored by Robins Kaplan, the amici curiae identify themselves as former United States Attorneys with experience in the prosecution of violent crimes, including domestic violence offenses, in “Indian Country.” The issue in Bryant is whether uncounseled tribal court domestic violence convictions can be used as predicate offenses to support a federal “Habitual DV Offender ” charge under 18 U.S.C Sec. 177(a).

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As part of the ongoing discussion of criminal justice reform, the Aleph Institute is presenting the ASKS Summit 2016: Alternative Sentencing Key Stakeholder. It will be held March 7-8, 2016, at Georgetown Law School in Washington, DC. The Summit Chair, Hon. Charles Renfrew, US Deputy Attorney General (1980-1981); US District Judge, ND of California (1972-1980), has written NAFUSA and extended and invitation to all NAFUSA members to attend.

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Jim Cole

Jim Cole, former Deputy Attorney General of the United States, is NAFUSA’s newest member. Cole joined the Washington office of Sidley Austin LLP in March of 2015, where he joined fellow NAFUSA members David Barlow and Scott Lassar.  He  focuses his practice on the full range of federal enforcement and internal investigation matters, with a particular emphasis on cross-border and multi-jurisdictional matters. He has extensive experience overseeing sensitive and controversial matters, both within the government and while in private practice.

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Peter Vaira

NAFUSA member Peter Vaira (ED Pennsylvania 1978-1983) writes in the Philadelphia Inquirer on January 28, 2016, that the Pennsylvania Supreme Court must address several issues “that are crucial for the administration of the criminal justice system,” First, Vaira urges the court to appoint a special counsel to investigate the implications of ex parte communications sent by prosecutors to state judges arising from the “porngate” scandal.

Secondly, Vaira urges a review of the Pennsylvania grand jury statute, and suggests the need for amendments and changes.

See http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20160128_Long-delayed_issues_face_state_Supreme_Court.html#IHwDrdWdo2G6vEVI.03.

Jay Stephens

Kirkland & Ellis LLP announced on January 21, 2016, that NAFUSA member Jay B. Stephens has joined the Firm as Of Counsel in its Washington, D.C., office. Stephens will work in collaboration with attorneys across the Firm to support client engagements by counseling boards on corporate governance, transactional and enforcement matters, by providing advice to clients regarding complex internal investigations, compliance issues and regulatory enforcement strategies, and by contributing to the sound resolution of regulatory and litigation disputes. He will serve as a strategic asset to the Firm’s practice by supporting its global client engagements and the delivery of client services and solutions.

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