DAN FRENCH STEPS DOWN AS SYRACUSE U GENERAL COUNSEL

NAFUSA member Dan French will be stepping down in June as Syracuse University’s senior vice president and general counsel after ten years tenure with the university. He will be returning to the full-time private practice of law, rejoining Barclay Damon, working out of the firm’s New York City and Syracuse offices.

French served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York from 1999 to 2001 after being nominated by President Clinton. Prior to that he served in that office as an Assistant United States Attorney for two years. He had previously clerked for a federal district judge and in various positions in the U.S. Senate, including as executive assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

In a statement announcing his departure, French said, “Serving my alma mater as its general counsel for nearly a decade has truly been one of the highest honors of my career. Even though I will miss it, I very much look forward to the next chapter…” French earned his law degree from the Syracuse University College of Law and a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College at Oswego.

RECORD ATTENDANCE AT NAFUSA’S 2023 ANNUAL CONFERENCE

The setting of the conference hotel for NAFUSA’s 2023 Annual Conference could not have been more beautiful. The Half Moon Bay, California Ritz Carlton is perched on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean with breath-taking views and brisk ocean breezes. Despite a soggy start to the opening day, the weather cleared up in time for the Opening Reception on Wednesday night and happily remained clear and bright for the rest of the conference. The rain, with a little hail, from the earlier part of the day did not dampen the spirits of the 230 plus attendees.

Deputy Director Lisa Rafferty, Executive Director Wendy Goggin, President Chuck Stevens and his wife Ann.

Guidepost Director Susanne Bratter

Again this year, Guidepost Solutions hosted the Opening Reception. Many thanks to Guidepost and to our other generous sponsors for making this year’s conference a great success! Like the hotel views, the reception was amazing. Newly appointed U.S. Attorney Ismail Ramsey welcomed NAFUSA to the Northern District of California in his first official public appearance since being sworn in. He did a great job! Conference attendees greeted old friends and met new ones at the three well-stocked bars and feasted at serving stations featuring an abundant assortment of delicious California food. Many of the conference invited speakers and guests joined the attendees at the reception, so NAFUSA members were able to meet and greet, among others, officials from the Department of Justice.

The Opening Reception was an outstanding prelude to the next two days of the conference. Outgoing President Chuck Stevens welcomed conference attendees to Half Moon Bay on Thursday morning and announced that the 239 registered attendance for this year’s conference was the greatest number ever. The program was filled with outstanding speakers, including on the first day a panel of experts providing guidance on representing corporate clients before the DOJ on compliance issues, and a panel comprised of newer NAFUSA members discussing common issues they and their  predecessors faced, and how they built upon the successes of prior administrations.

NAFUSA was honored to welcome DEA Administrator Anne Milgram as our last speaker of the morning. Her remarks were focused around the incredibly frightening increase in the proliferation of fentanyl and the number of deaths associated with it. She brought slides illustrating how fentanyl has been disguised as other “safe” medications and how cartels and gangs have been behind the dramatic rise in addiction to the drug. As one member stated, she scared the pants off of us!

Thursday concluded with the wildly popular “class dinners,” with members from the various administrations represented at the conference heading off to enjoy the night life and restaurants of tiny Half Moon Bay. While nightlife in HMB might be subdued, the reminiscing of hilarious memories and rekindling of old friendships were, as usual, a highlight of the conference.

The Conference Program continued Friday morning with a report by AGAC Chair and USA SDNY, Damian Williams, and EOUSA Principal Director Norman Wong on current trends, challenges, and outlook for the DOJ. Following that, Kannon Shanmugam, a partner at Paul/Weiss gave a Supreme Court Review which was informative, up-to-the minute and (yes!) entertaining. More than one attendee commented on how much they enjoyed and learned from his presentation.

Past NAFUSA president and author in his own rite, Paul Coggins, interviewed another NAFUSA member/author, Kent Alexander, on his successful book: The Suspect: An Olympic Bombing, the FBI, the Media, and Richard Jewell, the Man in the Middle. It was a fascinating picture both about how the FBI came to go down the wrong path in its investigation of the bombing and also how the author researched and co-wrote this book.

Following the presentation of the J. Michael Bradford award by NAFUSA Secretary Catherine Hanaway and NAFUSA Foundation President Ed Dowd, to this year’s winner, Amanda Strachan, AUSA in the Distict of Massachusetts, there was a General Membership Meeting and Election of new Officers and Directors.

NAFUSA Vice President Donna Bucella and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco

Certainly, a highlight of this year’s conference was the Cocktail Reception and Dinner on Friday night featuring keynote speaker Lisa Monaco, U.S. Deputy Attorney General (DAG). The ballroom was packed with conference attendees who witnessed the passing of the torch from outgoing NAFUSA president Chuck Stevens to new President John Richter. President-elect Donna Bucella interviewed the DAG ala “fireside chat,” eliciting information about the DAG’s remarkable career rising through the ranks in the
DOJ, memories of her time working with former AG Janet Reno, and some highlights of her time as the current DAG. It was a great ending to a successful conference!

HALF MOON BAY CONFERENCE BEGINS MARCH 29

CONFERENCE PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PROGRAM

NAFUSA is excited to announce that United States Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Lisa Monaco has confirmed her appearance as keynote speaker for the Friday night conference dinner in Half Moon Bay.

She will be joining us for cocktails and dinner that evening so that she will have an opportunity to meet and talk to as many conference attendees as possible. Ms. Monaco is the 39th DAG and is the second-highest ranking official in the Department. She is a veteran of the DOJ and has served as a federal prosecutor and in several leadership positions across the Department. We are honored to welcome her to our conference and look forward to hearing her remarks on Friday evening.

This year the conference will host two high level Department of Justice speakers. In addition to the DAG on Friday evening, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram will be our luncheon keynote speaker on Thursday, March 30. Ms. Milgram was sworn in as DEA Administrator on June 28, 2021, after being confirmed by the United States Senate by unanimous consent. As Administrator she leads an agency of more than 10,000 who work in 239 offices across the United States and 92 foreign offices.

On Friday morning, NAFUSA member and celebrated author Kent Alexander will be interviewed by past NAFUSA president and author Paul Coggins about Alexander’s book “The Suspect,” the book on which the 2019 Clint Eastwood movie “Richard Jewell” was based. Although we will miss having author Lis Wiehl on our program because of an unanticipated conflict, we are fortunate that our membership hosts two such talented attorneys/authors who are willing to share their writing experiences with us.

Our full conference program will also include a panel on corporate compliance issues. NAFUSA board member Greg Brower will moderate an expert panel, including Fortune 500 Chief Compliance Officers and a DOJ official, who will discuss recent developments in corporate compliance generally and, specifically, how the DOJ evaluates corporate compliance programs and how outside counsel can best advise corporate clients on how to meet DOJ expectations.

ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Please note NAFUSA is unable to refund registration fees for any cancellations as of  March 21, 2023 since the hotel has required payment in full.

There are currently over 200 people registered for this year’s conference! The NAFUSA block rate at the hotel has now expired.  If you are looking to book a room you can check availability at the Ritz Carlton (the conference hotel).  The Ritz has recommended the Half Moon Bay Lodge which is 1.3 miles away from the Ritz as an alternative.

There are a few open spaces for golf on Wednesday morning. Arrangements to play on the hotel course at other times can be made directly through the hotel. The hotel also features several restaurants and bars, beautiful walking trails – which we are advised go all the way to Oregon – as well as bicycles for rent, and, of course, amazing Pacific Ocean views for relaxing and enjoying.

When registering for the conference be sure to include a good email address. CLE materials, the list of conference attendees and other information will be provided electronically this year. Be sure to print any you wish to have in hard copy. A link to this year’s conference program will available on the NAFUSA website later this month and hard copies of the program will be available at the conference. Name tags for registered attendees will be available outside of the opening reception hosted by Guidepost Solutions on Wednesday evening, March 29 at 6:00.

The conference will conclude Friday night, March 31, following cocktails, a seated dinner and a keynote address by the DAG. For those wanting a nightcap or an additional chance to visit, there will be a Hospitality Suite open from 9-11.

We look forward to seeing you in Half Moon Bay!

REGISTER NOW

 

Passing of NAFUSA member Donald A. Davis

 

NAFUSA member Donald A. Davis passed away on February 5, 2023. He was 74. Don was appointed by Chief U.S. Judge Paul L. Maloney to serve as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan in October of 2008 and served in that capacity until July 2012.

Don, a graduate of Western Michigan University and the University of Michigan Law School, spent his entire legal career in Grand Rapids, first serving as law clerk for then Chief U.S. District Judge Noel Fox and then as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorneys Office there. He served as Criminal Chief, First Assistant and Sr. Litigation Counsel before being appointed as the U.S. Attorney. He was a past president of the West Michigan chapter of the Federal Bar Association and chair of the Hillman Trial Advocacy Program. Don was a former Marine and an avid runner who encouraged others to take noon runs. He has been described by a former U.S.Attorney as “a  talented and dedicated attorney with a long history of faithful service to the Western District of Michigan.”

He is survived by his wife, Linda and two children, Erin and Trevor and four granddaughters.

2023 Rossman Sustaining Members

Beginning in January 2023, the NAFUSA Board of Directors has created a new level of
membership – Rossman Sustaining Members – named in honor of former longtime Executive Director Rich Rossman. The $500 annual membership fee will help NAFUSA to continue its tradition of providing excellent service to its members at low cost and to support the NAFUSA Foundation. Each year, the names of the Rossman Sustaining Members will be listed on our website. Our thanks to the following NAFUSA members who are the first Sustaining Members of 2023: Tim Purdon, Kenneth Magidson, Melinda Haag, Brendan Johnson, Thomas O’Brien, Mike McKay, John Walsh, Carole Rendon, Edward Dowd, Jack Selden, John Richter and Edward Tarver. Please consider joining them!

NAFUSA Member named Special Counsel in Biden Documents Case

On January 12, 2023, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed NAFUSA member Robert K. Hur, a partner in the Washington D.C. office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, to lead an investigation into the handling of classified documents by President Biden. The appointment as Special Counsel followed information revealed by the White House that documents from Mr. Biden’s time as Vice President in the Obama Administration were found in two locations.

Mr. Hur, a former federal prosecutor and senior Justice Department official, was the United States Attorney in Maryland under the Trump administration from 2018 to 2021. He graduated from Stanford and Harvard and clerked for then Chief Justice William J. Rehnquist, following law school. His experience in the Department of Justice includes working as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General under Rod Rosenstein, the Deputy Attorney General under Donald Trump, and before that as special assistant
to Christopher Wray who was then leading the DOJ’s Criminal Division.

In remarks delivered on the appointment of Robert Hur as Special Counsel, Attorney General Merrick praised Mr. Hur’s long and distinguished career as a prosecutor. He expressed confidence in Mr. Hur’s ability to carry out his responsibility “in an even-handed and urgent manner” and promised to ensure that he receives all the resources he needs to conduct his work.

Registration for the 2023 Annual Conference is now open

This year’s conference will be held March 29-31 at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, California, approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco. The conference will open on Wednesday evening, March 29th with a Welcome Reception, generously sponsored again this year by Guidepost Solutions.

As described in the January NAFUSA Newsletter, we are in the process of confirming appearances by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, and several other DOJ officials. The program will include many interesting and timely presentations including a panel of experts on the history of domestic terrorism, reports from EOUSA and the AGAC on current issues within the DOJ, and a discussion of recent cases of note by Supreme Court expert Kannon Shanmugam. New York
Times Best Selling author and legal analyst Lis Wiehl will talk about her recent book with former NAFUSA president Paul Coggins. Other speakers include Chief Compliance Officers and Ethics Officers from major corporations, as well as an attorney from the DOJ Fraud Section’s Corporate Enforcement, Compliance and Policy Unit, to discuss emerging trends in corporate compliance.

To register for the conference: Please click on the link below. When registering please remember to include a current email where you wish to receive conference materials including CLE materials and attendee information. Conference materials will be sent electronically.

To register for the hotel: Click on the link below to reserve a room at the block rate reserved for NAFUSA conference attendees at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, the conference site. Members who plan to attend should strongly consider registering and booking early to assure a room.

Unfortunately all golf spots are now reserved.  If you would like to be added to the waitlist please contact Lisa Rafferty (lisarafferty27@gmail.com). Golf will be available starting at 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday the 29th at the Ritz Carlton Ocean Course and is limited to 28 players. To reserve your spot see the conference registration link.

Please watch the NAFUSA Newsletters and website for more information about the Half Moon Bay Conference.

For assistance, contact Lisa Rafferty, Deputy Director at lisarafferty27@gmail.com or 810.813.4867.

2023 NAFUSA Conference Registration to Open Mid-January

The 2023 NAFUSA Conference

Planning for the 2023 NAFUSA Conference is well underway. This year’s conference will be held at the Ritz Carlton in beautiful Half Moon Bay, California, approximately 25 miles south of San Francisco, on March 29-31. Conference registration for members and guests will open around mid-January. The conference will begin, as has been the tradition, with an opening cocktail and dinner reception on Wednesday night, generously sponsored again this year by Guidepost Solutions.

As a preview to some of the planned presentations on the 2023 Conference program, we are in the process of confirming appearances by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram, and several other DOJ officials. The program will include many interesting and timely presentations including a panel of experts on the history of domestic terrorism, reports from EOUSA and the AGAC on current issues within the DOJ, and a discussion of recent cases of note by Supreme Court expert Kannon Shanmugam. New York Times Best Selling author and legal analyst Lis Wiehl will talk about her recent book. Other speakers include Chief Compliance Officers and Ethics Officers from major corporations, as well as an attorney from the DOJ Fraud Section’s Corporate Enforcement, Compliance and Policy Unit, to discuss emerging trends in corporate compliance.

Administrative and Registration details

NAFUSA members should receive an email in mid-January with more detailed 2023 conference information. There will be a link to registration materials for the conference and information about booking hotel rooms, including an option for booking a room at a block rate reserved for NAFUSA conference attendees at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay, the conference site. Members who plan to attend should strongly consider registering and booking early to assure a room. Members are also reminded to include in their registration a current email where they wish to receive conference materials including CLE materials and attendee information. Conference materials will be sent electronically. Because of sharply increased conference costs and NAFUSA’s continued commitment to providing top quality programs and amenities at desirable locations, for the first time since the organization was established in the 1970’s the conference fee for members will increase to $575. However, the rate for senior members (over age 70 and no longer practicing law) will remain at $400 and the rate for spouses will remain at $300. Please watch your email for more information about the Half Moon Bay Conference.

New NAFUSA Sustaining Membership Level

NAFUSA’s mission is to promote, defend and further the integrity of the Offices of United States Attorneys. The organization has, since 1979, lived up to its mission, in part, by providing a forum through its annual conferences for continuing education and fostering professional relationships and the exchange of information. Even more, NAFUSA has been providing the opportunity to socialize and network with fellow members at its conferences in great locations and at a reasonable price. To help
continue with this tradition, and to give NAFUSA members the opportunity to reaffirm their support of the organization, the Board of Directors has created a new level of  membership beginning in 2023 – Sustaining Member. The new membership level, which consists of an annual fee of $500 in addition to membership dues, will be named after former Executive Director Rich Rossman. Please consider becoming a Sustaining Member when you register for the 2023 NAFUSA Conference in Half Moon Bay or when you make your 2023 dues payment.