Mary F. Calvert for The New York Times

U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts has named Davis Polk litigation partner Neil MacBride to the Ad Hoc Committee to Review the Criminal Justice Act (CJA).  MacBride is the only private practice lawyer to serve on the Committee, alongside federal judges, federal defenders and law professors.

The 11-member Committee, chaired by Judge Kathleen Cardone, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, will review the impact of judicial involvement in the selection and compensation of federal public defenders and the independence of federal defender organizations; equal employment and diversity efforts in federal defender organizations; judicial involvement in the appointment, compensation, and management of panel attorneys, investigators, experts and other service providers; and the adequacy of compensation and quality of representation for legal services provided under the CJA.

The CJA was established in 1964 to establish a comprehensive system for appointing and compensating lawyers to represent defendants financially unable to retain counsel in federal criminal proceedings.

MacBride’s practice focuses on government enforcement actions, internal investigations, congressional investigations and complex civil litigation. Before joining Davis Polk, he served as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. MacBride currently serves on the NAFUSA board of directors.