Category Archives: Member News

Stevens Chosen to Investigate California Prisons

 

 

The LA Daily Journal reported today that NAFUSA Secretary Chuck Stevens has been appointed by U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller of the Eastern District of of California to investigate allegations that the California state’s prisons department has been lying to the court about its compliance with court-mandated policies governing how it treats inmates seeking mental health services.

Stevens, who served as the United States Attorney for the ED of California (1993-1997), is the partner-in-charge of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s San Francisco office and co-chair of the firm’s white-collar defense and investigations practice. According to the Daily Journal, Stevens is “to look into claims made by the prisons department chief psychiatrist, Dr. Michael Golding. In October, Golding issued a whistleblower report that alleged prison officials had falsified data given to the court and the special master measuring the department’s compliance with court orders. Coleman v. Brown, 90-CV0520 (E.D.Cal., filed Apr. 23, 1990).”

Pocker Elected President of Nevada State Bar

NAFUSA member Richard Pocker has been elected president of the Nevada State Bar.  He was sworn in at the Bar’s annual convention in Chicago.  Pocker is the administrative partner for the Nevada office of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP.  His practice includes civil and criminal litigation, as well as employment law.  He was selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America from 2010 through 2019.

After his graduation from the University of Virginia Law School in 1980, Pocker served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps with the Seventh Infantry Division, followed by a six-year stint with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada.  Beginning as an assistant U.S. attorney in 1985, Pocker rose through the ranks to become first the chief assistant U.S. attorney, and ultimately the United States Attorney in 1989.

After departing the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Pocker entered private practice, where he was a partner in the Las Vegas law firm of Dickerson, Dickerson, Consul & Pocker from 1991 to 2005.  He joined Boies Schiller Flexner LLP in 2005.

In 1996, he returned briefly to government service, serving as chief counsel to the Select Subcommittee on the United States Role in the Iranian Arms Transfers to Croatia and Bosnia, leading a congressional investigation of national security intelligence and foreign policy issue on behalf of the International Relations Committee of the United States House of Representatives.  Nationally, he also served as chair of the Federal Litigation Section of the Federal Bar Association (2007 to 2010).

Back home in Nevada, he served on the Southern Nevada Disciplinary Board for the Nevada State Bar from 1993 to 2003, the last four years as the Board’s chair.  In 2006, he was honored as a patron of the Nevada Law Foundation, an organization dedicated to the provision of legal services to the indigent.  In May 2011 he was elected to the Nevada State Bar’s Board of Governors, and has served on that Board continuously since then, reelected to a fourth term in 2017.  In 2015 he was awarded the State Bar of Nevada’s Medal of Justice Award, for his service on the board of the Nevada Bar Foundation. 

Eileen Decker Named to LAPD Commission

 

On September 20, 2018, NAFUSA Life Member Eileen M. Decker was nominated by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti to serve as a Commissioner of the Los Angeles Police Department.  Under the Los Angeles City Charter, the Police Commission is the head of the LAPD, and sets policy and conducts oversight of the LAPD.  In nominating Ms. Decker, Mayor Garcetti said:  “She is one of America’s finest public safety professionals, and her forward-thinking approach will help us shape a future for the LAPD that is defined by stronger relationships with all of L.A.’s communities, better technology for officers in the field, and more resources for the men and women who put themselves on the line for us every day.”  She was unanimously confirmed by the Los Angeles City Council on October 24, 2018 and took the oath of office the same day.  On November 6, 2018, she was unanimously elected by her commission colleagues to serve as Vice President of the Commission. 

Decker served as the United States Attorney for the Central District of California (2015-2017) and previously as the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles (2009-2015). “Eileen is an exceptional leader and thinker — and her unyielding determination for justice will be a remarkable asset on the Police Commission,” said Mayor Garcetti. “She is one of America’s finest public safety professionals, and her forward-thinking approach will help us shape a future for the LAPD that is defined by stronger relationships with all of L.A.’s communities, better technology for officers in the field, and more resources for the men and women who put themselves on the line for us every day.”

Matt Whitaker Appointed Acting AG

President Trump today fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions and announced that he had appointed NAFUSA life member Matthew G. Whitaker as the Acting Attorney General. Whitaker has been serving as the chief of staff to Jeff Sessions since October, 2017. Whitaker assumes oversight of the Mueller investigation from DAG Rod Rosenstein. In August 17, 2017, Whitaker wrote an opinion column for CNN where he questioned the scope of the Mueller Russia inquiry. Mueller’s investigation of Trump is going too far (opinion) -CNN

Whitaker served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, 2004-2009 during the George W. Bush administration. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning Academic All-American honors in 1992. He was the tight end on the 1990 Big Ten Champion football team and played in the 1991 Rose Bowl game. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law.

Whitaker becomes the fifth former U.S. Attorney in a row to serve as the Attorney General, either as the presidentially-appointed person or in the acting capacity (Eric Holder, Loretta Lynch, Sally Yates, Jeff Sessions, and Matt Whitaker).

Terry Flynn Elected President of NAFUSA

At the NAFUSA conference last week in Nashville, Terry Flynn was elected president for 2018-2019. Terry is a former presidentially appointed United States Attorney for the Western District of New York (2006-2009). He is currently a partner at Harris Beach PLLC in Buffalo. He represents businesses across industries in both civil and criminal government investigations which include conducting internal corporate probes and independent monitorships. He has advised clients among the Fortune 50 and large privately held companies, including Walmart, Facebook, United Technologies, United/Continental Airlines and the Buffalo Sabres, on such matters as government compliance, commercial litigation, product liability or personal injury litigation. Terry’s representation of United Technologies resulted in Harris Beach being acknowledged among the Go-To Law Firms® for 2014 in Contracts Litigation as published in Corporate Counsel magazine. Additionally, Terry served as the federally appointed Monitor on a multi-year matter brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs over an international company with procurement compliance and regulatory issues.

Terry advises clients in complex legal crises involving criminal, civil, regulatory and related public relation matters. He has been engaged by leading companies in the financial, intellectual property, health care, retail, and energy sectors to conduct sensitive regulatory and criminal investigations on international, national and state levels. His knowledge of and relationship with federal, state and local law enforcement enables him to react quickly in order to respond to various crisis situations.  Terry has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America since 2018 and ranked by Chambers since 2017.

Prior to joining Harris Beach, Terry served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of New York. In that capacity, he was the chief civil lawyer and criminal prosecutor for the United States and all of its agencies in the 17 county region of the Western District of New York. He oversaw the management of two offices (Buffalo and Rochester) with more than 130 personnel, including 57 attorneys. Specifically, he was responsible for the overall civil affirmative enforcement, civil defense and criminal prosecution of approximately 4,200 cases, encompassing such areas as government compliance/independent monitor, health care fraud, international trade, white collar fraud, and numerous other civil and criminal matters. During his tenure, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York recovered on behalf of taxpayers over $124 million through both affirmative civil and criminal enforcement of fraud against the U.S. Government.

Wendy Olson Interviewed by Law360

NAFUSA member Wendy Olson (District of Idaho, 2010-2017) was interviewed by Law360 on October 29, 2018. She discussed her 20 years at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and cited United States v. Duncan as the most significant case she worked on–Idaho’s only federal capital case. She also discussed participating in consultations with tribal governments in Idaho and called them “some of the most rewarding meetings” she participated in as U.S. Attorney. Earlier in her DOJ career, she was a lawyer in the Civil Rights Division at Main Justice. She investigated and prosecuted hate crimes, police officer misconduct cases and human trafficking cases.

Click here to read the entire interview:

Wendy Olson Talks Twin Falls Tribes Private Practice – Law360

Electrum Partners Hires Former U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom as Senior Vice President

Electrum Partners, an advisory services firm specializing in medical and recreational cannabis and ancillary businesses, has hired former U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas Barry Grissom as its Senior Vice President of Global Policy and Corporate Counsel.

“I am honored to join such a highly respected and innovative company like Electrum Partners. Electrum has helped the nascent cannabis industry grow into a full fledged market force in a responsible and ethical manner, and I look forward to contributing to the further maturation of legal cannabis market,” said Mr. Grissom.

Mr. Grissom was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Kansas by President Barack Obama in 2010 and served as such until 2016. As U.S. Attorney, he assessed and resolved a wide array of civil and criminal cases, managed three offices and a large legal workforce of 49 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 53 support staff, while representing the Department of Justice in diverse communities across his district. Mr. Grissom’s law enforcement priorities included national security, violent crime, drug trafficking, financial fraud and crimes against children.

As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Grissom was selected by Attorney General Eric Holder to serve as one of 15 members on the Attorney’s General Advisory Committee (AGAC), which advises the Attorney General on matters of administration and policy. As a member of the AGAC, Mr. 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.

After leaving public service, Mr. Grissom joined the Polsinelli law firm as a shareholder where he was part of the firm’s white-collar defense and government investigations and compliance practices.

“We are elated to welcome Mr. Grissom to the Electrum Partners family and anticipate his extraordinary background and experience will help us take our business to the next level,” said Diane Katz, President of Electrum Partners.

Ralph J. Marra, Jr. joins Calcagni & Kanefsky

RALPH J. MARRA, JR. 
SENIOR COUNSEL
Ralph is Senior Counsel with Calcagni & Kanefsky.  A veteran trial lawyer who draws on his extensive government experience as a federal prosecutor and lead counsel for the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Ralph represents entities and individuals in sensitive, high-stakes matters.  He focuses on internal and government investigations, corporate compliance and governance, complex regulatory concerns, crisis management, white collar defense, and arbitration and mediation.
Appointed Acting United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Ralph was the state’s chief federal law enforcement officer in 2008 and 2009, directing the work of approximately 140 federal prosecutors and overseeing all criminal and civil matters involving the United States government.  As General Counsel to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, Ralph advised the Authority’s Commissioners and President on all aspects of the Authority’s business, which included oversight of the state’s two racetracks, implementation of sports betting, complex commercial contracting and litigation, and labor relations.
Through his public service and private practice, Ralph has wide-ranging experience in diverse industries, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and life sciences; racing and sports betting; financial services; consumer products; and environmental compliance and land use.

Stern Hired to Lead Review of Boston Seminaries

NAFUSA Past President Donald K. Stern (Massachusetts 1993-2001) has been hired by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley to lead an investigation of allegations of sexual misconduct in all three seminaries in the Archdiocese of Boston. O’Malley said the review he ordered in August of allegations of sexual misconduct at Saint John’s Seminary in Brighton would be broadened to include Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston and Redemptoris Mater Seminary in Brookline.

Stern is with Affiliated Monitors in Boston and is of counsel to Yurko, Salveston & Remz, P.C.