Margaret Currin

Diligence, LLC announces that lifetime NAFUSA member and former NAFUSA President Margaret Person Currin has become a founding member of its team.  

Diligence, LLC (www.DiligenceDone.net) is a national independent investigatory company specifically dedicated to assist public and private organizations in crisis to meet their obligations to their many constituents through transparent, thorough, timely, and professionally-conducted fact-finding investigations and reviews to restore public confidence in their operations in a prompt and discrete manner.   

Margaret served as United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina from 1988-1993.  Since that time, she has been active in her service to NAFUSA including having served several terms on its Board of Directors and all offices in the leadership chain, culminating with President in 2003-2004.

For 31 years, she was a legal educator and law school administrator at Campbell University School of Law.  Over the years, in addition to her teaching responsibilities, she served as Assistant Dean for External Relations; Associate Dean for Academic, Student, and Administrative Affairs; and founding Director of Campbell’s nationally-recognized Externship Program.  

Margaret has been a member of the North Carolina Rules Review Commission since 2011 and has served as chairman and first vice-chairman.  The Rules Review Commission is the executive agency created by the General Assembly that is charged with reviewing and approving rules adopted by state agencies. She serves on the North Carolina Bar Association’s BarCARES Board of Directors and on several North Carolina Bar Association councils. She was elected to the Wake County Bar Association/Tenth Judicial District Board of Directors in 2015.  Further, she has served on and chaired the Wake County Board of Elections, and served on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) Committee with the North Carolina State Board of Elections. She also gained significant experience as a Senatorial legislative director and counsel on Capitol Hill. 

In recognition of her exemplary service to the State of North Carolina and her community, in 2015 Margaret was awarded the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the most prestigious award conferred by the Governor of North Carolina. 

Margaret graduated with honors from Campbell University School of Law where she was a member of the Law Review Editorial Board.  She also engaged in graduate legal studies at the Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, D.C.  She received her undergraduate education at Meredith College, Raleigh, North Carolina.

Johnny Sutton

The University of Texas has retained NAFUSA member Johnny Sutton (WD Texas 2001 to 2009) to investigate “administrative and management issues” related to an alleged fraud and “provide recommendations for enhancement of systems, processes, and best practices, and corrective actions.”

According to The Texas Tribune,

Sutton’s hiring comes almost three weeks after Jason Shoumaker, a former director at the university’s law school, was arrested on six charges of tampering with government records — his university time sheets. But sources close to the matter say Shoumaker is at the center of an ongoing probe that could involve millions of dollars of questionable expenses.

“Sutton and his firm have the experience and skills in employee and management investigation to help identify systems and processes that need to be addressed,” said Gary Susswein, a university spokesperson, in a statement. “This review is vital to our effort to be good stewards of public dollars and improve internal controls.”

Sutton frequently prosecuted drug- and immigration-related cases while the U.S. attorney for Texas’ Western District, a more than 90,000 square mile swath with more than 650 miles of U.S.-Mexico border. He also oversaw the corruption case that brought down former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales, who pleaded guilty to mail and tax fraud in 2003.

Sutton’s work will take him back to the campus where he earned bachelor’s and law degrees — not to mention a starring role as a left fielder on the university’s baseball team during the 1983 College World Series, which UT-Austin won. His teammates there included future major leaguers Roger Clemens and Calvin Schiraldi.

Sutton is tasked with conducting a review of the internal processes that let the alleged fraud of Shoumaker, the former UT employee, go unchecked for at least a year. An affidavit filed in a Travis County court earlier this month alleges Shoumaker was clocking in for work at the law school while he was in fact on jaunts in Cozumel, the U.S. Virgin Islands and other tourist destinations where he had no work duties.

Sutton heads up the Austin office of the Ashcroft Law Firm.

Lee Bentley

Lee Bentley recently joined the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult & Cummings, LLP (“Bradley”), as a partner in the firm’s Tampa, Florida office.  Lee will be working with NAFUSA’s current membership chair and past president, Jack Selden, in Bradley’s Government Enforcement and Investigations practice group.

Lee served as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida for approximately four years.  His service as Interim, and then Acting, United States Attorney began in June 2013.  Subsequently, in June 2014, he was nominated for the position by President Obama, upon the recommendation of both Florida’s Democratic and Republican Senator.  Lee’s nomination was confirmed by a unanimous United States Senate on December 16, 2014.  He resigned as United States Attorney on March 10, 2017.

As United States Attorney, Lee oversaw approximately 125 attorneys, with offices in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville, Ft. Myers, and Ocala.  The Middle District of Florida is the second-most populous judicial district in the country, and covers 35 of Florida’s 67 counties.

Throughout Lee’s tenure, the Middle District of Florida consistently ranked in the top three in the nation in the number of criminal trials.  Among other things, Lee oversaw the successful prosecution of a publicly-traded Fortune 500 managed care company and five of its top executives for their role in reporting inflated expenditures in order to increase Medicaid reimbursements.  Moreover, Lee supervised the successful investigation and indictment of a sitting Congresswoman, as well as the investigation immediately following the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

One of Lee’s priorities as United States Attorney was to increase recoveries under the False Claims Act.  The Middle District of Florida often led the nation in the number of qui tam or whistleblower lawsuits filed, and during the last fiscal year of Lee’s tenure, the office collected over $800 million in False Claims Act settlements.  Among other things, the office reached what was then the largest settlement ever under the federal Stark Law and also reached a $350 million settlement with a durable medical equipment company.

Prior to becoming United States Attorney, Lee served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Middle District of Florida for approximately 13 years, which included stints as both the Criminal Chief and the First Assistant United States Attorney.  As an Assistant United States Attorney, Lee tried approximately 40 federal criminal trials to verdict.

Lee also previously served as an Attorney-Advisor in the Department’s Office of Legal Counsel and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of Florida (Miami).

In addition to federal service, Lee was a partner at the law firm of Hogan & Hartson (now Hogan Lovells), where he practiced in the firm’s Washington, DC office for over 10 years.  At that firm, Lee secured a summary judgment in a major contractual dispute with potential exposure to the client of over $250 million.  He also successful tried several civil cases, including a patent infringement case in which he secured a judgment of approximately $20 million.

Lee was a judicial clerk for Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., at the United States Supreme Court, and for Judge Clement F. Haynsworth, Jr., on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.  Prior to that, Lee graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was a notes editor on the Law review and Order of the Coif.  

At Bradley, Lee will be focused primarily on white collar criminal defense, the defense of False Claims Act cases, and internal investigations.  

John Wood, CLO and GC of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced on May 10, 2018, that NAFUSA life member John Wood has been named its chief legal officer and general counsel, beginning June 4.

Wood served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri (2007-2009). He also served as a counselor to the U.S. Attorney General and as a deputy associate attorney general at Main Justice. Wood has also served as the chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and as a deputy general counsel in the White House Office of Management and Budget under President George W. Bush. Wood clerked for former Fourth Circuit Judge J. Michael Luttig and for Justice Clarence Thomas on the U.S. Supreme Court.He also served as an aide to U.S. Senator John C. Danforth. He has been a partner at the Washington office of Hughes Hubbard the past nine years.

Wood graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1996, and was the articles chair of the Harvard Law Review. John is married to Julie Myers Wood, the C.E.O. of NAFUSA sponsor Guidepost Solutions.

On May 8, 2018, NAFUSA sponsor King & Spalding announced that former Acting Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates has returned to the firm as a partner on the Special Matters & Government Investigations team. Her global practice will be based primarily in Washington, DC and Atlanta. Yates joined NAFUSA in 2017.

Yates, a 27-year veteran of the Department of Justice, rose through the ranks of Assistant United States Attorneys to become U.S. Attorney in Atlanta, Deputy Attorney General, and Acting Attorney General. As Deputy AG from January 2015 through 2017, she served as the second-highest ranking official in the department and was responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of DOJ and its 113,000 employees. She oversaw all prosecutorial, litigation and national security components as well as all U.S. Attorneys’ offices and DOJ law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshals Service and the Bureau of Prisons. She is currently a Distinguished Lecturer at Georgetown University Law Center focused on public policy.

“Sally Yates is a lawyer’s lawyer,” said Robert D. Hays, Jr. chairman of King & Spalding. “Her return continues a longstanding K&S tradition of launching young lawyers into public service and welcoming them back into private practice. Adding Sally is a remarkable development for our firm and our clients.”

While Deputy Attorney General, Yates was responsible for overseeing the Department’s most significant matters and for crafting and implementing initiatives focused on many of DOJ’s strategic priorities, including corporate fraud, cybercrime, gang violence, civil rights and financial crime. Additionally, she led DOJ’s criminal justice reform initiatives during her tenure and implemented substantial prison reform measures.

Prior to assuming her duties as Deputy Attorney General, Yates served for five years as the first female U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. She immediately became a leader in the Department, serving as the vice chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee. An accomplished trial lawyer, she prosecuted a wide variety of complex cases, specializing in white collar matters. She tried numerous high-profile public corruption cases, including one against the former mayor of Atlanta, and was lead prosecutor in the case against Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph.

Yates said, “I’m excited to get back to practicing law with the firm where I started my career. Not only was K&S my first legal home, it has an unparalleled tradition of legal excellence, uncompromising ethics, and commitment to civic engagement and public service. I’m looking forward to building upon the firm’s independent investigations practice for public and private organizations and boards, and helping organizational leadership navigate complex and sensitive challenges. And I’m excited to be practicing with such an exceptional group of lawyers and staff who truly work as a team to do the very best legal work.”

Before entering government service, Yates worked as a King & Spalding civil litigation associate from 1986 to 1989. She earned her BA from the University of Georgia and her JD, magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law.

Yates joins NAFUSA board member John Richter at K&S and is the sixth former federal prosecutor to join firm’s Special Matters & Government Investigations team in the past year.

About King & Spalding
Celebrating more than 130 years of service, King & Spalding is an international law firm that represents a broad array of clients, including half of the Fortune Global 100, with 1,000 lawyers in 20 offices in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm has handled matters in over 160 countries on six continents and is consistently recognized for the results it obtains, uncompromising commitment to quality, and dedication to understanding the business and culture of its clients. More information is available at www.kslaw.com.

Ronald Machen Jr./Photo by Diego M. Radzinschi/THE NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL.

As reported today by The National Law Journal, NAFUSA board member Ronald Machen served as lead counsel for Panasonic Avionics to resolve alleged violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a negotiation that resulted Monday in settlements with the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission totaling $280 million. Panasonic Avionics, a supplier of in-flight entertainment and communications systems, agreed to pay a $137.4 million penalty as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department.

As reported by the NLG, the Justice Department penalty represented a 20 percent discount off the low end of the U.S. sentencing guideline range. Prosecutors said they gave Panasonic the reduction for its cooperation with the investigation and for the steps the company took to address the misconduct, such as replacing several senior executives who were involved in the misconduct.

The company separately agreed to pay $143 million in disgorgement to the SEC. According to the SEC settlement, the company created an “office of compliance and ethics” led by a new chief compliance officer.

The settlement terms also require Panasonic to retain an independent compliance monitor for at least two years and continue cooperating with the Justice Department.

Click here to read the full article from The National Law Journal

Machen served as the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia (2010-2015). He is currently a partner Wilmer Hale.

Patrick Fitzgerald (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune)

NAFUSA member Patrick Fitzgerald said in a statement released Tuesday evening that he is on the legal team representing former FBI Director James Comey. He said he joined the representation in May 2017.

Daniel Richman, a Columbia Law School professor, and NAFUSA member David Kelley, a former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York (2003-2005), are also on Comey’s legal team, according to a Comey associate.

David Kelley

Fitzgerald served as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois (2001-2012) and is now a partner in Chicago of the law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom. Kelley is a partner in the New York office of Dechert LLP.

Rudy Giuliani

NAFUSA lifetime member Rudy Giuliani announced on April 19, 2018, that he has joined President Trump’s legal team dealing with the ongoing special counsel probe. “I’m doing it because I hope we can negotiate an end to this for the good of the country and because I have high regard for the president and for Bob Mueller,” Giuliani said in an interview.

Giuliani became the U.S. Associate Attorney General in 1981-1983. He served as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in 1983-1989. He served two consecutive terms as the Mayor of the City of New York from 1994-2001.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck announced on April 2, that NAFUSA member Greg Brower joined the firm as a shareholder in the Litigation Department. Brower will split his time between the firm’s Nevada and Washington, D.C., offices and will focus on civil and criminal litigation; enforcement, regulatory, and investigative matters; cybersecurity; as well as government affairs at both the federal and state levels.

“Greg’s deep experience as both a first-chair litigator and as a public servant, both in Nevada and in Washington, D.C., will be an outstanding asset to our clients as well as to our colleagues throughout the firm,” said Ellen Schulhofer, the firm’s Las Vegas office managing partner and Executive Committee member. “From high stakes litigation to significant enforcement actions to complex policy matters, Greg’s broad experience as a trial and appellate advocate and as a policymaker and thought leader will contribute in a very significant way to our range of client services.”

Most recently, Greg was the assistant director for congressional affairs at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving as the FBI’s chief liaison to Congress on a wide range of critical oversight and investigative matters. He previously served as the FBI’s deputy general counsel, managing a diverse portfolio of legal matters, including litigation, privacy, procurement, compliance and ethics. During his time as a senior FBI executive, spanning two administrations, he worked closely with high-ranking officials in the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. intelligence community, and with key leaders on Capitol Hill.

Greg’s prior federal service also includes two years as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, and as general counsel and as inspector general at the U.S. Government Publishing Office. He also previously served in DOJ at Main Justice as legislative counsel in the Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys.

At the state level, Greg has served in a variety of public policy roles, including several terms in the Nevada Legislature, where he was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has also served on the Nevada Gaming Policy Committee, the Nevada Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice, the Nevada Sentencing Commission and the Nevada Juvenile Justice Commission.

Greg has also served the Nevada legal community as an adjunct professor of law at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he has taught courses in national security law and trial advocacy.

He is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and The George Washington University Law School. Before attending law school, Greg served in the U.S. Navy as a surface warfare officer