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Government Experience

K&L Gates lawyers and policy professionals bring substantial government experience to help clients navigate complex legal, regulatory, enforcement, and public policy issues. Our team includes individuals who have served in federal, state, and local government, including the White House, Congress, executive branch departments, regulatory agencies, enforcement bodies, and state offices. This firsthand understanding of government institutions, legislative processes, agency operations, investigations, and regulatory decision-making informs the counsel we provide to clients across industries. Whether clients are responding to government inquiries, assessing policy developments, engaging with regulators, or managing legal risks shaped by public-sector action, we offer practical guidance grounded in experience across both government and private practice.

The following list highlights our lawyers and policy professionals who have held positions across government agencies, departments, legislative bodies, and state and local offices, reflecting the breadth of public-sector experience our clients can draw upon when facing matters shaped by government action.

Executive Office of the President | The White House
  • Sanjeev Bhasker  —  Office of the National Cyber Director, Acting General Counsel 
  • Amy Carnevale — Office of National Drug Control Policy, Confidential Assistant to the Director
  • Varu Chilakamarri — Office of the White House Counsel, Attorney-Advisor
  • Tara P. Ganapathy — Office of Management and Budget, General Counsel’s Office, Senior Counsel
  • Varun M. Jain — Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Assistant General Counsel
  • W. Dennis Stephens — Office of Presidential Personnel, White House Aide
  • Joseph B. Trahern — Office of Political Affairs, Special Assistant to the President for Political Affairs 
  • Andrew M. Wright — Office of the White House Counsel, Associate Counsel to the President and Assistant Counsel to the Vice President
Central Intelligence Agency
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
  • Darlene S. Davis — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health Insurance Specialist
  • Tara P. Ganapathy — Office of General Counsel, Senior Counsel
  • Gabriel T. Scott — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Health Insurance Specialist (value-based care and Stark Law)
  • Darrell E. White, II — National Institutes of Health, Senior Attorney
Department of Homeland Security
  • Arim J. Kim — US Customs and Border Protection, Office of Trade, Regulations and Rulings Directorate, Attorney-Advisor
  • James A. Sartucci — US Coast Guard, Officer
Department of the Interior
Department of Justice
  • G. Norman Acker lll —  US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Acting US Attorney, Civil Chief, Assistant US Attorney
  • Allen R. Bachman — Antitrust Division, Economic Analyst
  • Sanjeev Bhasker  —  US Digital Currency, Counsel; Western District of North Carolina and Southern District of Texas, Assistant US Attorney
  • Varu Chilakamarri — Civil Division, Deputy Assistant Attorney General; Environment and Natural Resources Division, Chief of Staff; Acting Deputy Associate Attorney General; Appellate and Trial Attorney
  • Travis N. Gery — US Attorney’s Office, Southern District of West Virginia, Assistant US Attorney
  • Brian Graham — US Immigration & Naturalization Service, Assistant District Counsel
  • Paul F. Hancock — Civil Rights Division, Acting Deputy Attorney General, Section Chief, Trial Attorney
  • Michael Culhane Harper — Criminal Division, Prosecutor in the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Unit
  • Barry J. Hart — Tax Division, Trial Attorney
  • Barry M. Hartman — Environment and Natural Resources Division, Acting Assistant Attorney General; Deputy Assistant to the Attorney General 
  • Clifford C. Histed — US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, Securities and Commodities Fraud Section and Financial Crimes and Special Prosecutions Section, Deputy Chief
  • Nathan A. Huff — US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Assistant US Attorney
  • Donald A. Kaplan — Antitrust Division, Chief of Energy Section, Special Litigation Counsel
  • Steven M. Kowal — Antitrust Division, Senior Trial Attorney
  • Aidan D. McCarthy — Antitrust Division, Trial Attorney
  • Christopher L. Nasson — US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, Securities Fraud Section, Assistant US Attorney
  • David J. Raphael — US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Special Assistant US Attorney
  • Mark A. Rush — US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Pennsylvania, Assistant US Attorney
  • Thomas C. Ryan — US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia, Assistant US Attorney
  • David C. Rybicki — Criminal Division, Counselor to the Attorney General, Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General
  • Robert S. Silverblatt — Tax Division, Trial Attorney
Department of Labor
  • Amy L. Groff — Wage and Hour Division, Investigator
  • Craig E. Leen — Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, Director
Department of State
  • Guillermo S. Christensen —  Diplomat; US Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Science and Technology Counselor
  • Marissa N. Cloutier — Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, Chief of the Compliance and Civil Enforcement Division
  • Michael Culhane Harper — Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs in Panama, Advisor
Department of Transportation
  • Finch Fulton — Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy
  • Michael S. Heard Snow — US Committee on the Marine Transportation System, Senior Advisor to the Executive Director; Maritime Administration, Deepwater Ports Office, Senior Policy Advisor
  • Varun M. Jain — Office of General Counsel, Deputy General Counsel
  • Cliff L. Rothenstein — Federal Highway Administration, Director of Legislative Affairs and Policy Communications
Environmental Protection Agency
  • Cliff L. Rothenstein — Deputy Assistant Administrator; Office of Underground Storage Tanks, Director
  • Endre M. Szalay — Region 10, Assistant Regional Counsel; Region 10, Senior Water Enforcement Attorney
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • Dr. Michelle Barro — Lead Economist
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
  • Timothy J. Furdyna — Office of the General Counsel, Energy Projects Division; Office of the General Counsel, Rehearings Division
General Services Administration
  • David H. Ehrenwerth — Mid-Atlantic, Regional Administrator; Public Building Service, Associate Commissioner
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Labor Relations Board
Securities and Exchange Commission
US International Trade Commission
  • Linda C. Odom —  Office of Unfair Import Investigations, Investigative Attorney
  • George C. Summerfield —  Office of Unfair Import Investigations, Staff Attorney  
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
  • Leonard Bickwit — General Counsel
  • Tison A. Campbell — Office of the General Counsel, Assistant General Counsel and Designated Agency Ethics Official; Office of the Chief Information Officer, Services Development and Operations Division, Acting Director; Office of Commission Appellate Adjudication, Acting Deputy Office Director
  • Julie G. Ezell — Office of the General Counsel, Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Reactor Programs; Office of Commissioner Annie Caputo, Legal Counsel
  • Christine A. Jochim — Office of the General Counsel, Attorney-Advisor
US House of Representatives
  • Scott Aliferis — Office of Congressman Fred Upton (Michigan), Legislative Director
  • John L. Boos — House Committee on Armed Services and Select Committee on Intelligence to Investigate the Activities of the US Intelligence Community, Counsel; Office of a Member of Congress, Counsel and Legislative Assistant
  • Amy Carnevale — Office of Congressman George Nethercutt (Washington), Chief of Staff and Legislative Director
  • Darrell L. Conner — House Committee on Merchant Marine and Fisheries, Legislative Assistant
  • Daniel F. C. Crowley — House Oversight Committee and Office of Speaker Newt Gingrich, General Counsel; House Committee on House Administration, Minority Counsel
  • Michael F. Doyle — Congressman for Pennsylvania's 18th Congressional District
  • Lauren M. Flynn — Office of Congressman Greg Walden (Oregon), Legislative Assistant and Legislative Correspondent
  • Finch Fulton — Office of Congressman Jim McCrery (Louisiana), Legislative Correspondent; Office of Congressman John Fleming (Louisiana), Legislative Correspondent
  • Tara P. Ganapathy — House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, Investigative Counsel
  • J. Hayden Haynes — Office of Speaker Mike Johnson (Louisiana), Chief of Staff
  • William A. Kirk — Subcommittee on Oversight, House Ways and Means Committee, Staff Director; Office of Congressman John Conyers (Michigan), Advisor
  • Stavroula E. Lambrakopoulos — Office of Congressman James J. Florio (New Jersey), Legislative Director; Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Competitiveness, Staff Member
  • Matthew H. Leggett — House Agriculture Committee, Legislative Assistant; Office of Congressman Tim Murphy (Pennsylvania), Legislative Counsel
  • Tim L. Peckinpaugh — House Science Committee, Professional Staff Aide; House Republican Study Committee, Research Associate; Office of Congressman Sid Morrison (Washington), Legislative Assistant
  • Emanuel L. Rouvelas — Foreign Commerce Subcommittee and Merchant Marine Subcommittee, Chief Counsel
  • Mark Ruge — Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, Deputy Staff Director; Office of Congressman Bob Davis (Michigan), Chief of Staff
  • David J. Skillman — Office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer (Oregon), Deputy Chief of Staff and Counsel
  • Joseph B. Trahern — Office of Congressman Bob Matsui and Office of Congresswoman Doris Matsui (California), Chief of Staff
  • Andrew M. Wright — Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Staff Director
US Senate
  • Leonard Bickwit — Office of Senator John Glenn (Ohio), Legislative Director
  • Michael W. Evans — Senate Finance Committee, Chief Counsel and Deputy Staff Director
  • Finch Fulton — Office of Senator Jeff Sessions (Alabama), Legislative Aide, Defense
  • Scott J. Gelbman — Office of Senator Chuck Schumer (New York), Legislative Aide
  • Alexis T. Gutierrez — Subcommittee on Maritime and Fisheries, Senate Commerce Committee, Fellow
  • Emily K. Lavery — Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure, Staff Director; Office of Senator Tim Scott (South Carolina), Senior Policy Advisor
  • Matthew H. Leggett — Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Minority Chief Counsel; Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Majority Chief Counsel; Office of Senator Jesse Helms (North Carolina), Legislative Correspondent
  • Marne Marotta — Office of Senator John Barrasso (Wyoming), Staff Member; Office of Senator Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire), Staff Member; Office of Senator Scott Brown (Massachusetts), Staff Member
  • Minu Nagashunmugam — Office of Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (Nevada), Legislative Aide, Banking, Housing, and Cannabis
  • Scott C. Nelson — Office of Senator Byron Dorgan (North Dakota), Deputy Chief of Staff
  • Maureen O'Dea Brill — Office of Senator Bob Casey (Pennsylvania), Legislative Aide, Environment and Energy
  • Laurie B. Purpuro — Office of Senator Spencer Abraham (Michigan), Deputy Chief of Staff
  • Cliff L. Rothenstein — Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Professional Staff Member 
  • David C. Rybicki — Senate Judiciary Committee, Chief Counsel
  • James A. Sartucci — Office of Senator Trent Lott (Mississippi), Legislative Director; Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, Staff Member
  • John M. Sylvester — Senate Judiciary Committee, Staff Assistant
  • Joseph B. Trahern — Office of Senator Tom Daschle (South Dakota), Leadership Staff Director for Communications; Office of Senator Richard Durbin (Illinois), Leadership Staff Member; Office of Senator Byron Dorgan (North Dakota), Director of Special Projects
  • Kari L. Vander Stoep — Office of Senator Slade Gorton (Washington), Legislative Assistant
  • Jake Bernstein — Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Assistant Attorney General
  • Limo T. Cherian — Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Assistant Attorney General
  • David H. Ehrenwerth — Pennsylvania Department of Justice, Assistant Attorney General; Pennsylvania Crime Commission, Assistant Counsel
  • Maria C. Faconti — Public Utility Commission of Texas, Attorney
  • Travis N. Gery — Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs, Commissioner; Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Deputy Attorney General; Pennsylvania Senate Consumer and Professional Licensure Committee, Executive Director and Counsel
  • Kate Goodrich — Office of the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, Deputy General Counsel, Policy Advisor
  • Paul F. Hancock — State of Florida, Deputy Attorney General
  • Barry M. Hartman — Office of Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburgh, Deputy General Counsel; Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Chief Counsel
  • Clifford C. Histed — Illinois Attorney General’s Office, Financial Crime Unit, Assistant Attorney General
  • Stavroula E. Lambrakopoulos — New Jersey Governor’s Office, Director of Washington Office
  • Craig E. Leen — City of Coral Gables, Florida, City Attorney and General Counsel; Miami-Dade County Attorney’s Office, Chief of the Federal Litigation Section and Chief of the Appeals Section as Assistant County Attorney 
  • Austin D. McCarty — Texas Legislature, Representatives John Raney, Marisa Márquez, and Fred Brown, Legislative Director
  • Scott C. Nelson —  Office of Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, Economic Policy Advisor
  • Stephen L. Palmer — Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee, General Counsel
  • Mark D. Pomfret — Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Special Assistant District Attorney
  • David J. Raphael — Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Chief Counsel; Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Environmental Crimes Section, Deputy Attorney General; Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board Rules Committee, Member; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Special Assistant Counsel and Assistant Counsel 
  • Ellery R. Richardson —  Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Senior Counsel; Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance, Assistant General Counsel
  • Mark A. Rush — Pennsylvania House and Senate Republican Caucus, Counsel
  • Thomas C. Ryan — Pennsylvania State Senate Special Committee, Special Counsel 
  • R. Timothy Weston — Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources, Assistant Attorney General, Associate Deputy Secretary
  • Mark H. Wittow — State of Alaska, Special Assistant Attorney General
  • Timothy A. Worthington — Delaware Department of Justice, Deputy Attorney General, Fraud Division
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