Partners Jamie Gorelick and David Ogden were recognized by Ethisphere Inc., an organization that promotes business ethics and compliance, as 2017 Attorneys Who Matter.
In an article announcing this year's list, Ethisphere said: “Increasingly, we live in a society where attorneys are right in the thick of the action happening in every arena. The goal of the Attorneys Who Matter list is to elevate those who are, in our judgment, making the greatest impact on ethics and compliance using the skills of their profession.”
Gorelick and Ogden each served as Deputy Attorney General, the second-highest position in the Department of Justice, during the Clinton and Obama Administrations, respectively.
Gorelick, who chairs the firm's Regulatory and Government Affairs Department, has a lengthy and distinguished record of leadership on ethics issues. She was president of the District of Columbia Bar from 1992 to 1993, and she co-chaired the American Bar Association's Commission on Legal Ethics 20/20. She authored a leading legal text on the maintenance and destruction of evidence, and has counseled numerous corporate and government clients on their legal obligations under federal and state ethics laws and rules.
“It is gratifying to be recognized for my work to help clients and the legal profession comply with ethics requirements,” Gorelick said. “Ethics statutes and guidelines ultimately exist to preserve the rule of law and protect our citizens. That is why I have been so focused on these issues my entire career.”
As chair of WilmerHale's Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice and one of the nation's top litigators, Ogden has advocated for False Claims Act reform aimed at increasing corporate compliance with the law. He delivered a highly regarded speech on such reform at the Global Ethics Summit in 2015, co-hosted by Ethisphere and Thompson Reuters.
Ogden, along with fellow Partner Ronald Machen, was selected by the Justice Department to serve as compliance monitor for Tenet Healthcare Systems. The monitorship was part of a non-prosecution agreement and settlement the company reached with the Justice Department after a corporate officer was indicted in a kickback scandal.
“I'm honored to be on the list” Ogden said. “With the fast pace of change in the global regulatory environment, compliance is more challenging than ever for companies. The work we do for clients in this area is increasingly needed and important and it's good to see it spotlighted.”
Also on this year's list are former WilmerHale Partner and ex-FBI Director Robert Mueller, former US Attorney General Eric Holder, and former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates.