Lawyer Overview

Rachel Brand is a counsel in the Regulatory and Government Affairs and Litigation/Controversy Departments, and a member of the Defense, National Security and Government Contracts and Government and Regulatory Litigation Practice Groups. She joined the firm in 2008.

Practice

Ms. Brand's practice focuses on strategic public policy counseling, crisis management, congressional investigations and regulatory litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Brand was Assistant Attorney General for Legal Policy at the US Department of Justice. As Assistant Attorney General, she served as the chief policy advisor to the Attorney General and managed the development of policy and regulatory initiatives on a wide range of civil and criminal justice issues such as terrorism and national security, immigration reform, tort reform, identity theft, and drug enforcement, including the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act. In particular, she served as a leading expert on the USA PATRIOT Act. She frequently represented the Department before Congress and in the press. She also managed the Justice Department’s role in the selection and confirmation of federal judges at all levels and was responsible for preparing Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito for their confirmation hearings. Prior to being confirmed by the Senate as Assistant Attorney General, Ms. Brand served as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legal Policy, focusing on terrorism and national security issues.

From 2001 to 2002, she served as Associate Counsel to the President at the White House, where she counseled White House staff on a wide range of legal and constitutional issues, negotiated interagency disputes, and participated in selecting federal judges. Prior to her government service, she practiced law with Cooper, Carvin & Rosenthal PLLC.

Professional Activities

She is a frequent speaker on topics relating to her experience at the Justice Department, most notably the Supreme Court and the selection and confirmation of Supreme Court justices, national security issues, and immigration reform.

Ms. Brand serves on the Board of Advisors for the University of Minnesota Institute for Law and Politics. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the Federalist Society's international and national security law practice group.

Honors and Awards

• Recognized as one of Washington’s “Top 40 Lawyers Under 40” by the Washingtonian magazine, 2007
• Recipient of the Department of Justice Edmund J. Randolph Award, 2007
• Recipient of the Attorney General’s Award for Excellence in Furthering the Interests of United States National Security, 2004

Areas of Practice

• Regulatory and Government Affairs
• Defense, National Security and Government Contracts
• Litigation/Controversy
• Government and Regulatory Litigation
• Public Policy and Strategy
• Anti-Money Laundering

West Practice Categories

Defense Contracts, Federal Contracts, Government Contracts

Bar Admissions

• District of Columbia
• New York

Education

• Harvard Law School, 1998
  JD
  Honors: cum laude
• University of Minnesota-Morris, 1995
  BA, Political Science
  Honors: with High Distinction and Honors

Published Works

• Securities Mosaic: FinCEN Issues Proposed Rule and Guidance on the Confidentiality of Suspicious Activity Reports, 2009, 2009
• Making It a Federal Case: An Inside View of the Pressures to Federalize Crime, 2008
• Executive Order Requires Federal Contractors to Verify Worker Eligibility, 2008

Address

1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006

Phones

+1 202 663 6326 (Business Phone)

Faxes

+1 202 663 6363 (Business Fax)

Emails

Contact Us (Business Email)

Websites

www.wilmerhale.com