Legal Crisis Strategies : Crisis Communications Lawyer & Attorney : McDermott Will & Emery Law Firm : Risk Mitigation, Mass Litigation

Lanny J. Davis is founder of Lanny J. Davis & Associates LLC. Lanny counsels individuals, corporations and government contractors, and those under congressional scrutiny, on crisis management and legal issues by developing legal, media and legislative strategies that are designed to best produce a successful result for the client. He has experience in securities fraud and SEC investigations as well, and has found that utilizing such an integrated legal/media/lobbying approach can lead to quicker and less expensive settlements or even successfully litigated outcomes. Senior officials of public companies have also hired Lanny and his crisis group to defend themselves successfully against "short and distort" attacks and other market manipulations. For 25 years prior to 1996, before his tenure as special counsel to President Clinton, Lanny was a commercial, antitrust, government contracts and False Claims Act litigator (both in defense as well as plaintiff). He has argued numerous appellate cases in the U.S. courts of appeals. Contact: ldavis@lannyjdavis.com  / +1 202 756 8211

Eileen M. O’Connor is counsel in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Firm’s Washington, D.C. office. Eileen specializes in high profile cases for companies and individuals, helping in the handling of securities and accounting fraud cases, contract disputes, product liability, internal investigations, congressional investigations and international commercial litigation. She is a 24-year veteran journalist with experience working for ABC News and CNN in London, Moscow, Tokyo and Washington, D.C. After serving as CNN bureau chief in Moscow, Eileen was a White House correspondent and national correspondent covering the Clinton administration, and most notably, investigations into campaign finance, Monica Lewinsky and the Marc Rich pardon. Eileen left CNN at the end of 2001 to pursue a law degree and help start the Legal Crisis Communications practice at a Washington, D.C. law firm. She has also served as the president of the International Center for Journalists, a nonprofit organization dedicated to training journalists to build a free and independent press in emerging democracies and to improve the quality of journalism worldwide. Contact: emoconnor@mwe.com / +1 202 756 8222

Stephen M. Ryan is head of the Government Strategies Practice Group in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP and is based in the Washington, D.C., office. Steve has experience in all branches of the U.S. government, having served as General Counsel to the U.S. Senate Committee on Government Affairs (GAC) led by the Honorable John Glenn, as Deputy Counsel of the President’s Commission on Organized Crime during the administration of President Ronald W. Reagan, and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, D.C. He is unique among registered lobbyists because, in addition to addressing the combined legal, political and press-related challenges facing companies in highly regulated industries, he also tries cases for his clients, including successful arguments before numerous district courts and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America as among the top political and government-relations lawyers in the United States. Contact: sryan@mwe.com / +1 202 756 8333

William F. Weld is a former two-term governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, where he is credited for having improved the business climate by reducing taxes and regulations on businesses. While in office, he served as national co-chair of the Privatization Council and led business and trade missions throughout Asia, Europe and Latin America. Prior to his election as governor, he was a federal prosecutor for seven years, serving as the Assistant U.S. Attorney General in charge of the Criminal Division of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., and as the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts during the administration of President Ronald W. Reagan. He is currently a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and serves by appointment as a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.

Bobby R. Burchfield has regularly been named one of the top trial lawyers in the nation and in the District of Columbia by leading industry and legal journals, including Chambers USA, Legal Times, Best Lawyers in America, LawDragon and Who’s Who Legal: USA. Bobby has argued cases on behalf of major corporations, political parties and individual clients before courts at every level across the country, including the U.S. Supreme Court, four different U.S. Courts of Appeals, the D.C. Court of Appeals and several state appellate courts. He has also served as lead counsel in numerous major arbitrations and was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the Antitrust Modernization Commission.

Margaret H. Warner has represented clients in all aspects of the insurance markets, gaining international prominence as an industry advisor. She has been recognized as a leading insurance lawyer in Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, The Best Lawyers of America and as one of the 25 Women to Watch by Business Insurance (2008). Peg has served as lead counsel in federal and state trial and appellate courts in 25 states. She has tried numerous cases to juries, judges and arbitration panels. In addition, she has served as national coordinating counsel to clients, coordinating company-wide positions, providing strategic guidance and trying high-exposure cases. Her practice encompasses commercial, environmental, mass tort and product liability litigation.

Cecilia R. Showalter focuses her practice on high-profile cases involving law, media and policy issues. She helps clients handle litigation and regulatory matters, as well as congressional investigations and government and media relations. Prior to entering the practice of law, she worked as a staff writer for Fast Company Magazine in Boston. While in law school, she served as the associate special events editor for The American University Law Review and as a board member of the Hispanic Law Students Association.