K&L Gates Boosts Public Policy and Investigation and Enforcement Practices in Washington, D.C., with Former Obama, Clinton White House Counsel Addition

Washington, D.C. - The Washington, D.C., office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Andrew M. Wright as a partner in the public policy and law practice. Wright’s addition builds on the firm’s substantial existing capability to handle congressional oversight and investigations matters, executive branch compliance, and government enforcement actions at a time of increased activity in these areas.

Wright previously served as White House counsel to United States President Barack Obama and Vice President Al Gore, and as majority staff director for the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs of the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Most recently, Wright was a senior fellow at New York University School of Law. He also taught constitutional law, criminal law, criminal procedure, presidential powers, and federal criminal law at Savannah Law School.

As counsel, Wright represented and advised two White Houses on a variety of legal matters, with an emphasis on litigation, congressional oversight, investigations, compliance, and national security. He was also the legal liaison to the departments of Defense, Justice (DOJ), and State; Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); Office of the Director of National Intelligence; and U.S. Agency for International Development on government investigations, congressional oversight, and Freedom of Information Act matters for the Obama Administration. Additionally, Wright has experience working on numerous presidential and congressional election campaigns.

On the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, he led oversight investigations of national security and foreign affairs, designed subcommittee hearings, and managed staff under former committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) and subcommittee chairman John Tierney (D-MA).

“Oversight in this Congress is on the upswing and Andy’s deep experience in government investigations, including his time handling such matters for two prior administrations, will strengthens our ability to advise clients facing parallel congressional and criminal investigations,” said Barry Hartman, a Washington, D.C., partner in K&L Gates’ investigations, enforcement, and white collar practice and former acting assistant attorney general at DOJ.

In addition to his time in public service, Wright is a trainer for the Carl Levin Center at Wayne State University, educating lawyers, business leaders, legislators, and public servants on public and private oversight, having led a course for current House and Senate oversight staff earlier this year. He is also the founding editor of the online national security forum Just Security, featured regularly in leading political and business news outlets, and he has previous private practice experience as a litigator and white collar criminal defense lawyer.

Bruce J. Heiman, a partner in K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office and a leader of the firm’s policy and regulatory practice area commented: “Andy enables us to expand our oversight, investigations, and enforcement capabilities at a time of increased government scrutiny. Congressional investigations are high-risk and high-profile. Andy understands how to manage these situations. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team.”

K&L Gates’ public policy and law practice has more than 50 bipartisan lawyers and policy professionals with 500 years of combined experience in federal and state government. Practitioners have included a former attorney general and governor; a former U.S. attorney; former members of Congress; the former general counsel of the CIA; and various White House officials, congressional counsels, senior executive branch officials, congressional chiefs of staff, leadership staff, senior counsel at various government agencies, senior gubernatorial aides, military officials, and others.

Teaming with lawyers and professionals in the firm’s investigations, enforcement, and white collar practice, the firm collectively has hundreds of years of congressional investigations experience on both sides of the witness table, including former DOJ lawyers and former assistant U.S. attorneys. K&L Gates lawyers provide clients comprehensive advice and counsel when facing the unique challenges associated with parallel political and law enforcement investigations, and have assisted in numerous investigations involving every major committee and subcommittee across nearly every industry segment. For more information, please listen to K&L Gates’ Congressional Investigations 101 podcast.