Jones Day Adds Pair of Former Justice Department Lawyers and Former FAA Lawyer in Washington

Jones Day has announced that Sarah Levine and Karl Remón Thompson, both former senior officials at the United States Department of Justice, and Dean Griffith, formerly of the Federal Aviation Administration, have joined the global law firm in Washington.

Sarah Levine

Ms. Levine is joining Jones Day as a partner in the Firm's Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement Practice and its Issues & Appeals Practice. She arrives at Jones Day from the U.S. Department of Justice, where she was Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Federal Programs Branch, Civil Division. In this role she led more than one hundred trial attorneys representing the United States in national priority litigation and oversaw litigation defending challenges to the constitutionality of federal statutes and regulations. She provided counsel on litigation, settlement, and policy to Cabinet Secretaries, White House Counsel, Attorney General, and other senior leadership within the Department of Justice.

Prior to that experience, Ms. Levine was Special Assistant to the President and Associate White House Counsel, advising White House officials including heads of The National Economic Council and The Council of Economic Advisers, on financial and economic legal policy.

Ms. Levine's earlier experience includes work at the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission, where as Senior Advisor and Counsel to the Chairman, she advised on investigations, litigation and enforcement, including matters relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, mortgage fraud, and insider trading.

After law school, Ms. Levine served as a clerk for the Justice David H. Souter of the United States Supreme Court, and for Chief Judge Harry T. Edwards of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

"Sarah brings very broad insights from her years at the Department of Justice," said Kevyn Orr, Partner-in-Charge of Jones Day's Washington Office. "In particular, her financial services regulatory experience will complement the strong capabilities of our Securities Litigation & SEC Enforcement Practice across the U.S. and internationally. We are very happy she's joining Jones Day and we look forward to her contributions."

Karl Remón Thompson

Mr. Thompson is joining Jones Day as a partner in the Issues & Appeals Practice. He previously served nearly three years as the head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel ("OLC"), first as Acting Assistant Attorney General and then as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General. In that role, his primary responsibility was to provide authoritative legal advice to the President and the executive branch agencies regarding the legality of proposed executive branch actions.

During his tenure at OLC, Mr. Thompson provided formal written opinions and informal advice on a wide range of statutory and constitutional questions, including questions related to national security, fiscal and administrative law, banking, cybersecurity, treaty interpretation, economic sanctions, immigration, congressional oversight, environmental statutes, criminal justice, the constitutional separation of powers, and the President's authority under Article II of the Constitution. As head of OLC, Mr. Thompson was also responsible for overseeing, supervising, and managing the work of OLC attorneys, including four Deputy Assistant Attorneys General. He also represented OLC in its interactions with senior Executive Branch officials, including the White House Counsel, the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, and the general counsels of several cabinet agencies.

Prior to his experience as head of OLC, Mr. Thompson served as a Counselor to the U.S. Attorney General, where he handled issues related to the Civil Division, the Office of the Solicitor General, and the Office of Legal Counsel. He also previously served as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in OLC.

Earlier in his career Mr. Thompson worked at a law firm in Washington, where he focused on international and appellate litigation. He clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the Supreme Court of the United States and for Judge David S. Tatel of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

"Karl is a highly respected lawyer whose capabilities will further enhance our exceptional Issues & Appeals Practice as well as the office's overall consultancy, advisory and litigation capacities,” said Mr. Orr. “His experience in the Executive Branch will be invaluable to our clients, and we look forward to working with him.”

Dean Griffith

Mr. Griffith joins Jones Day as Of Counsel in the Firm's Government Regulation Practice.

He was previously Senior Advisor, Office of Government and Industry Affairs for the Federal Aviation Administration, advising on matters concerning Congress, aviation industry groups, and other governmental organizations, and ensuring the Office's work was consistent with the Department's policies.

Prior to the Senior Advisor role, Mr. Griffith was Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Government and Industry Affairs at the FAA, and served as Senior Attorney and the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Regulatory Policy Team Lead in the FAA Office of the Chief Counsel. In that role he advised the FAA's UAS Integration Office and other lines of business on rulemaking, exemptions, and policy development related to unmanned aircraft.

Before joining the FAA, Mr. Griffith was a law clerk for Judge Bruce E. Kasold of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

"Dean's FAA experience and knowledge of aviation regulations will be a great resource to many of our clients both domestically and overseas," said Mr. Orr. "At a time of rapid technological and regulatory change, he brings us a broad perspective on issues that are of interest to many stakeholders in aviation and related industries. We are very pleased to have him at Jones Day."