ACLU Adds Six New Lobbyists in DC: Power Circuit

One of the white-collar defense bar’s highest-profile members, Abbe Lowell, has rejoined Chadbourne & Parke, where he practiced prior to moving to McDermott Will & Emery in 2007. Lowell now heads the white-collar defense group at Chadbourne, just as he headed the same group at McDermott. In an e-mailed statement, Bobby Burchfield, co-partner in charge of McDermott Will & Emery’s DC office, says Lowell will be missed, but that he’s confident his firm’s white-collar practice will remain one of the “premiere such teams in the country.”

In a press release issued by Chadbourne & Parke, Lowell praised his new firm for maintaining “a hard to find collegial setting where partners really know and help one another.”

Another big name, David Becker, has returned to Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton as a partner after leaving the Securities and Exchange Commission in February, where he was general counsel and senior policy director. Becker practiced at Cleary before joining the SEC in 2009.

On the lobbying front, the American Civil Liberties Union has bolstered its Washington Legislative Office with the addition of six new lobbyists:

Devon Chaffee joined the ACLU as legislative counsel from Human Rights First.

Kenneth Chandler came on as policy counsel from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Sarah Lipton-Lubet, previously of the DC office of the Center for Reproductive Rights, is policy counsel.

Jesselyn McCurdy returned to the ACLU as senior legislative counsel after serving as counsel with the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

Dena Sher joined as legislative counsel from Americans United for Separation of Church and State.

Ian Thompson, previously senior legislative assistant for the ACLU’s Washington Legislative Office, has been promoted to legislative representative.

Finally, Steve Rebillot joined the lobbying firm Carmen Group from the US Senate campaign of Republican Linda McMahon in Connecticut, where he was policy director. (McMahon, cofounder of wrestling company WWE, lost to Democratic senator Richard Blumenthal.)

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Marisa M. Kashino

Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She was previously a reporter for Legal Times and the National Law Journal. She lives in Northeast DC with her husband, two dogs, and two cats.