Debo P. Adegbile, a member of the Government and Regulatory Litigation Group, focuses his practice on a range of matters at the intersection of law, business and government policy. He has significant experience in commercial, government-facing and appellate litigation, as well as strategic counseling in high-stakes cases, anti-discrimination matters and investigations.
Mr. Adegbile co-chairs the firm’s Anti-Discrimination Practice. In addition to his practice at the firm, Mr. Adegbile currently serves as a commissioner on the US Commission on Civil Rights, appointed by President Obama in 2016.
His broad legal understanding is drawn from years of experience in the top tier of the law firm, government and not-for-profit sectors, including high-ranking roles with the Senate Judiciary Committee and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Mr. Adegbile’s recent representations include municipalities and local government agencies involved in US Department of Justice (DOJ) investigations and/or False Claims Act litigation; a leading social media company responding to a federal inquiry; financial institutions in connection with federal fair lending compliance, investigations and putative ERISA class actions; and a leading university in a constitutional challenge to its admissions practices.
He serves as counsel to a number of clients regarding Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fair lending compliance and enforcement matters, as well as DOJ policing or “pattern or practice” investigations.
Mr. Adegbile also advises social media companies and universities on a range of anti-discrimination issues. Mr. Adegbile is a frequent speaker on Supreme Court and anti-discrimination law topics and has testified before Congress on multiple occasions.
Mr. Adegbile began his career as commercial litigator at a leading large New York law firm where, for seven years, he litigated a range of complex commercial cases involving contracts, international arbitration, antitrust, patents, employment, First Amendment, civil rights, zoning and real estate interests. Mr. Adegbile also handled multiple internal and regulatory investigations.
From 2013-2014, Mr. Adegbile served as senior counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee, in which capacity he advised Committee Chairman Senator Leahy on a range of issues, including Supreme Court jurisprudence and litigation, the First Amendment, voting rights, national security, intellectual property and nominations.
Mr. Adegbile is a member of the Vera Institute of Justice’s board of trustees. He is also the vice chair of the Connecticut College board of trustees. From 1995-2002, he served as the first president of the board of The Catalog of Giving, a not-for-profit dedicated to supporting effective youth-serving organizations in New York City.
He also served on the board of trustees of Manhattan Country School, an independent school in New York City, for 18 years, including service as board chairman. Named to the Board of Directors for the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) in 2014.
EDUCATION :
- JD, New York University School of Law, 1994
- BA, Government, Connecticut College, 1991
ADMISSIONS :
- New York
- United States Supreme Court
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE :
- Federal Legislative Branch
- US Senate, Senior Counsel, Committee on the Judiciary
- US Commission on Civil Rights, Commissioner
Cost
Rate : $$$