After six years of service as Colorado’s United States Attorney, and national responsibility as chair of the Attorney General’s Advisory Council of US Attorneys from 2015 to 2016, John F. Walsh brings his decades of federal government and private practice experience to lead WilmerHale’s investigations, criminal litigation and complex civil litigation practice in the Denver office.
Mr. Walsh’s multi-faceted legal practice focuses on complex litigation and dispute resolution services, internal investigations, securities litigation, and complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters, both domestic and international, and is built upon on extensive legal experience in Colorado, California and nationally.
Mr. Walsh is a highly respected and skilled litigator who also brings his litigation skills to bear advising clients on government investigation response, strategic response and crisis management more broadly.
His long experience dealing with the media in both government and private practice, including as an on-air legal commentator for CBS national news, as well as through extensive high-profile community involvement, gives Mr. Walsh strong insights into managing public crisis matters on behalf of clients.
Prior to joining WilmerHale, Mr. Walsh served as United States Attorney for the District of Colorado, one of the longest terms in Colorado history. As the presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed, top federal law enforcement official and spokesperson in Colorado, he was responsible for coordinating priorities, resources, community outreach and public statements of federal law enforcement in the state.
He also managed approximately 80 assistant US attorneys; supervised the federal criminal, civil and appellate caseload of the office; and represented the Department of Justice in ongoing complex political and legal situations arising from Colorado’s legalization of marijuana under state law.
As US attorney, Mr. Walsh also served in national-level leadership positions for the Department of Justice. Attorney General Eric Holder selected Mr. Walsh to serve first as a member, and then as chair, of the national Attorney General’s Advisory Committee of US Attorneys (AGAC).
In that role, Mr. Walsh led 93 US attorneys through constant communication and consultation on the full range of criminal and civil issues facing the Department of Justice and the annual US attorneys’ conferences, and frequently served as a public spokesperson for the community.
At the request of Attorney General Holder, Mr. Walsh also served as co-chair of the AGAC’s White Collar Crime Subcommittee, and as national co-chair of the Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities Fraud Working Group.
Prior to his service as US Attorney, Mr. Walsh practiced at two highly respected law firms in Denver for more than 15 years. He began his practice as an Assistant United States Attorney in Los Angeles, where he ultimately served as Chief of the Major Frauds Section of that office’s Criminal Division.
Mr. Walsh is admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Central District of California, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Ninth and Tenth Circuits, and the United States Supreme Court.
EDUCATION :
- JD, Stanford Law School, 1986
- BA, Political Science, Williams College, 1983
ADMISSIONS :
- Colorado
- California
CLERKSHIPS : The Hon. J. Skelly Wright, US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 1986 – 1987
GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE : Department of Justice, United States Attorneys’ Offices
Cost
Rate : $$$