Robert L. Walker

Rob is a former Chief Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate and House ethics committees and a former federal prosecutor, with extensive trial, investigative, and advisory experience. He counsels a wide range of clients on congressional and other government ethics rules, lobbying rules and compliance, congressional investigations, and white collar defense matters. Rob regularly represents corporations, associations, and individuals – including congressional officials, other government officials, and candidates – in federal and state ethics advisory and investigative matters (including in connection with financial disclosure obligations), in internal investigations, and in prosecutions arising under campaign finance, fraud, public corruption, and other criminal laws.

Representative Matters

• Regularly provides government ethics compliance counseling to corporations, associations, lobbying firms, public officials, candidates, nominees, and others, including regarding: conflicts of interest; post-government employment; gifts; federal financial disclosure.
• Regularly provides federal, state, and local lobbying law compliance counseling to corporations, associations, lobbying firms, advisory firms, and others.
• Represents Members and staff of the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, and other individuals and organizations, in investigations by the House Office of Congressional Ethics (“OCE”), the House Committee on Ethics, and the Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
• Represented United States Senator in insider trading investigation by DOJ, SEC, and Senate Select Committee on Ethics.
• Represented individual and organizational witnesses in recent DOJ Special Counsel investigations and related congressional inquiries.
• Assists clients with responses to and appearances in connection with grand jury, DOJ, and state Attorney General investigations.
• In congressional investigations, represents corporations, associations, and individuals before committees and subcommittees of the U.S. House and Senate, including in responding to detailed requests for information and documents and in preparing corporate representatives and other individuals for interviews, depositions, and congressional testimony.
• Advises law firms, lobbying firms, advisory firms, and others on compliance with The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (“STOCK”) Act.

Professional Experience

• Chief Counsel and Staff Director, Select Committee on Ethics, U.S. Senate (2003-2008). Bipartisan hire
• Counseled Senators and staff on compliance with ethics rules, regulations, and statutes, including those mandated by the HLOGA
• Served as lead counsel in all Committee investigations of misconduct
• Directed the annual financial disclosure process applicable to all Senators, candidates, and staff
• Chief Counsel and Staff Director, Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, U.S. House of Representatives (now the Committee on Ethics) (1999-2003). Bipartisan hire
  • Developed ethics and advisory program for the House and directed its implementation
  • Developed investigatory strategy regarding allegations of misconduct, supervised investigations and disciplinary process
• Counsel, Select Committee on Ethics, U.S. Senate (1997-1999)
• Trial Attorney, Public Integrity Section, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (1995-1997)
• Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia (1989-1995)
• Staff Attorney, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement (1987-1989)

Affiliations

• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
• Section of Criminal Justice
• Assistant United States Attorneys’ Association for the District of Columbia
• District of Columbia Bar (D.C. Bar)
• Section of Administrative Law and Agency Practice
• Section of Criminal Law and Individual Rights
• D.C. Bar Board on Professional Responsibility
• Vice-Chair (2024)
• Member of the Board (2019-Present)
• Chair (2014-2019) and Member (2013-2019), Hearing Committee
• The Council on Governmental Ethics Laws (COGEL)
• Public Integrity Section Alumni Association

Recognitions

• Listed by Chambers USA as one of "America's Leading Lawyers for Business" in Political Law (2018-2024) and a "Recognized Practitioner" (2017) in Political Law
• Named one of Washington's "Best Lawyers" by Washingtonian magazine (2011)