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Lisa Brown (lawyer)
Encyclopedia
Lisa Brown was named by Barack Obama
's office of presidential transition
to serve in the Obama Administration as Staff Secretary, assuming that post on January 20, 2009, where she is responsible for managing the flow of information, advice and decision-making between staff members and the President. During the transition, she served as Co-Chair of Agency Review in the Obama-Biden Transition. Prior to joining the Obama-Biden Transition Team, she served as Executive Director of the American Constitution Society, a progressive legal organization.
in Lakeville, Connecticut
. A 1982 Magna Cum Laude Princeton University
graduate with a B.A. in Political Economy, Brown earned a law degree with Honors from the University of Chicago Law School
in 1986. She then clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit for Judge John Cooper Godbold
in Montgomery, Alabama
, and she held a one-year fellowship as a Staff Attorney at the Center for Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles, California
.
; while litigating and doing transactional work for the firm's paying clients, she also had a substantial pro bono
practice focusing on disability issues, civil rights and social justice. She wrote briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts in disability cases under The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. She also reviewed appeals by rejected claimants in Dyson v. Denny's, Inc. (D. Md.), serving as the court-appointed Special Master. She was co-editor for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless of Cold, Harsh and Unending Resistance: The District of Columbia Government's Hidden War Against Its Poor and Its Homeless (Nov. 22, 1993), a report on social services litigation.
Al Gore
as Counsel (1999 through January 2001) and Deputy Counsel (April 1997 through August 1999). Her work included not only handling legal matters but also advising the Vice President on civil rights and various domestic policy issues. She also served on the Executive Board of the President's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities. Before joining the Vice President's office, she was an Attorney Advisor in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel
(June 1996 to April 1997).
's cancer center, Brown is an aficionado of cooking and entertaining. She played college varsity field hockey and lacrosse and enjoys such athletic pursuits as tennis and skiing.
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's office of presidential transition
Presidential transition of Barack Obama
The presidential transition of Barack Obama began when he won the United States presidential election on November 4, 2008, and became the President-Elect. He was formally elected by the Electoral College on December 15, 2008...
to serve in the Obama Administration as Staff Secretary, assuming that post on January 20, 2009, where she is responsible for managing the flow of information, advice and decision-making between staff members and the President. During the transition, she served as Co-Chair of Agency Review in the Obama-Biden Transition. Prior to joining the Obama-Biden Transition Team, she served as Executive Director of the American Constitution Society, a progressive legal organization.
Early life and education
Lisa Brown attended the prestigious Hotchkiss SchoolHotchkiss School
The Hotchkiss School is an independent, coeducational American college preparatory boarding school located in Lakeville, Connecticut. Founded in 1891, the school enrolls students in grades 9 through 12 and a small number of postgraduates...
in Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville, Connecticut
Lakeville is a village and census-designated place in the town of Salisbury in Litchfield County, Connecticut, on Lake Wononskopomuc. The village includes Lakeville Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The district represents about of the village center...
. A 1982 Magna Cum Laude Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
graduate with a B.A. in Political Economy, Brown earned a law degree with Honors from the University of Chicago Law School
University of Chicago Law School
The University of Chicago Law School was founded in 1902 as the graduate school of law at the University of Chicago and is among the most prestigious and selective law schools in the world. The U.S. News & World Report currently ranks it fifth among U.S...
in 1986. She then clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit for Judge John Cooper Godbold
John Cooper Godbold
John Cooper Godbold was a United States federal judge.Born in Coy, Alabama, Godbold received a B.S. from Auburn University in 1940 and was a Major in the United States Army, Division Artillery Headquarters during World War II, from 1941 to 1946. He received a J.D...
in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, and she held a one-year fellowship as a Staff Attorney at the Center for Law in the Public Interest in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Private sector and pro bono work
Before entering government service, Brown was a Partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm Shea & GardnerShea & Gardner
Shea & Gardner was a Washington, D.C.-based law firm that practiced from 1947 to 2004 when it merged with Boston-based Goodwin Procter. The firm was founded by two Roosevelt administration officials, Francis M. Shea and Warner W. Gardner...
; while litigating and doing transactional work for the firm's paying clients, she also had a substantial pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
practice focusing on disability issues, civil rights and social justice. She wrote briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal circuit courts in disability cases under The Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. She also reviewed appeals by rejected claimants in Dyson v. Denny's, Inc. (D. Md.), serving as the court-appointed Special Master. She was co-editor for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless of Cold, Harsh and Unending Resistance: The District of Columbia Government's Hidden War Against Its Poor and Its Homeless (Nov. 22, 1993), a report on social services litigation.
Clinton Administration
Brown joined the ACS in 2002, coming from Relman & Associates, a Washington, D.C. civil rights firm. She had previously worked for Vice PresidentVice president
A vice president is an officer in government or business who is below a president in rank. The name comes from the Latin vice meaning 'in place of'. In some countries, the vice president is called the deputy president...
Al Gore
Al Gore
Albert Arnold "Al" Gore, Jr. served as the 45th Vice President of the United States , under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party's nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election....
as Counsel (1999 through January 2001) and Deputy Counsel (April 1997 through August 1999). Her work included not only handling legal matters but also advising the Vice President on civil rights and various domestic policy issues. She also served on the Executive Board of the President's Committee for Employment of People with Disabilities. Before joining the Vice President's office, she was an Attorney Advisor in the Department of Justice's Office of Legal Counsel
Office of Legal Counsel
The Office of Legal Counsel is an office in the United States Department of Justice that assists the Attorney General in his function as legal adviser to the President and all executive branch agencies.-History:...
(June 1996 to April 1997).
Personal life
Married to Kevin Cullen, an oncologist who directs the University of MarylandUniversity of Maryland
When the term "University of Maryland" is used without any qualification, it generally refers to the University of Maryland, College Park.University of Maryland may refer to the following:...
's cancer center, Brown is an aficionado of cooking and entertaining. She played college varsity field hockey and lacrosse and enjoys such athletic pursuits as tennis and skiing.