Blair Brown
Download this bio as .pdf

Blair G. Brown

Partner

Office
Washington, DC
Tel.
+1 202.778.1829
Fax.
202.822.8106
Others
Send an Email
vCard

A fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Blair G. Brown has tried numerous cases to final verdict in courts throughout the United States. One commentator recently described him as “a quiet assassin, the most prepared person in the courtroom, unassuming, modest and persuasive.” (Source: Chambers USA)

From successfully defending the former president of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee against criminal charges to obtaining damage awards for clients in commercial litigation, Blair has represented individuals, partnerships, and corporations in a wide array of civil and criminal litigation matters.

In his white collar criminal defense practice, Blair has represented clients in trials, grand jury proceedings, and government investigations involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), false statements to government agencies, bribery, criminal antitrust laws, securities laws, and numerous types of financial fraud, including those involving tax, financial services, and government contracts.

His civil practice includes arbitrations and litigation alleging legal malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, business torts, civil RICO, fraud, misappropriation of intellectual property, breach of contract, defamation, public nuisance, and other claims.

Blair represents individuals and entities in partnership disputes and other complex commercial disputes, as well as in professional disciplinary proceedings against attorneys, physicians, and academics.

In his pro bono legal work, Blair has represented inmates on death row, written appellate amicus briefs on significant issues of criminal law and procedure, and provided legal ethics advice to public defender organizations.

Blair has served as a faculty member of the Harvard Law School Trial Advocacy Program and of the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and as an adjunct faculty member of the Washington College of Law at American University. He also has served as a moderator and panel member  in continuing legal education programs. 
 

Before joining Zuckerman Spaeder in 1988, Blair tried serious felony cases as an attorney at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. He also served as pro se law clerk to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as law clerk to the Hon. Leonard P. Moore.

Education
  • New York University School of Law, J.D., 1981
    • Root-Tilden Scholar
       
  • Tulane University, B.A., magna cum laude, 1978
Bar admissions
  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • New York
  • Virginia
Court admissions
  • U.S. Supreme Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
  • U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
  • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia
Clerkships
  • Hon. Leonard P. Moore, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Government service
  • Public Defender Service
    • District of Columbia
Professional leadership
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), Former Board Member and Former-Co-Chair of White Collar Crime Committee
  • District of Columbia Bar Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section, Former Chair
  • Adjunct Faculty, American University Washington College of Law, White Collar Crime, Spring 2014
Community involvement
  • Former Member and Chair of the Board of Trustees, Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia
  • Former Board Member, Gideon’s Promise
  • Co-Founder and Former Chairman of Board of Directors, Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project 
  • Board Member and Secretary, Clause 40 Foundation
Representative matters
  • Represents a national pharmacy chain in defense of thousands of suits by state and local governments to recover costs alleged to have been caused by the shipment and dispensing of prescription opioids.
  • Represented a corporation in civil litigation in the District of Columbia commenced by entities and individuals seeking control of the corporation and its assets. Also represented the corporation’s subsidiaries in civil litigation alleging breach of fiduciary duty and other claims in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against a former officer and director of those companies.
  • Obtained an acquittal of all felony charges on behalf of the former chief executive officer of an energy company related to alleged securities fraud and other criminal violations.
  • Defended the former president of the Salt Lake City Olympic Committee against federal fraud and bribery charges arising out of the competition for the 2002 Winter Games. After a six-week trial, the client was acquitted of all charges.
  • Defended a client charged with numerous federal criminal tax offenses as a result of his participation in a partnership whose members received substantial tax benefits for developing business opportunities in an economically deprived area. After a two-month trial, the client was acquitted of all charges.
  • Secured retractions of false statements made by a major celebrity television program and internet news site on behalf of an internationally prominent entertainer.
  • Secured the dismissal of a massive civil RICO complaint against an international exercise and meditation business.
  • Represented a major national law firm in a federal grand jury investigation and the subsequent indictment. The charges were resolved by a deferred prosecution agreement that allowed the firm to continue in business without substantial harm to its innocent partners and employees.
  • Represented a law firm in a dispute with another law firm over a $16 million contingency fee. The dispute was settled on terms very favorable to the client.
  • Represented two former prisoners who were exonerated after being wrongly convicted of serious crimes based on evidence fabricated by a West Virginia state crime lab chemist. The firm filed suit and succeeded in recovering significant damages on their behalf.
  • Successfully represented a broadband wireless communications developer in a “bet-the-company” civil action alleging theft of trade secrets.
  • Obtained a home-detention sentence for a high-ranking retail executive who pleaded guilty to embezzlement.
  • Represented a woman on death row since 1994. The firm conducted hundreds of hours of investigation, including interviews that revealed the trial judge's frequent ex parte contacts with jurors during the trial and the client's long history of mental illness and abusive relationships. The firm has litigated in the state trial and supreme courts claims of ineffective assistance of counsel and the denial of a fair trial and sentencing proceeding. The case remains pending.
News
Recognitions
Blair Brown

Blair G. Brown

Partner

Office
Washington, DC
Tel.
+1 202.778.1829
Fax.
202.822.8106
Others
Send an Email
vCard