Peter J. Kadzik
Peter joined the DOJ in 2013 and served as assistant attorney general for the department’s Office of Legislative Affairs (OLA) from 2014 to 2017. In this capacity, he led the office’s efforts to manage the department’s relationships and advance its interests on Capitol Hill, working closely with DOJ leadership offices, law enforcement components, U.S. attorneys’ offices, litigating divisions, and grant-making components on a variety of legislative and oversight matters. He also served as the department’s liaison to the White House on legislative matters.
During his tenure at DOJ, Peter’s office prepared witnesses for testimony in congressional hearings and nominees for confirmation hearings, and he led efforts to confirm Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates, and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey, among others. He also prepared the attorney general, deputy attorney general, and numerous high-ranking Department witnesses for congressional hearings on oversight matters and proposed legislation, and testified on behalf of the Department on numerous occasions. He managed the Department’s efforts on numerous pieces of legislation, including FISA reauthorization (USA Freedom Act), criminal justice reform, enhanced measures to prevent human trafficking, ECPA reform, the Judicial Redress Act, and reauthorization of the 9-11 Victims Compensation Fund.
Prior to his DOJ service, Peter spent more than 30 years in private practice, working in antitrust and commercial litigation, congressional and internal investigations, and corporate compliance, and representing nonprofit organizations and trade associations on legal and policy matters. While in private practice, he was lead counsel in major antitrust and commercial cases, and served as liaison counsel for joint defense groups on behalf of numerous Fortune 100 companies. He also formed and advised several labor-management committees to advance the mutual interests of both in industries such as pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, steel, and timber.
Experience
Government Experience
- Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice
- Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia
- Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legislative Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice
Representative Matters
- Represents a major trade association in addressing the opioid crisis
- Represents a major hospitality company in state investigations and class action litigation
- Represents a voter registration and education non-profit
- Advised a major energy company in federal and state investigations, as well as class action litigation
- Represented a Fortune 100 pharmaceutical manufacturer in price-fixing litigation, which was resolved in favor of defendants on summary judgment
- Represented the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission (FCIC) with respect to congressional inquiries at the conclusion of its investigation
- Represented an automotive replacement parts manufacturer in various investigations and class action litigation
- Represented numerous federal government employees in congressional and grand jury investigations
- Represented defense contractors, energy companies, and various trade associations in antitrust, False Claims Act, and other compliance matters
Insights
Credentials
Education
- J.D. Georgetown University Law Center 1977
- Articles Editor, Georgetown Law Journal
- B.A. summa cum laude State University of New York at Buffalo 1974
- Phi Beta Kappa
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
Clerk Experience
- Honorable Thomas A. Flannery U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Professional Memberships and Activities
- Member, Dean’s Advisory Council, College of Arts and Sciences, University at Buffalo
- Member, alumni board, Georgetown University Law Center
- Member, board of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
Recognition
- University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences, Commencement Speaker, 2017
Community
Volunteerism
- Member, board of directors, News Literacy Project
- Member, advisory board, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- Member, advisory board, Legal Counsel for the Elderly