Stanley Woodward | |
|---|---|
| Senior Counselor to the President | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2025 | |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stanley Edmund Woodward Jr. |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Stanley Edmund Woodward Jr. is an American attorney who is currently an assistant to the president and senior counselor. He was previously with Brand Woodward Law. [1] [2] His clients have included those subpoenaed or convicted for the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and aides to Donald Trump.
Woodward earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from the American University in 2004. [3] [4] He earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in 2008. [3] [4]
Woodward served as a law clerk for three judges from 2008 to 2010: Judge Vanessa Ruiz of the D.C. Court of Appeals, and Judge Joan Zeldon and Chief Judge Rufus G. King III of the D.C. Superior Court. [5]
Woodward then worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for 10 years, from 2010 until mid-2020. [6] [5] While there he led the Housing Law practice group of the firm's D.C. office. [5] His clients at Akin Gump included C.F. Folks, a longstanding downtown D.C. luncheonette. [7]
In 2018, Woodward was one of two recipients of the D.C. Bar's Laura N. Rinaldi Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year award for representing tenants facing eviction in the District. [5] [8]
He co-founded a law firm, Brand Woodward, Attorneys at Law, in 2020. [3] Woodward's law partner, Stanley M. Brand, is also a former Akin Gump lawyer, and formerly general counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives during the Tip O'Neill era. [6] Woodward represents individuals and companies in white-collar criminal cases, [9] as well as government and internal investigations and civil litigation. [3] [9] He has also worked as defense counsel in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters. [9] Woodward previously served as a part-time lecturer and adjunct professor at his alma mater, Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. [4] [3] [10] He has taught pre-trial litigation and employment law courses there. [10]
In 2020, the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission recommended Woodward as one of three finalists to fill a vacancy on the D.C. Superior Court. [6] [11] However, another finalist, Rupa Ranga Puttagunta, was appointed to fill the judicial seat. [11] [12]
In 2023, Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to a US Justice Department request to hold a hearing to examine potential conflicts of interest of Woodward, who represents both Trump's co-defendant Walt Nauta as well as potential witnesses in the federal Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, and Trump’s offer to pay for the attorneys of those involved in his litigation. [13] At the hearing, Nauta waived his right to a conflict-free attorney, and Cannon allowed Woodward to continue representing him. [14]
Notable clients of Woodward include:
On January 5, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump announced Woodward would serve as an assistant to the president and senior counselor in his second term. [37]
Woodward married Kristin McGough in 2012. She is also a lawyer. [38] As of 2012, they lived in Washington's Columbia Heights neighborhood. [38]