Former Attorney General’s firm opens offices in Boston, St. Louis, Austin and Dallas.
Washington, DC — Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Chairman of the Ashcroft Group, LLC and the Ashcroft Law Firm, LLC today welcomed four former United States Attorneys as partners and announced the opening of offices in Boston, St. Louis, Austin and Dallas. Joining the firm are Michael Sullivan, the former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts; Catherine Hanaway, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri; Johnny Sutton, the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas; and John Ratcliffe, the former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.
These four individuals are among the most highly regarded attorneys in America, Ashcroft said. Each of them brings a reputation for integrity and a depth of experience in high stakes, complex, civil and criminal litigation that is second to none.
Michael Sullivan
Sullivan, an expert in health care, government program fraud, corporate compliance and ethics, public corruption, and corporate security, has extensive policy and regulatory experience. A lawyer for more than 20 years, he has represented individuals and companies in both civil and criminal matters.
In 2001, Sullivan was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. While there, he created a National Security and Anti-Terrorism section and units devoted to computer hacking intellectual property theft, and health care fraud. The District was a leader in combating health care fraud, recovering more $3.5 billion—about half of the nation’s total recoveries. Sullivan also served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee, serving as chaired of the Health Care Fraud Working Group as well as serving on the national security, civil rights, sentencing, violent crime, drugs, and cyber crime subcommittees. Sullivan also served as Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from 2006 to January 2009.
The Ashcroft Law Firm focuses on results and approaches its clients’ challenges with integrity, creativity and vision and understands that reputation matters, Sullivan said.
Catherine Hanaway
As U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri since 2006, Catherine personally successfully tried cases to jury verdicts, supervised more than 4,000 cases and a staff of over 100. During her tenure, the office set records for the most cases tried and money forfeited. She led major expansions of the office’s prosecution of nursing home abuses, child exploitation, health care fraud and sophisticated white collar crimes - including securities and bank frauds. She created a Mortgage Fraud Task Force that prosecuted at every level from borrower to those upstreaming bad loans into the asset-backed securities markets.
In private practice, Catherine has represented clients with energy, regulatory, banking and securities law issues. She represented industrial users of power, opposing the first-ever hostile takeover in the public utilities industry before the Missouri Public Service Commission and the Kansas Corporation Commission. As outside counsel to the Resolution Trust Corporation, Catherine worked to recover millions during the wave of corporate scandals that started with ENRON and WorldCom in the first half of the decade.
I’m honored to join this team of outstanding lawyers and professionals at the Ashcroft Law Firm whom I’ve seen face the nation’s most complicated legal challenges with integrity, skill, and success, said Hanaway.
Johnny Sutton
With more than 20 years government experience, Johnny Sutton has acquired expertise as a front line trial prosecutor and a top policy advisor to a Governor and a President.
As U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Texas since November 2001, Sutton has led one of the largest and busiest U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the country. Sutton managed more than 300 employees, a $28 million annual budget and directed 43,000 federal prosecutions and thousands of civil cases. Under Sutton’s leadership, the office led the nation in drug convictions, was second in illegal alien prosecutions, won more than 105 public corruption convictions and sent nearly 400 violent criminal gang members to prison.
What lawyer wouldn’t want to be associated with a firm that is known for integrity, a commitment to justice and producing the best results for its clients? said Sutton. We have a team of lawyers, consultants and professionals that brings an unparalleled range of skill and experience to serve the needs of our clients.
John Ratcliffe
John Ratcliffe brings 20 years of professional legal and governmental experience to the Ashcroft Law Firm. Mr. Ratcliffe’s expertise includes government investigations, regulatory compliance, corporate governance issues, white collar fraud and complex commercial litigation.
As U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas in 2007 and 2008, Mr. Ratcliffe successfully directed hundreds of federal prosecutions involving terrorism, violent crime, drug trafficking, child exploitation, public corruption, corporate fraud, mortgage fraud, illegal immigration and capital murder cases. Mr. Ratcliffe managed a team of more than 100 federal prosecutors and support personnel in 6 district offices and financially operated a $12 million annual budget.
I am incredibly honored and humbled by the opportunity to join this amazing group of individuals that bring unprecedented governmental experience, expertise and firepower to an impressive stable of national and international clients, said Ratcliffe.
About John Ashcroft
U.S. Attorney General. Governor of Missouri. U.S. Senator. John Ashcroft, the Chairman of the Ashcroft Group, LLC has been leading Americans for over 30 years in public and private service.
As Attorney General, Mr. Ashcroft led the U.S. Department of Justice through the transformational period after the September 11, 2001 attacks, reorganizing the Department to focus on its number one priority: preventing terrorism. The tough antiterrorism campaign he directed helped keep America safe throughout his tenure and resulted in the dismantling of terrorist cells across America and the disruption of over 150 terrorist plots worldwide.
As the unprecedented corporate scandals at ENRON, WorldCom and dozens more unfolded, John Ashcroft was called on to restore America’s faith in the integrity of our marketplace. He marshaled the resources of the federal government to bring to justice those guilty of massive corporate fraud.
In 2005, Mr. Ashcroft established The Ashcroft Group, LLC to help domestic and international corporations apply the leadership principles, sound judgment, and high goals he embraced during his over three decades of public service to the business world.
The Ashcroft Group and the Ashcroft Law Firm
In 2005, Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft and David Ayres founded the Ashcroft Group, LLC with offices in Washington DC and St. Louis, MO. The Ashcroft Law Firm, LLC was established in 2007. Today’s announcement marks a major expansion of the law firm. In addition, the attorneys will be an integral part of the consulting business.
The Ashcroft Group, LLC specializes in strategic consulting for corporations worldwide in the areas of homeland security, corporate governance, litigation strategy, data security, crisis management, regulatory advice, corporate finance and entrepreneurial ventures. To best service its clients and their often-complex needs, they maintain two separate entities: the consulting firm and the law firm.
With decades of public service and business expertise, the team has worked extensively with leaders in the corporate world and international community, as well as with officials and advisors in the top levels of state, federal and foreign governments. These experiences have formed a deep knowledge and extensive network that directly benefit their clients in each of their engagements.
From leading prosecutions as U.S. Attorneys to providing resolution strategies on thousands of individual and mass tort cases, the team has litigated claims in excess $21 billion in actual settlements paid.
The Ashcroft Group, LLC and its affiliates advise and invest in companies in the homeland security and law enforcement marketplaces focusing on areas in public and private markets, particularly in the homeland security, law enforcement and regulatory fields, where there is a demonstrated demand for innovative solutions to today’s security needs and tomorrow’s security challenges. For more information, go to http://www.ashcroftgroupllc.com and http://www.ashcroftlawfirm.com.