Washington, DC – Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, Chairman of the Ashcroft Group, LLC, welcomed Luis A. Reyes to the Ashcroft Law Firm’s Austin office, Ashcroft Sutton Ratcliffe, as a Partner.
As the Ashcroft Law Firm continues to grow, Reyes will contribute a wealth of experience resulting from over a decade of public service in senior state and federal government positions that include service as a commissioned officer and senior aide to the President of the United States; Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for the federal law enforcement agency charged with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse of U.S. dollars in Iraq; Chief of Staff to the Associate Attorney General and Deputy Associate Attorney General at the United States Department of Justice; and, as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas.
“Reyes’ extensive and varied experience in positions of public trust at both the federal and state levels make him a strong addition to the Ashcroft Law Firm,” said firm Chairman, former Attorney General John Ashcroft. “Luis has a record of infusing integrity into any operation he is involved in. Our clients will benefit from his experience with government investigations, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, government relations and public policy development.”
“The Ashcroft Law Firm provides its clients with access to an unprecedented roster of former law enforcement leaders and U.S. attorneys. It’s an honor to join this team and I’m looking forward to working to enrich the expertise the Firm provides to its clients with my experiences in the executive branch and federal and state justice systems,” said Luis A. Reyes.
Since 2009, Reyes has served as the General Counsel for the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (“SIGIR”) – the independent federal law enforcement agency charged with rooting out waste, fraud and abuse of the more than $50 billion in U.S. funds appropriated for the reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Among other duties, Reyes played a key role in federal government investigations into potential violations of the False Claims Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and major fraud against the United States. To date, SIGIR’s oversight has produced a return of approximately $1 billion in financial benefits back to the U.S. Government. Investigations have yielded more than 56 indictments and 44 convictions, with approximately $70 million in recoveries.
From 2006 to 2009, Reyes held senior positions at the White House. In 2008 he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as Deputy Assistant to the President and Acting Assistant to the President in charge of the Office of Presidential Personnel, serving as a member of the Senior Staff and as chief advisor to the President on human capital matters. Reyes first joined the White House in 2006 when President Bush appointed him to be Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel, with responsibility over the legal, national security, and international affairs portfolio. In that capacity he played a leading or significant role in the selection, nomination and/or appointment of over 500 senior appointees, including Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of Veterans Affairs James Peake, to name a few. Agencies within Reyes’ area of responsibility included the U.S. Departments of Justice, Defense, State, Homeland Security, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the United States Agency for International Development, the Peace Corps, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Departments of Treasury, Health & Human Services, Transportation, Agriculture, Interior and Commerce were added to his portfolio shortly before his 2008 promotion.
Prior to serving in the White House, Reyes served in various high ranking positions at the U.S. Department of Justice from 2001 to 2006. From 2005 to 2006, Reyes was Deputy Associate Attorney General and Chief of Staff to Associate Attorney General Robert D. McCallum, Jr. Reyes provided advice on the strategic oversight of the civil litigating and programmatic components of the Department, composed of over 6,500 employees with collective budgets totaling over $3.3 billion dollars. Reyes was responsible for oversight of legal issues emanating from the Tax Division, the Civil Rights Division, the Community Relations Service, and for assisting with high profile Civil Division litigation matters. He also assisted in the development of policy in the areas of corporate integrity, civil rights and national security.
From 2003 to 2005, Reyes served as Counselor to the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) for the Civil Rights Division, the Nation’s chief civil rights enforcement officer. In this role, Reyes was responsible for providing legal counsel on a wide range of civil rights issues, including litigation, policy development, legislative, and public relations matters. Reyes worked extensively on departmental enforcement efforts involving criminal civil rights, voting, employment discrimination, fair housing, fair lending, education, First Amendment and public accommodation laws. He also served as the AAG’s policy counsel on anti-human trafficking efforts. During his tenure, the Division nearly tripled the number of human trafficking prosecutions.
From 2001 to 2003, Reyes served as Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division (AAG-CIV). In that role, he advised the AAG-CIV on various litigation matters of national significance pending before the Civil Division and determined policy considerations, operational impact and strategic litigation options.
From 1998 to 2001, Reyes was a trial attorney in Texas where he served as an Assistant Attorney General, handling a robust civil litigation practice at the trial and appellate levels in both state and federal court. During his tenure, Reyes handled over 20 federal jury trials to conclusion, with no adverse verdicts. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1994, and a J.D. in 1997.
At the Ashcroft Law Firm, Reyes will assist clients in a wide range of areas including government investigations, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, government relations and public policy development. While Reyes will be available to Ashcroft Law Firm clients nationwide, he will work primarily in the Austin office of Ashcroft Sutton Ratcliffe, along with former U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton.