Philip Perry
Encyclopedia
Philip J. Perry is an American
attorney
and was a Bush Administration political appointee. He was Acting Associate Attorney General at the Department of Justice
, General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, and General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security
. He is a partner at Latham & Watkins
in Washington, D.C.
.
degree in English
from Colorado College
in 1986. He was awarded the Juris Doctor
degree from the Cornell Law School
in 1990.
hearings on campaign finance
abuses in the 1996 presidential campaigns.
and served in a number of roles before being named acting Associate Attorney General (the Department’s third-ranking official), overseeing DOJ's five civil litigating units: Civil, Tax, Environment and Natural Resources, Antitrust, and Civil Rights.
to be General Counsel for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In that capacity, he supervised the White House's clearance of federal regulations, mediated interagency disputes, addressed matters on the DOJ's civil litigation docket, formulated presidential executive orders, developed White House policy initiatives, and advised the president. Among his tasks as general counsel was drafting the legislation that created the new Department of Homeland Security. Kenneth Feinberg
, special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
called Perry "a first-rate lawyer," "quiet but determined, " and the "unsung hero" of the team of lawyers faced with settling the issue of which family members of September 11 victims would be eligible to receive compensation. Perry suggested that in cases where family wills did not stipulate beneficiaries (80%), the matter should be determined under the inheritance laws of the state in which a victim held residence.
clients such as defense contractor
Lockheed Martin
or others filing for liability protection under the Safety Act, which protects government contractors from being sued in the event of a terrorist attack. The Washington Post reported that at Latham & Watkins, Perry was "a leader of its homeland security practice," and that in 2003 and 2004 he was registered as a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin.
and the White House
on the Department's legal and policy issues. Issues of influence for Perry included, but were not limited to, "the transit of people and cargo, comprehensive immigration reform, and critical infrastructure such as chemical plants." A Cornell university alumni newsletter reports, "While at DHS, he was joined by Gus P. Coldebella '94, current acting general counsel, and Julie L. Myers '94, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He had substantial involvement in the passage of legislation authorizing DHS to regulate chemical site security. Chertoff is a former partner at Latham & Watkins, LLP. Perry was also "closely involved" in the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
(CFIUS) National Security Agreement process.
, who is an alumna of Colorado College
. They have five children. Elizabeth Cheney is the daughter of former Vice President
Dick Cheney
. She is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
at the State Department
, and was a member of the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group
,
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and was a Bush Administration political appointee. He was Acting Associate Attorney General at the Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
, General Counsel of the Office of Management and Budget, and General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security
United States Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security is a cabinet department of the United States federal government, created in response to the September 11 attacks, and with the primary responsibilities of protecting the territory of the United States and protectorates from and responding to...
. He is a partner at Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins
Latham & Watkins LLP is a global law firm, one of the largest in the world. Latham currently employs approximately 2,000 attorneys in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The firm was started in Los Angeles in 1934 and has extensive Californian roots, but its largest office is now...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Education
Perry graduated with a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in English
English major
The English Major is a term in the United States and a few other countries for an undergraduate university degree focused around the consumption, analysis, and production of texts in the English language...
from Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
in 1986. He was awarded the Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School
Cornell Law School, located in Ithaca, New York, is a graduate school of Cornell University and one of the five Ivy League law schools. The school confers three law degrees...
in 1990.
Counsel to United States Senate/Campaign Finance Abuse
In 1997-98, Perry was Counsel to the United States SenateUnited States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
hearings on campaign finance
Campaign finance
Campaign finance refers to all funds that are raised and spent in order to promote candidates, parties or policies in some sort of electoral contest. In modern democracies such funds are not necessarily devoted to election campaigns. Issue campaigns in referendums, party activities and party...
abuses in the 1996 presidential campaigns.
2000 Presidential Transition Team
In 2000, he was a policy advisor for the Bush-Cheney presidential transition team and an advisor on the Vice Presidential Debate preparation team. Of Perry, Cheney said, "He was tough...much tougher than I would have been on my father-in-law."Department of Justice
Perry joined the Department of JusticeUnited States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
and served in a number of roles before being named acting Associate Attorney General (the Department’s third-ranking official), overseeing DOJ's five civil litigating units: Civil, Tax, Environment and Natural Resources, Antitrust, and Civil Rights.
Office of Management and Budget
In 2002, Perry then moved to the White HouseWhite House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to be General Counsel for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In that capacity, he supervised the White House's clearance of federal regulations, mediated interagency disputes, addressed matters on the DOJ's civil litigation docket, formulated presidential executive orders, developed White House policy initiatives, and advised the president. Among his tasks as general counsel was drafting the legislation that created the new Department of Homeland Security. Kenneth Feinberg
Kenneth Feinberg
Kenneth Feinberg is an American attorney, specializing in mediation and alternative dispute resolution. Feinberg was appointed Special Master of the U.S...
, special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
September 11th Victim Compensation Fund
The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund was created by an Act of Congress, the AirTransportation Safety and System Stabilization Act , shortly after 9/11 to compensate the victims of the attack in exchange for their agreement not to sue the airline corporations involved...
called Perry "a first-rate lawyer," "quiet but determined, " and the "unsung hero" of the team of lawyers faced with settling the issue of which family members of September 11 victims would be eligible to receive compensation. Perry suggested that in cases where family wills did not stipulate beneficiaries (80%), the matter should be determined under the inheritance laws of the state in which a victim held residence.
Latham & Watkins Homeland Security Practice Group
After three years of federal service, Perry returned to Latham & Watkins as a partner in 2003, where he joined their litigation and regulatory groups, serving as counsel on behalf of Fortune 500Fortune 500
The Fortune 500 is an annual list compiled and published by Fortune magazine that ranks the top 500 U.S. closely held and public corporations as ranked by their gross revenue after adjustments made by Fortune to exclude the impact of excise taxes companies collect. The list includes publicly and...
clients such as defense contractor
Defense contractor
A defense contractor is a business organization or individual that provides products or services to a military department of a government. Products typically include military aircraft, ships, vehicles, weaponry, and electronic systems...
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
or others filing for liability protection under the Safety Act, which protects government contractors from being sued in the event of a terrorist attack. The Washington Post reported that at Latham & Watkins, Perry was "a leader of its homeland security practice," and that in 2003 and 2004 he was registered as a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin.
General Counsel for Department of Homeland Security
In April 2005, President George Bush nominated Philip Perry to be the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security. In his position as the General Counsel for the DHS, Perry supervised over 1,500 lawyers, and advised Secretary Michael ChertoffMichael Chertoff
Michael Chertoff was the second United States Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush and co-author of the USA PATRIOT Act. He previously served as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, as a federal prosecutor, and as assistant U.S. Attorney...
and the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
on the Department's legal and policy issues. Issues of influence for Perry included, but were not limited to, "the transit of people and cargo, comprehensive immigration reform, and critical infrastructure such as chemical plants." A Cornell university alumni newsletter reports, "While at DHS, he was joined by Gus P. Coldebella '94, current acting general counsel, and Julie L. Myers '94, assistant secretary of Homeland Security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He had substantial involvement in the passage of legislation authorizing DHS to regulate chemical site security. Chertoff is a former partner at Latham & Watkins, LLP. Perry was also "closely involved" in the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is an inter-agency committee of the United States Government that reviews the national security implications of foreign investments in U.S. companies or operations. Chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury, CFIUS includes representatives...
(CFIUS) National Security Agreement process.
Return to Private Sector
On February 6, 2007, Perry left the DHS and returned to Latham & Watkins, where he will handle high profile litigation, federal regulatory matters and chair the firm's Public Policy Practice Group. Among the cases Perry handled was one ruled on by the Supreme Court, Entergy Corp. v. Riverkeeper.Awards and honors
Mr. Perry has been recognized as a leading litigator in the Euromoney Institutional Investor Benchmark: Litigation 2008 guide.Personal life
Perry is married to Elizabeth CheneyElizabeth Cheney
Elizabeth Cheney Perry , commonly called Liz, is an American attorney. During the George W. Bush administration years, she held positions in the State Department of the United States...
, who is an alumna of Colorado College
Colorado College
The Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell...
. They have five children. Elizabeth Cheney is the daughter of former Vice President
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
. She is the former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs
The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs is the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the American Department of State. The Assistant Secretary guides operation of the U.S. diplomatic establishment in various countries of North Africa and the Middle East and advises...
at the State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
, and was a member of the Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group
Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group
The Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group was an interagency organization formed in early 2006 within the U.S. government, consisting of officials from the State Department, White House, Central Intelligence Agency, Treasury Department, and other agencies that worked, to influence regime change...
,
Quotes by Philip Perry
- "The term 'revolving door' implies people going in and out of government in order to obtain monetary gain. The reason people go into government is to serve their country. It's not appropriate to describe that as a 'revolving door.'"
- "It was an honor to serve the country at such an important time in its history."