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Former Senior Counsel and Special Assistant to President Biden, Alicia O'Brien specializes in investigations and enforcement actions by Congress, state attorneys general, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and other federal agencies. Drawing on two decades of crisis management and government investigations experience in both the public and private sector – including senior leadership positions in the White House and DOJ – Alicia assists clients in a wide variety of industries navigate these high-stakes, multi-faceted matters. She routinely advises on the significant legal, business, political, and public relations risks and opportunities unique in congressional and parallel government investigations, and manages all stages of these matters, including large-scale subpoena responses, witness preparation, high-profile testimony, and public messaging. She also leads internal investigations and advises on proactive and remedial compliance measures, as well as mitigation of reputational risk and business disruption.
Prior to rejoining King & Spalding, Alicia most recently served on the senior leadership team of the White House Counsel’s Office where she led the Ethics and Compliance team. In this role, she served as a key advisor to officials in the White House and throughout the Executive Branch, regularly engaging with agency general counsels, members of the Cabinet, and other Administration officials, as well as Congress, the Office of the Special Counsel, and the Office of Government Ethics.
Alicia previously served at DOJ during the Obama Administration, as an Associate Deputy Attorney General in the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legislative Affairs. In these capacities, she advised DOJ leadership on complex, sensitive matters, and managed the Department’s responses to congressional oversight, as well as parallel inquiries by inspectors general and other federal agencies. Alicia regularly prepared DOJ's most senior officials for numerous congressional hearings, member briefings, and other congressional engagement on a broad range of issues.
Throughout the course of her government positions and extensive advocacy for her clients in private practice, Alicia’s valued judgment and deep relationships with public officials and senior advisors on both sides of the aisle have allowed her to provide astute strategic counsel and engage effectively on oversight, policy and regulatory issues.
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