| Philip J. Perry | |
|---|---|
| General Counsel Department of Homeland Security |
|
| In office 2005 – February 6, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Joe D. Whitley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | October 16, 1964 (age 46) San Diego, California, USA |
| Nationality | U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Cheney |
| Residence | McLean, Virginia |
| Alma mater | Cornell Law School (J.D.) Colorado College (B.A.) |
| Profession | Attorney |
| Website | Biography at Latham & Watkins, LLP, website |
Philip J. Perry (born October 16, 1964[1] in San Diego County, California) 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..
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Perry graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Colorado College in 1986. He was awarded the Juris Doctor degree from the Cornell Law School in 1990.[2]
In 1997-98, Perry was Counsel to the United States Senate hearings on campaign finance abuses in the 1996 presidential campaigns.[2]
In 2000, he was a policy advisor for the Bush-Cheney presidential transition team and an advisor on the Vice Presidential Debate preparation team.[3] Of Perry, Cheney said, "He was tough...much tougher than I would have been on my father-in-law."[3]
Perry joined the Department of Justice 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.[4]
In 2002, Perry then moved to the White House 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.[5] Among his tasks as general counsel was drafting the legislation that created the new Department of Homeland Security.[6] Kenneth Feinberg, special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund called Perry "a first-rate lawyer," "quiet but determined, "[5] 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.[7]
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 500 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.[7] 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.[6]
In April 2005, President George Bush nominated Philip Perry to be the general counsel of the Department of Homeland Security.[6] In his position as the General Counsel for the DHS, Perry supervised over 1,500 lawyers, and advised Secretary Michael Chertoff 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."[5] 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.[5] He had substantial involvement in the passage of legislation authorizing DHS to regulate chemical site security.[5] Chertoff is a former partner at Latham & Watkins, LLP.[8] Perry was also "closely involved" in the inter-agency Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) National Security Agreement process.[4]
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.[9]
Mr. Perry has been recognized as a leading litigator in the Euromoney Institutional Investor Benchmark: Litigation 2008 guide.[2]
Perry is married to Elizabeth Cheney, 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,