The NFIB Small Business Legal Center relies on an advisory board comprised of some of America’s leading authorities on law, politics and government. The advisory board works with NFIB to support small business. Advisory board members are:
Jonathan H. Adler
Assistant Professor – Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Jonathan Adler is a renowned expert in environmental and administrative law and has published numerous articles in academic and popular publications and produced three books. Prior to joining the faculty at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Adler clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He also served as a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Maurice Baskin
Venable LLP - Washington, D.C.
Maurice Baskin, a partner at Venable LLP, is a leading authority in the field of labor and employment law. He represented BE&K Construction and Hoffman Plastic Compounds in important NLRB Supreme Court wins. He has served on the Labor Relations Committee of the U.S. Chamber, as well as the Legal Section Council of the American Society of Association Executives. Baskin was named Top Washington Lawyer: Employment Contracts (Washington Business Journal, 2006) and one of the Top 100 Labor Attorneys in the United States (Labor Relations Institute).
James F. Blumstein
University Professor of Constitutional Law & Health Law and Policy – Vanderbilt Law School
James F. Blumstein directs the Health Policy Center at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies and is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. Blumstein has extensive background in appellate litigation, including two successful appearances before the United States Supreme Court.
James W. Dyke, Jr.
McGuireWoods - McLean, Va.
James Dyke is an active leader in the Northern Virginia business community, having served as chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and the Northern Virginia Business Roundtable, among other groups. The former secretary of education for Virginia also served as domestic policy advisor to former Vice President Walter Mondale.
Susan Eckerly
Vice President, Federal Public Policy, National Federation of Independent Business – Washington, D.C.
Susan Eckerly has a strong background in labor and environmental issues gained from her experience working in non-profit organizations, Congress and the U.S. Department of Labor. She serves on the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.
Cameron Findlay
Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Aon Corporation – Chicago
Cameron Findlay served as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor from 2000-2003. He also held important government positions from 1989 to 1992 as deputy assistant to the president and counselor to the chief of staff at the White House and counselor to the secretary of Transportation. He clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia at the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Stephen F. Williams at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
Robert Gasaway
Kirkland & Ellis – Washington, D.C.
Robert Gasaway is a litigation partner, representing associations, businesses and members of Congress on environmental issues, constitutional law and regulatory matters. Gasaway has extensive experience in the courtroom and government agency arenas.
Sherman "Tiger" Joyce
President, American Tort Reform Association – Washington, D.C.
Sherman “Tiger” Joyce is a leader in the tort-reform effort. Prior to heading the American Tort Reform Association, he served as minority counsel to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, where he worked on product-liability legislation.
Edwin L. Lewis
Vice President and General Counsel, Photronics, Inc. – Brookfield, Conn.
Ned Lewis serves on the board of directors for the Atlantic Legal Foundation in New York City, which litigates in support of private enterprise and is a powerful advocate for good scientific testimony in the courtroom. The Atlantic Legal Foundation has partnered with the NFIB Small Business Legal Center to produce advisory materials for small-business owners.
Pamela F. Olson
Partner, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP – Washington, D.C.
One of the nation's foremost tax experts, Pamela Olson served as Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy from 2001 - 2004, providing the Secretary of the Treasury with policy analysis, advice and recommendations relating to all aspects of domestic and international issues of federal taxation, including all legislative proposals, regulatory guidance and tax treaties. Olson has twice been named to the "Tax Business 50," a listing by Tax Business magazine of the 50 most influential individuals in tax worldwide.
Theodore B. Olson
Partner, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher – Washington, D.C.
In his current practice, Ted Olson concentrates on constitutional law, appellate litigation, federal legislation, media and commercial disputes. He was solicitor general of the United States from 2001 to 2004 and served as assistant United States attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel from 1981 to 1984. He has argued 41 cases before the Supreme Court, including Bush v. Gore, stemming from the 2000 presidential election.
James M. Wickett
Counsel, Hogan & Hartson – Washington, D.C.
James Wickett advises and represents corporations, nonprofits, coalitions and trade associations on legislative and regulatory matters. His areas of concentration include tax, energy, environment, judiciary, technology and telecommunications issues. Prior to joining Hogan & Hartson, he practiced in the tax section of a major New York-based law firm. From 1994 to 1998, Wickett was manager of legislative affairs for NFIB, where he was chairman of the Family Business Estate Tax Coalition.
