Former Department of Homeland Security General Counsel Rejoins O’Melveny

February 07, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, DC—February 7, 2017—Stevan E. Bunnell, former general counsel of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is rejoining O’Melveny as a partner in two high-profile practice groups: White Collar Defense & Corporate Investigations and Data Security & Privacy. 

As DHS’s chief legal officer from 2013 to 2017, Bunnell advised senior leadership on all significant legal, policy, and operational issues, working with officials around the world on such matters as cybersecurity, data privacy, aviation security, immigration and border security, government procurement, and the protection of critical infrastructure. Before joining DHS, Bunnell was the managing partner of O’Melveny’s Washington, DC, office, where he represented corporate and individual clients in civil and criminal matters. 

“Steve’s extensive experience working with DHS’s many agencies and components in such critical areas as cybersecurity and international data privacy will provide our clients with a unique perspective on some of the most pressing issues facing their businesses today,” said Bradley J. Butwin, chair of O’Melveny. “A consummate O’Melveny citizen and partner, Steve will work with several firm leaders to find new ways to serve clients on a range of litigation matters.”

Bunnell adds further depth to O’Melveny’s leading Data Security & Privacy Practice, which counts among many others in its ranks: former US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon—who was appointed by President Obama to lead a commission charged with creating a detailed analysis of the top cybersecurity concerns facing businesses—former Cabinet Secretary and Senior Advisor to the President, Danielle Gray; former Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition, Rich Parker; and former resident legal advisor to the US Embassy in Beijing and federal cybercrime prosecutor Ron Cheng.

Drawing on his experience in high-stakes criminal, civil, and regulatory enforcement matters, Bunnell’s practice at O’Melveny will span cybersecurity, aviation security, international data privacy, criminal antitrust, healthcare fraud, money laundering and financial institutions fraud, securities fraud, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, government corruption, company monitoring, and False Claims Act matters.

“O’Melveny has a long tradition of welcoming back lawyers after serving in the government, and I’m proud to be part of that,” Bunnell said. “Being able to work with such exemplary lawyers at the firm that I’ve known from both my government career and my time in private practice makes this move feel more like coming home.”

Bunnell has a history of public service, acting as a federal prosecutor for the Department of Justice for 17 years. In 2002, he became the first chief of the newly created Fraud and Public Corruption Section within the DC US Attorney’s Office, which was responsible for all federal white collar and public corruption cases in the office. Two years later, he was promoted to be the Chief of the Criminal Division, where he oversaw all federal criminal prosecutions brought by the office.  

Bunnell is a member of the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School. He previously served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Assistant United States Attorney Association, the Executive Committee of the Edward Bennett Williams Inn of Court, and the Board of Directors of the DOJ’s Just-Us-Kids Childcare Center. He is also a former Vice Chair of the Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section of the DC Bar.

Bunnell received his law degree in 1986 from Stanford Law School and a bachelor’s in history in 1982 from Yale University. 

About O’Melveny
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Contact:
Julie Fei                                                                    
O’Melveny & Myers LLP                             
213.430.7792                                               
jfei@omm.com                                

Chris Till
O’Melveny & Myers LLP                             
202.383.5237                                               
ctill@omm.com       

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