American University Washington College of Law

Partner at Berke Farah LLP

William J. Farah is Managing Partner of Berke Farah LLP.  Prior to founding Berke Farah LLP, Bill served as a partner and as practice group co-chair at McGuireWoods LLP. Bill's practice focuses on representing and advising clients on the laws regulating political activity, including federal, state and local campaign finance, anti-corruption, lobbying, gift and gratuity, pay-to-play and government ethics laws.  This includes representing clients in enforcement proceedings, inspector general and Congressional investigations and conducting internal investigations.  Bill also assists presidential appointees in navigating the Senate confirmation process.  He has been named by Washingtonian as one of "Washington’s Best Lawyers.”  Bill's clients include numerous Fortune 500 companies, national trade associations, Political Action Committees (PACs) and super PACs, candidates for political office, public relations and lobbying firms, and nonprofit organizations. He served as general counsel to Biden for President in 2007-08 and Clark for President in 2003-04, and has been legal advisor to a number of U.S. Senators and members of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also has represented several nominees for cabinet and ambassadorial positions.  For 14 years, Bill has been a professorial lecturer of law at The George Washington University School of Law in Washington, D.C., and in 2014 he served in a similar position for the University of Georgia Law School Washington Semester Program.  In 1999, Mr. Farah served as general counsel to the NATO 50th Anniversary Summit Host Committee, a nonprofit formed by the transatlantic business community to assist the White House and State Department in hosting the NATO Washington Summit.  He is a graduate of the University of Rochester and a cum laude graduate of American University Washington College of Law.

Berke Farah LLP

Partner

Mr. Farah co-chairs McGuireWoods Political Law Group, representing clients on the campaign finance, anticorruption, lobbying and government ethics laws ("Political Law").  His clients include Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, PACs, campaign organizations and non-profits engaging in legislative and political affairs.  Mr. Farah regularly represents clients before the Federal Election Commission, the US Dept. of Justice, the Congressional Ethics Committees, the US Office of Gov't Ethics, the US Office of Special Counsel, agency inspector generals, and the IRS, as well as State, municipal and local election, lobbying and ethics authorities.  Mr. Farah has been legal counsel in a number of high-profile political investigations, and has represented several nominees for Cabinet and ambassadorial positions requiring Senate confirmation.  He has served as general counsel to two presidential campaigns: Biden for President (2007-08) and Clark for President (2003-04), and served as legal advisor to a number of Senators and House Members, including their campaign committees and leadership PACs.  In 1999, Mr. Farah was general counsel to the NATO 50th Anniversary Summit Host Committee, a tax-exempt charity formed by the transatlantic business community to assist the White House and State Dept. in hosting the NAT0 Washington Summit.  His law practice includes conducting internal investigations and helping clients design and implement effective compliance programs.  This includes preparig detailed policies and procedures, developing compliance materials and conducting training/review sessions for client personnel.  For the last 12 years, Mr. Farah has been a Professional Lecturer of Law at the George Washington Unversity Law School in Washington D.C, where he teaches a class on lobbying and the laws regulating legislative and campaign activities. .

William Farah