TYSONS (July 11, 2024) – Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin recently appointed Holland & Knight Partner John Brownlee to the Board of Visitors of William & Mary in Virginia. Mr. Brownlee, who received his law degree from William & Mary, was sworn in at a ceremony on July 10 in Richmond, Virginia, for a four-year term. The Board of Visitors is a 17-member governing body that supervises the operations of the college.
Mr. Brownlee is a partner in Holland & Knight's Tysons, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., offices and serves as co-chair the firm's White Collar Defense and Investigations Team and as the practice group leader for the firm's Virginia litigation group. He has extensive experience in False Claims Act (FCA) litigation, white collar defense, securities enforcement, and internal and Congressional investigations, having represented many companies and individuals in criminal and civil litigation, as well as in administrative matters before various federal and state agencies. He is recognized as a leading white collar defense attorney by Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Brownlee also served on the firm's Directors Committee for nine years.
Mr. Brownlee previously served more than 10 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, both as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. As U.S. Attorney, Mr. Brownlee and federal prosecutors from his office convicted an American pharmaceutical company, the manufacturer and distributor of the highly addictive opioid, OxyContin, for misbranding the drug, and his investigation and prosecution was depicted in the Hulu miniseries, "Dopesick."
William & Mary was chartered in 1693 and is the second oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. The school offers a top-rated academic experience while being consistently recognized as one of the best values in the nation. It has been ranked among the best colleges and universities in America in numerous categories by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal, among other media outlets.