Charles Tiefer

Charles Tiefer brings with him to the firm 45 years of experience as a lawyer and scholar. Before entering academia, Mr Tiefer served in the office of  general counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives for 11 years, rising to General Counsel of the House. Mr Tiefer is the author of five books and several dozen articles, is a frequent witness before Congress, has litigated extensively across the country, and is often quoted in national publications.

Mr. Tiefer’s books include The Polarized Congress (Univ. Press of Am.2016), Veering Right (U. Cal. Berkeley 2004); Government Contract Law: Cases and Materials (2004 2d ed. Carolina Academic Press) (co-author); The Semi-Sovereign Presidency (1994); and Congressional Practice and Procedure (1989), a 1000-page treatise. Mr Tiefer has published articles on legislation, separation of powers, government contracting, and administrative law, among other subjects, in such legal periodicals as the Harvard Journal of Legislation, Yale Journal of Regulation, and the Stanford Journal of International Law. In addition, he has written dozens of contemporary pieces as a “regular contributor” on Forbes.com.

Mr. Tiefer has broad experience in complex litigation, legislation, and administrative law matters. These matters have involved diverse subject matters-from qui tam, government contracting, and regulatory challenges, Medicare and Medicaid issues, to campaign finance and contempt of Congress. With CGL specifically, Mr. Tiefer has served as a crucial architect of Plaintiffs’ legal theories in cases that have recovered billions of dollars, including:

• The Enron securities litigation, which recovered over $7 billion for defrauded investors;
• The Hungarian Gold Train case, which led to a $25.5 million dollar settlement and first-of-its-kind statement by the U.S. government acknowledging its part in the events surrounding the looting of Holocaust survivors’ property on the Gold Train in the final days of WWII;
• Automotive Parts Antitrust Litigation, which recovered more than $400 million for automobile dealerships in thirty jurisdictions.

Mr. Tiefer has also served an integral role in many of CGL’s current cases, most notably including his work helping construct many of the legal theories behind litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors on behalf of hospitals across the nation.

Beyond sizable recoveries, Mr. Tiefer’s practice at CGL has also helped protect millions of Americans through arguments and amicus curiae briefs submitted to the Supreme Court, including:

• In Dickerson v. United States, successfully defending the constitutionality of Miranda rights against overzealous legislative provisions;
• In McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, successfully defending nearly every provision in the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, in order to help preserve the integrity of our nation’s electoral system.

EDUCATION

• J.D. (magna cum laude), Harvard Law School (1977) Member, Harvard Law Review
• B.A. (summa cum laude), Columbia College (1974)

SUBSTANTIVE PRACTICE AREAS

• Corporate Governance
• Government Contracting
• Government Regulation
• Class Actions

BAR ADMISSIONS

• District of Columbia

COURT ADMISSIONS

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Federal Claims

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• District of Columbia Bar Association

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