Jamila Marie Brinson is a zealous advocate for her clients. She understands that one size does not fit all and that each client’s legal needs and goals are unique. She listens to and partners with each client to craft and implement legal strategies to obtain the best possible result in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of distraction to her clients’ business. Jamila is fluent in Spanish and utilizes her language skills to the benefit of her clients.

Jamila chairs Jackson Walker’s Diversity & Inclusion Counseling practice, which serves clients who are committed to fostering inclusion in its corporate culture by implementing and maintaining effective and legally compliant diversity, equity, and inclusion related strategy, policies and procedures. She is often brought in by clients to conduct workplace culture assessments and propose plans of action to remedy legal concerns and decrease risk. Jamila actively participates in academic, community and law firm efforts to recruit, develop, retain and celebrate a more diverse and inclusive workforce. In support of those efforts, Jamila previously coordinated Jackson Walker Women (JW2) in the Firm’s Houston office, and remains an active supporter and participant. JW2 is a committee dedicated to creating opportunities for women attorneys to develop their professional skills, supporting their efforts to balance work and family, and providing a platform to generate business and pursue leadership positions. For several years, Jamila has coordinated the Houston office’s participation in the University of Houston Law Center’s Pre-Law Pipeline Program, mentoring students, facilitating “Dress for Success” workshops and coordinating internships at the Firm for program participants to gain exposure to law firm practice.

Chris is the Managing Attorney at Lomax Legal. He began his career with the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice over a decade ago, and soon established a stellar reputation for taking on and winning complex, difficult cases in jurisdictions across the nation. Chris investigated and successfully prosecuted law enforcement officers who violated people’s Constitutional rights, as well as individuals who committed hate crimes and human trafficking offenses. Before long, Chris was handling high profile cases of national importance, tirelessly pursuing and securing justice on behalf of the American people.

Following his tenure with the Department of Justice, Chris made the strategic decision to pursue a clerkship with Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. As a federal appellate law clerk, Chris was immersed in a rigorous intellectual experience that provided him an invaluable and unparalleled opportunity to sharpen his skills as a uniquely versatile advocate.

This additional training catapulted Chris to the next phase of his career, where he focused his practice on complex civil litigation at Jones Day, a prestigious law firm that consistently ranks as one of the top 10 law firms in the world. His work at Jones Day included representing Fortune 500 corporations in high stakes complex litigation and white collar investigations, and earning the trust of clients across industries.

In addition to his full-time legal practice, Chris serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law and is on the teaching faculty for Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop.

Gillian Murphy helps employers of all sizes successfully navigate every aspect of the employment relationship. From recruiting to termination and everything in-between, Gillian teams with HR and management to find pragmatic solutions that limit legal risk and meet business objectives.

Gillian spends the majority of her time advising clients on a variety of legal issues such as leave and disability law compliance, policy development, executive compensation, and discrimination investigations. She also regularly conducts management and front-line employee training programs on a range of employment topics and is known for her engaging presentation style. While Gillian serves employers across all industries, she has particular expertise in the restaurant and hotel space, as well as the nonprofit sector.

Preston Pugh is a partner at the firm’s Washington, D.C. office and serves as co-chair of its Chambers-ranked False Claims Act practice, focused on cases involving allegations of waste, fraud, and abuse. Clients rely on him in particular for his experience in investigations of board-related complaints, crisis management, and reputational risk assessments; early intervention strategies for whistleblowers and complaint responses; and, defending cases at trial. He has led hundreds of complex investigations, both in the U.S. and globally, including investigations conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Health and Human Services, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Defense, and the U.S. Congress. He has successfully tried, arbitrated, and advocated on appeal numerous federal and state cases. His extensive experience includes roles as lead outside counsel for multinational corporations and large organizations; head of global compliance investigations for GE Healthcare; Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago; and an independent compliance monitor appointed multiple times. His contributions have been acknowledged in the 2024 edition of Savoy magazine’s “Most Influential Lawyers” and in The Legal 500, among others.

Preston possesses a deep understanding of both established and emerging whistleblower regulatory frameworks, both domestically and internationally. He was recently consulted by the Department of Justice regarding the launch of its new Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program in August 2024, as well as on the “Further Revisions to Corporate Criminal Enforcement Policies” memo, known as the September 2022 “Monaco Memo.” His investigations have covered a wide range of allegations, including health care and securities fraud, ethical misconduct, foreign corrupt practices, money laundering, violations of anti-kickback laws, OSHA violations, product safety violations, toxic workplace issues, and insider trading.

Preston currently serves as a liaison between the ABA Criminal Justice Section and the U.S. Department of Justice; a member of the board of the NYU Program on Corporate Compliance and Enforcement, a preeminent corporate compliance think tank; a member of the steering committee for the Federal Bar Association Qui Tam Section; and a member of the board of the National Legal Aid and Defender Association. He was recently the lead author in the first-ever chapter on the False Claims Act in the Global Investigations Review Annual Compliance Guide and is published extensively on investigations and crisis management. He also serves as the moderator of the False Claims Act panel at the ABA National Institute on White Collar Crime. In addition, Preston is part of a small group that has worked with senior DOJ leaders from around the country to create the first Charlotte E. Ray lecture at Howard University School of Law.