Lisa Barclay is Counsel in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. She focuses her practice on high profile disputes, investigations, and litigation, including food and drug related matters.

Ms. Barclay joined the firm in 2014 from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), where she had served as Chief of Staff since 2011. In that role, she provided strategic consultation to the FDA Commissioner and senior FDA officials on the agency’s most significant issues and programs, including the regulation of drugs and other medical products, food and tobacco. As Chief of Staff, Ms. Barclay frequently managed complex situations that required an integrated, strategic approach to handling policy, communications, operational and legal issues, and often served as a liaison for the FDA with other parts of the federal government, including the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Ms. Barclay was formerly a partner at Zuckerman Spaeder LLP in Washington, D.C. While there, she represented a range of clients in civil litigation matters, including food and medical product issues, and provided counsel on regulatory matters. In doing so, Ms. Barclay drew from her prior experience working in the Office of Policy at the FDA and as a Congressional staff member.

While in private practice, Ms. Barclay also regularly advised lawyers and law firms on matters involving professional ethics requirements and compliance, confidentiality, fee disputes, partner departures, and law firm break-ups. She has lectured on ethics issues at numerous seminars for lawyers and law firms and was an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center in 2011.