Charles J. Cooper serves on the board of directors for the Virginia Institute for Public Policy and is a founding member and chairman of Cooper & Kirk, PLLC, one of Washington, D.C.’s premier litigation boutiques. Recognized as one of the nation’s top litigators by the National Law Journal, Mr. Cooper’s distinguished legal career spans over five decades, with notable highlights that include arguing nine cases before the United States Supreme Court and numerous appeals before all 13 federal circuits and several state supreme courts. He has represented both high-profile public figures and private clients in complex, precedent-setting constitutional and civil rights cases.
Mr. Cooper began his career with prestigious clerkships for Judge Paul Roney on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice William H. Rehnquist on the U.S. Supreme Court. Following his clerkships, he joined the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and, in 1985, was appointed by President Ronald Reagan as Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel, where he advised the White House and federal agencies on constitutional and statutory matters.
In 1996, Mr. Cooper co-founded Cooper & Kirk, PLLC, where he leads a practice that covers constitutional, commercial, administrative, healthcare, and civil rights litigation, among other areas. Over his career, he has represented numerous Members of Congress, several Governors and U.S. Senators, and distinguished public officials in cases involving some of the nation’s most high-profile issues.
In addition to his litigation work, Mr. Cooper has served on the Standing Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Judicial Conference of the United States and on the National Commission on Judicial Discipline and Removal. He is a member of the American Law Institute and the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and has published extensively on constitutional law and policy.
