Asa Hutchinson

Asa Hutchinson uses his experience as a former federal prosecutor, defense lawyer and former government official to represent clients in the areas of white collar criminal defense, complex litigation, international export controls and sanctions, corporate international relations, homeland security, and corporate investigations and compliance. Asa also is an adjunct professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowmen School of Law teaching National Security Law.

In 1982, President Ronald Reagan appointed Asa as the youngest United States Attorney in the nation. Prior to his election to Congress in 1996, Asa practiced law for 21 years, successfully defending clients in major white collar crime cases, while maintaining a vigorous civil litigation practice. As a Member of Congress from the 3rd District of Arkansas, Asa served on the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees, among others. As a result of his extensive trial experience, he was appointed by the House of Representatives to try the impeachment case against former President Clinton in the United States Senate. He received praise across the political spectrum for his reasoned and professional presentation.

After being elected to his third term in Congress, Asa was appointed by President George W. Bush as Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2001, where he combined tough law enforcement initiatives with advocating increased investment in treatment and education programs.

In January 2003, Asa was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be the first Under Secretary of the newly created Department of Homeland Security. As one of the nation’s top-ranking homeland security officials, Asa was responsible for more than 110,000 federal employees housed in such agencies as the Transportation Security Administration, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center. Asa resigned in 2005 and subsequently joined the Venable LLP law firm in Washington, DC as a Senior Trial Counsel and a partner within Venable’s Litigation Division.