John L. Brownlee J.D. '94, P '22
John Brownlee is a partner at the international law firm of Holland & Knight and chair of the firm's National White Collar Defense and Investigations Team. He also is member of the firm's Executive Committee. Mr. Brownlee has extensive experience in white collar defense, securities enforcement, and internal and Congressional investigations, having represented many companies and individuals in criminal and civil litigation, as well as in administrative matters before various federal and state agencies. He has litigated numerous cases to verdict.
Mr. Brownlee has had a distinguished career in public service, serving more than 10 years at the U.S. Department of Justice – both as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia and as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. During his tenure at the Justice Department, he spearheaded a myriad of high-profile investigations and prosecutions including, the first conviction of a major defense contractor for violating the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, convictions of corrupt public officials, and helped develop a novel legal theory by using the Violence Against Women Act in a successful double-murder prosecution.
Mr. Brownlee is perhaps most well-known for leading a team that secured the first conviction of a major pharmaceutical company for its role in the opioid epidemic in the United States. In 2007, after a five-year investigation, Purdue Pharma, and its top three executives, were convicted of misbranding its powerful opioid, OxyContin, and ordered to pay a record $634 million in fines. Mr. Brownlee testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee regarding the investigation and was lauded by both political parties for his work on the case. Mr. Brownlee and his team of prosecutors are depicted in the Hulu award-winning miniseries, "Dopesick," which explores the origins of America's opioid crisis and follows his team's investigation and prosecution of Purdue Pharma.
Prior to entering law school at William & Mary, Mr. Brownlee served on active duty in the U.S. Army in the infantry, and later in the Judge Advocate General Corps (U.S. Army Reserves), and is a graduate of the Army's Airborne and Ranger programs. After law school, Mr. Brownlee served as a judicial law clerk for U.S. District Judge Sam Wilson in Roanoke, Virginia. John and his wife, Lee Ann Necessary Brownlee, have two adult daughters, Thompson (B.S. '22) and Catherine.
Email: [[bov]]
2024-2025 Committee Assignments
Committee on Academic Affairs
Committee on Institutional Advancement
Appointed
July 1, 2024 by Governor Glenn Youngkin
