# Stanley Woodward (attorney)

Stanley Edmund Woodward Jr. is an American attorney who is currently an assistant to the president and senior counselor. He was previously with Brand Woodward Law. His clients have included those subpoenaed or convicted for the January 6 United States Capitol attack, and aides to Donald Trump.

## Education

Woodward earned a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from the American University in 2004. He earned a Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law in 2008.

## Legal career
### 2008–19

Woodward served as a law clerk for three judges from 2008 to 2010: Judge Vanessa Ruiz of the D.C. Court of Appeals, and Judge Joan Zeldon and Chief Judge Rufus G. King III of the D.C. Superior Court.
Woodward then worked for the law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for 10 years, from 2010 until mid-2020. While there he led the Housing Law practice group of the firm's D.C. office. His clients at Akin Gump included C.F. Folks, a longstanding downtown D.C. luncheonette.
In 2018, Woodward was one of two recipients of the D.C. Bar's Laura N. Rinaldi Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year award for representing tenants facing eviction in the District.

### 2020–2025

He co-founded a law firm, Brand Woodward, Attorneys at Law, in 2020. Woodward's law partner, Stanley M. Brand, is also a former Akin Gump lawyer, and formerly general counsel for the U.S. House of Representatives during the Tip O'Neill era. Woodward represents individuals and companies in white-collar criminal cases, as well as government and internal investigations and civil litigation. He has also worked as defense counsel in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act matters. Woodward previously served as a part-time lecturer and adjunct professor at his alma mater, Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. He has taught pre-trial litigation and employment law courses there.
In 2020, the D.C. Judicial Nomination Commission recommended Woodward as one of three finalists to fill a vacancy on the D.C. Superior Court. However, another finalist, Rupa Ranga Puttagunta, was appointed to fill the judicial seat.
In 2023, Judge Aileen Cannon agreed to a US Justice Department request to hold a hearing to examine potential conflicts of interest of Woodward, who represents both Trump's co-defendant Walt Nauta as well as potential witnesses in the federal Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, and Trump’s offer to pay for the attorneys of those involved in his litigation. At the hearing, Nauta waived his right to a conflict-free attorney, and Cannon allowed Woodward to continue representing him.
Notable clients of Woodward include:
* Oath Keeper Kelly Meggs — he was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol (Meggs was sentenced to 12 years in prison).
* Longtime Donald Trump aide Dan Scavino, whom Woodward represented in fighting a subpoena from the United States House Select Committee on the January 6 Attack.
* Ex-Trump aide Kash Patel, whom Woodward represented in connection with Patel's grand jury appearance related to Trump's retention of classified documents and national defense-related documents after his presidency.
* Ryan Samsel, a Pennsylvania man — he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer during the January 6 attack (Samsel is incarcerated).
* Federico "Freddie" Klein, a Trump administration staffer in the State Department — he was convicted in July 2023 of violent participation in the January 6 attack (Klein was sentenced to 5 years and 10 months in prison).
* Then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and House Minority Whip Steve Scalise — Woodward and his partner filed a brief on behalf of the Republican leaders in support of Steve Bannon in the criminal contempt of Congress case against Bannon (Bannon was found guilty, and sentenced to four months in prison).
* Peter Navarro, a former Trump aide — he was found guilty of criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena issued by the January 6 committee (Navarro was sentenced to 4 months in jail).
* Walt Nauta, Trump aide — he was indicted alongside Trump on federal criminal charges in 2023 following an investigation into Trump's retention and handling of classified documents and national defense-related documents after his presidency. Trump's Save America PAC pays Woodward's legal fees for his representation of Nauta.
* Yuscil Taveras, Trump's director of information technology at Mar-a-Lago (named as "Trump Employee 4" in the indictment in the prosecution of Trump on mishandling of documents). While represented by Woodward, Taveras testified to a federal grand jury that he was unable to recall any discussions about security-camera footage at Mar-a-Lago. Taveras subsequently dropped Woodward as his attorney and cooperated with prosecutors in the investigation (including giving a proffer session); Taveras acknowledged that his previous testimony had been false, and gave new testimony implicating Trump and Nauta.

### Senior Counselor

On January 5, 2025, President-elect Donald Trump announced Woodward would serve as an assistant to the president and senior counselor in his second term.

## Personal

Woodward married Kristin McGough in 2012. She is also a lawyer. As of 2012, they lived in Washington's Columbia Heights neighborhood.