CERL is pleased to announce the election of Jennifer Arbittier Williams, partner at Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan LLP and former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, to the center’s Executive Board.
“I am excited to welcome Jennifer Arbittier Williams to the CERL Board,” said CERL Faculty Director Claire Finkelstein. “Jennifer has an outstanding reputation as a public servant and dedicated defender of the rule of law based on her service as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and her prior experience in the Justice Department. Her expertise in national security law will be a great asset to CERL. Jennifer has already generously engaged with CERL interns and informal consultations with CERL. We are lucky to have her formally engaged with the center.”
“I am delighted to welcome Jennifer to the board,” said CERL Board Chair Morton H. Halperin. “Her expertise and impressive legal experience will greatly enrich CERL’s efforts to advance public understanding of and guide policymakers on vital rule of law issues.”
“As someone who has dedicated my professional life to national security, I have long admired the work of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law,” said Ms. Williams. “I am truly honored now to be joining its Executive Board and look forward to furthering its critical mission.”
The CERL Executive Board is comprised of 24 members and three emeriti drawn from academia, business, the legal profession, the military, and the intelligence community. A list of current members can be found here.
Jennifer Arbittier Williams was the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from January 2021 – June 2022, and she is now a Partner at the boutique law firm Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan LLP, where her practice focuses on national security, global risk management, cyber security, and compliance. Additionally, she serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, where she teaches National Security Investigations and Prosecutions.
Prior to her service as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Williams served as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania from April 2018 through January 2021 and oversaw the daily operations of the Criminal, Civil, and Administrative Divisions, while also serving as the office’s Crisis Management Coordinator responsible for critical incident response.
Prior to her selection as the First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ms. Williams served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for over 15 years. During that time, Ms. Williams served as the Chief of the National Security and Cybercrime Unit and as the office’s National Security Cyber Specialist. While an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Ms. Williams was the lead prosecutor on a number of significant cases, including United States v. Colleen LaRose a/k/a “Jihad Jane,” which was the first prosecution in the history of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania charging material support of terrorism, and United States v. Nexus Technologies, Inc., which was the first prosecution nationwide charging a corporation with violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Over the course of her career, Ms. Williams has received numerous special achievement awards. For example, Ms. Williams has been awarded the Anti-Defamation League’s SHIELD Award, recognizing her successes in the fight against hate crimes, extremism, and terrorism, and for protecting civil rights. She has also received the Federal Trade Commission’s National Criminal Liaison Award, recognizing her exceptional commitment to consumer protection in partnership with the FTC. In 2022, City & State PA named Ms. Williams one of Pennsylvania’s “Law Power 100: The Legal Eagles Influencing Pennsylvania,” and in 2021 named her one of Philadelphia’s “Power 100.” In addition, Ms. Williams has been lauded for helping create and lead the Threat Intervention and Prevention Network (TIP Network), a public-private partnership that helps organizations assess and mitigate potential threats of targeted violence.
Ms. Williams earned a B.A. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1995. She is a happily married mother of four children and resides with her family in Delaware County, PA.