(Philadelphia, May 4, 2022) Robert Kelner, who is a partner at Covington & Burling LLP in Washington, D.C., where he chairs the firm’s Election and Political Law Practice Group, has joined the Executive Board of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), affiliated with the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

“We are honored to have Rob Kelner join the CERL Board,” said CERL Faculty Director Claire Finkelstein.  “As one of the top election law attorneys in the country, and a great expert in national security matters connected with democratic governance, Rob will bring new expertise to CERL and help the center expand its reach. We are delighted to welcome Rob to CERL.”

Mr. Kelner is a leading authority on the Foreign Agents Registration Act, as well as federal and state campaign finance and lobbying disclosure laws. He is ranked by Chambers USA as one of the top political law and congressional investigations attorneys in the country and has represented clients before every major congressional investigation committee, as well as the House and Senate Ethics Committees.

“I’m very pleased to be invited to join CERL’s Executive Board, recognizing the important role that CERL plays in drawing attention to, studying, and preserving the rule of law,” said Mr. Kelner. “The University of Pennsylvania is one of America’s great institutions, and I am grateful to be associated with it as well. I look forward to drawing on my experience in the law, particularly national security law and government ethics, to contribute to CERL’s important mission.”

Mr. Kelner counsels clients on a wide range of political law and government ethics matters, and defends them in civil and criminal law enforcement investigations concerning political activity. He also leads the firm’s prominent congressional investigations practice.  He has defended numerous corporations and individuals in investigations by the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Security Division and Public Integrity Section, the Federal Election Commission, Offices of Inspector General, and other federal and state agencies. 

Mr. Kelner’s impressive legal experience includes serving as Chair of Covington’s Professional Responsibility Committee and as a general counsel of the firm, Adjunct Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, former member of the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Election Law, and former Chairman of the District of Columbia Bar’s Legislative Practice Committee.