Bryson Morgan is a Member in the Political Law and Exempt Organizations practice groups, where he assists advocacy groups, corporations, candidates, and political committees to structure and conduct their political efforts in compliance with federal, state, and local laws, and respond to government inquiries.
Mr. Morgan rejoined Caplin after serving as Investigative Counsel to the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Congressional Ethics from 2013 to 2015, where he conducted investigations into alleged misconduct by Members of Congress and congressional staff. His private practice and government experience give him a well-rounded perspective on political law compliance, and make him an authority on congressional ethics rules and investigations.
Services
At Caplin, Mr. Morgan helps clients navigate the complex laws governing political activity and issue advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels, including campaign finance, lobbying, "pay-to-play," and ethics laws. He also advises corporations, nonprofit advocacy groups, lobbying and government relations firms, political committees, candidates, and officeholders involved in criminal and civil political-law investigations by the Federal Election Commission ("FEC"), Department of Justice ("DOJ"), Foreign Agents Registration Act Unit (“FARA”), Internal Revenue Service, House Committee on Ethics, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics, Office of Congressional Ethics ("OCE"), and state and local enforcement agencies.
Mr. Morgan's experience conducting congressional ethics investigations uniquely positions him to advise clients through all stages of high-stakes investigations into political activity, from responding to inquiries and requests for information, to preparing witness testimony and negotiating settlement agreements.
Mr. Morgan is also a leading authority on campaign finance, government ethics, and redistricting reform, and recently drafted legislation to create an independent redistricting commission and redistricting criteria that was enacted into law by ballot initiative in 2018.
Illustrations of Mr. Morgan's work for clients, include:
- Serving as general counsel to a 2020 Democratic presidential campaign;
- Serving as outside counsel to Democratic and independent congressional candidates;
- Serving as general counsel to a 2016 Democratic presidential campaign;
- Advising former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg on a potential 2016 presidential campaign;
- Vetting individuals for high-level government appointments and elected offices;
- Serving as a legal consultant for Netflix’s hit series House of Cards;
- Drafting legislation to create an independent redistricting commission and statutory redistricting criteria;
- Drafting legislation to reform campaign finance and government ethics laws;
- Responding to political law complaints, inquiries, and audits from enforcement agencies;
- Conducting internal investigations and compliance reviews related to political activities;
- Resolving government enforcement actions related to the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA); and
- Presenting training sessions to corporate and nonprofit clients on political activity compliance and best practices.
Highlights
Mr. Morgan graduated with honors from the University of Utah and Harvard Law School. During law school, he served as a legal clerk to the U.S. House of Representatives Office of Congressional Ethics and interned at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston, Massachusetts in the Economic Crimes Unit. He also co-founded PlayoffPAC, which was nominated in 2011 for Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year award for its work in bringing down college football's unpopular former post-season system, the Bowl Championship Series.
Prior to attending law school, Mr. Morgan co-authored a college textbook on interest groups and lobbying in the United States, Lobbying in American (ABC-CLIO, 2009), researched the development of interest groups in Lithuania under a grant from the National Science Foundation, and interned at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working in the areas of campaign finance, redistricting, and government ethics.
Mr. Morgan currently authors two chapters of Thomson Reuters’ legal treatise on political law addressing pay-to-play and procurement lobbying rules
Admissions & Education
Bar & Court Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Utah
Education
J.D., Harvard Law School, 2011, cum laude
H.B.A., The University of Utah, 2007, cum laude; Harry S. Truman Scholar; Phi Beta Kappa
Recognitions & Noteworthy
Honors & Recognitions
- Chambers USA, 2021-Present
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, Washington, D.C., 2019-2021
- Washingtonian, Top Lawyers,
Government Service
Investigative Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives Office of Congressional Ethics, 2013-2015
Intern, U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, Economic Crimes Unit, 2011
Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives Office of Congressional Ethics, 2009 & 2010
