Curriculum Vitae
John W. Nields Jr.
Senior of Counsel
Covington & Burling LLP
850 10th Street. , N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel: 202-662-5058 (o)
202-236-5530 (c)
Email: jnields@cov.com
I. Public Service
Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of New York.
Chief Appellate Attorney 1972-73, responsible for criminal appeals before the
Second Circuit.
Chi ef, Civil Divis ion 1973-74.
Law clerk to Supreme Court Jus tice Byron R. White.
Chief Counsel, Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, Uni ted States House
of Representatives, responsible for Korean Influence Investigation, including
public hearings and four disciplinary trials of sitting members of Congress.
Special Counsel, United States Department of Jus tice, U.S. v. Mark Felt et ano.
Successfully prosecuted second and third ranking officials of FBI for secretly
authorizing warrantless break-ins in to homes of innocent U.S. citizens, copying
their private documents, and falsifying FBI records to conceal the manner in
which the documents were obtained, all in violation of the Fourth Amendment.
Witnesses at the six week trial included four former U.S. Attorney Generals and a
former President of the United States.
Chief Counsel, U. S. House of Representatives Select Committee to Investigate
Covert Arms Transactions with Iran (Iran/Contra Affair). Responsible for
investigation, and lengthy public hearings.
Special Counsel for Rhode Island’s Select Commission to Investigate the Failure
of Risdic- Insured Financial Institutions. The Commission investigated the causes
for the collapse and closure of the State of Rhode ls land ·s state-insured banking
system; issued a report; and held sixteen weeks of locally televised hearings.
1979-2011
II. Private Practice
Partner Howrey & Simon, specializing in white collar criminal defense and
complex antitrust cases.
2011-Present Senior Of Counsel, Covington & Burling, special zing in white collar defense,
and complex antitrust cases.
2000-01
2002-2008
Current
1985
1989-1991
Ill. Professional Activities
President, D.C. Bar
Chair, D.C. Pro Bono Program
Member, American College of Trial Lawyers
IV. Pro Bono
Led a successful challenge to an HHS regulation that would have required
federally funded birth control clinics to notify parents before prescribing birth
control to teenagers.
Represented a class of homeless persons seeking to enforce rights under the
District of Columbia Right to Overnight Shelter Law. Obtained preliminary
injunction, consent decree, and several contempt fines totaling $4 million, that
were placed in a trust fo r the benefit of homeless people, resulting in 400 new
units of housing.
Education
B.A. Yale University 1964
LLB University of Pennsylvania Law School 1967