The Public Interest Law Society and The Federalist Society are excited to welcome Donovan Borvan ('11), Gregg Nunziata ('01), and Darpana Sheth for a panel on "Public Interest Careers on the Right." Calling on their collective experience working in state government, all three branches of the federal government, and the public interest sector, our three speakers will share how and why they decided to pursue public interest careers and what positive impacts they have affected in the conservative movement and beyond.

Don Borvan, a 2011 University of Chicago Law School graduate, serves as Associate General Counsel to Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner. He is responsible for advising the Governor on litigation strategy and consent decrees involving state agencies and the Governor's Office. Donovan works closely with the Attorney General's office and most state agencies related to litigation. In addition, he is the legal liaison between the Governor's Office and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Illinois State Police, Illinois Dept. of Veterans' Affairs, Office of the Illinois Fire Marshal, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority. Donovan has also been the Acting General Counsel at the Illinois Emergency Management Agency since November. Prior to joining the Governor's Office, Donovan was an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP in the Litigation practice group. Donovan earned his J.D. at the Law School and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee.

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Gregg Nunziata, a 2001 University of Chicago Law School graduate, serves as General Counsel to Senator Marco Rubio. In that capacity, he is the primary legal counsel and a senior policy adviser to Senator Rubio, a member of the Commerce, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Small Business Committees. Before working for Senator Rubio, Mr. Nunziata obtained considerable experience in the public and private sectors. In the private sector, Mr. Nunziata most recently worked as a Senior Director at The Advisory Board Company, advising hospitals and health care companies on the strategic implications of health care reform and emerging market forces. He litigated at Dechert LLP, defending corporations in products liability, consumer fraud, government investigations, and securities fraud cases.

In the public sector, Mr. Nunziata previously served as Chief Nominations Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he played a leading role in the confirmation of President George W. Bush’s judicial nominees, including two Supreme Court Justices. Later, he worked at the Senate Republican Policy Committee under Senator John Thune, where he provided legal analysis and policy counsel on matters relating to the judiciary and legal policy, homeland security, and Senate rules. Mr. Nunziata holds a J.D. from the University of Chicago and a B.A. in Government from Georgetown University. He will receive his M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in May 2016.

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Darpana Sheth is an attorney with the Institute for Justice. She joined the Institute in 2010 and litigates cutting-edge constitutional cases to protect economic liberty and property rights in federal court. Darpana is part of the trial team that won a federal court ruling striking down Louisiana’s government-imposed monopoly on the sale of caskets, a ruling that was upheld on appeal. Currently, Darpana represents medical providers in a constitutional challenge to Virginia’s requirement that medical providers receive government permission in the form of a certificate of need before purchasing medical-imaging devices. Darpana has testified before the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, and the city council of the District of Columbia in favor of efforts to reform civil forfeiture laws.  Darpana testified before the Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on proposed amendments to procedural rules used in federal courts. Her opinions and views on legal issues have been featured in outlets including CNN, The Washington Post, Forbes, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Prior to joining the Institute for Justice, Darpana served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of New York and as law clerk to the Honorable Jerome A. Holmes of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. She also worked in private practice as a litigation associate at the Manhattan law firm of Chadbourne & Parke, LLP.  Darpana graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and History, and attended the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium. She earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and also attended the Washington College of Law’s Program in Law and Government at American University.

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Soul Food is provided, and students can earn Keystone points (Managing and Building Your Career) for attending:

http://goo.gl/Vsh87p

This event is free and open to the public, but seating may be limited.