Stephen Gilson
Counsel
sgilson@kaiserdillon.com | P (202) 624-3288
Stephen Gilson is a former federal prosecutor and in-house counsel for a large research university who now uses his broad litigation experience to represent individuals and corporations at every stage of criminal or civil proceedings. From internal inquiries to government investigations and litigation, all the way through trial, Stephen utilizes his unique insight into how the government conducts investigations and prosecutions to provide thorough, thoughtful, and vigorous representation.
As a federal prosecutor, Stephen led numerous government investigations and prosecutions of criminal matters. He managed investigative teams of agents from various agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security. Stephen routinely appeared before the District Court for hearings at each stage of the criminal proceedings and he served as lead counsel in multiple trials, both jury and non-jury.
As in-house legal counsel at a large “R1” research university, Stephen managed legal teams in successfully defending the university in civil suits in both state and federal court (including multiple dismissals before trial). He also represented the University in investigations conducted by state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Energy, all of which resulted in no findings against the university. Stephen served as lead counsel to the university in matters pertaining to discrimination, including investigations under Title IX, Title VI, Title VII, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Prior to his government service and in-house experience, Stephen was in private practice at a large firm in Washington, D.C. In that role, Stephen defended individuals and corporations in civil and criminal proceedings, with a focus on highly regulated industries, including healthcare and telecom. In his time at the firm, Stephen successfully defended a C-suite corporate client under federal investigation for healthcare fraud, resulting in prosecutors dropping the case entirely and declining to bring an indictment. He also assisted in the successful representation of a nationwide telecom provider in inquiries related to a corporate merger and resulting antitrust concerns.
Stephen has utilized his expertise in federal investigations and litigation to design and teach three law school courses on the subject. He has also lectured on a wide range of issues, including Title IX, Title VII, and LGBTQI rights.
Stephen is a cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, where he won multiple awards for his moot court advocacy, including a National Championship at the Navy JAG Moot Court Competition. Stephen also served as Managing Editor of the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law.
Stephen is licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C., New York, Pennsylvania, and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.
Education
- J.D., University of Michigan Law School, cum laude
- B.A., Philosophy & Political Science, University of Michigan, cum laude
Government Service
- Assistant United States Attorney, Western District of Pennsylvania
Stephen Gilson
Counsel
sgilson@kaiserdillon.com | P (202) 624-3288
Justin Dillon Publishes Op-Ed in the Washington Examiner: Biden’s Title IX changes would roll back fairness and due process on campus
July 5, 2022Justin Dillon Interviewed by Doug McKelway at The Washington Examiner: The Future of Title IX: A Conversation with Justin Dillon
June 15, 2021Justin Dillon Coauthors Opinion for USA Today: Ending due process: Reinstating Catherine Lhamon at the Dept. of Education is a mistake
June 14, 2021Justin Dillon Coauthors Opinion for the National Review: Why Does Joe Biden Hate Due Process?
March 25, 2021Justin Dillon Coauthors Opinion for New York Daily News: The ACLU vs. due process: The nonprofit takes a surprising stand against more rights for those accused on campus
May 21, 2020Justin Dillon Quoted in New York Times: DeVos’s Rules Bolster Rights of Students Accused of Sexual Misconduct
May 6, 2020Justin Dillon Coauthors Opinion for the National Review: Coronavirus Is No Excuse to Delay the Education Department’s New Title IX Regulations
March 30, 2020Justin Dillon Publishes Opinion for The Chronicle of Higher Education: New Title IX Proposal Would Restore Fairness in Sexual-Misconduct Cases
November 19, 2019Law 360 – “Handling Corporate Congressional Probes In The Trump Era” co-authored by Bill Pittard
January 17, 2019Matt Kaiser and Justin Dillon in The Washington Post: The Education Department wants to make campus sexual misconduct hearings fairer. It should go further.
September 6, 2018Justin Dillon Opinion Piece in The Washington Post – “The Common App will no longer require disclosure of criminal history. But what it still asks is more troubling.”
August 23, 2018Law360 – “The Latest On Sexual Harassment Reform On The Hill” by Bill Pittard
February 23, 2018Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-Ed for The Washington Post: Lawyers: DeVos is bringing due process to campus sexual assault cases
September 11, 2017Justin Dillon Quoted in The Washington Post: Kushner to face intel committee on Monday behind closed doors
July 23, 2017Law 360 – “When Russia Investigations Collide” by Bill Pittard
June 7, 2017Justin Dillon Publishes Opinion for Above The Law: Everything You Think You Know About Campus Sexual Assault Is Wrong: A Review Of ‘The Campus Rape Frenzy’
March 23, 2017Justin Dillon Coauthors Op-Ed for The Harvard Crimson: The Hidden Perils of Affirmative Consent Policies
March 22, 2017Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-Ed: Minnesota’s Failed Football Boycott Was a Blow to Fairness in Campus Sexual Assault Hearings
December 20, 2016Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-Ed in Los Angeles Times: Absurdity Reigns in Campus Sexual Assault Trials.
April 21, 2016Justin Dillon Publishes Op-Ed on Lawnews.com: Why We Are Suing the Government on Behalf of Students Accused of Sexual Misconduct
April 13, 2016Matt Kaiser Guest Blogs on Washington Legal Foundation The Legal Pulse: Overcriminalization Timeline: Mens Rea, Public Welfare Offenses and Responsible Corporate Officer Doctrine
November 16, 2015Matt Kaiser and Justin Dillon Publish an Editorial in the Los Angeles Times: How to Punish Campus Sexual Assault
November 14, 2015Matt Kaiser Publishes an Editorial in The Washington Times: Being an Executive is not a Crime
November 11, 2015Matt Kaiser and Justin Dillon Publish Editorial in LA Times: Why It’s Unfair for Colleges to Use Outside Investigators in Rape Cases.
September 16, 2015Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-Ed in the National Law Journal: The DOJ’s Crackdown on White-Collar Crime Creates ‘Cruel Alternative’
September 14, 2015Matt Kaiser and Justin Dillon Publish Op-ed in The Weekly Standard: The Campus Sex Scene: How Congress Can Make It Worse
August 6, 2015Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-ed in The Washington Post: We’ve defended lots of campus sexual assault cases, so we know just how unfair they are
July 24, 2015Matt Kaiser Publishes Editorial in Baltimore Sun: A Minimum of Reform
November 14, 2014Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-Ed in San Diego Union-Tribune: California Bill Won’t Solve Sexual Assault Problem on Campus
September 3, 2014Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Op-Ed in Boston Herald: College Courts Flunks Fairness Test
August 16, 2014Matt Kaiser Publishes an Article for Time Magazine: Some Rules about Consent are “Unfair” to Male Students”
May 15, 2014Matt Kaiser and Justin Dillon Publish an Editorial in the Wall Street Journal: The White House Flunks a Test on Sexual Assault
May 5, 2014Justin Dillon and Matt Kaiser Publish Opinion for The Wall Street Journal: The White House Flunks a Test on Sexual Assault
May 5, 2014Matt Kaiser and Justin Dillon Publish a Letter to the Editor in the New York Times: The Rights of the Accused
April 28, 2014Jennifer Short authors “The False Claims Act,” and “Settling With The Government,” in The Corporate Compliance Answer Book 2010 by the Practicing Law Institute in June 2010.
June 8, 2010Publication by Jennifer Short appears in the Holland & Knight Health Law and Life Science Alert, titled “Health Care Reform: While Debate Rages, Enforcement Proposals Take Shape.” This article was published August 2009.
August 8, 2009In May 2009, Jennifer Short pens and publishes an article titled “President Obama Signs Landmark Anti-Fraud Bill Into Law,” in the Holland & Knight Government Contracts Alert.
May 8, 2009Stephen Gilson
Counsel
sgilson@kaiserdillon.com | P (202) 624-3288
Stephen Gilson
Counsel
sgilson@kaiserdillon.com | P (202) 624-3288
