Washington, D.C. – The Republican National Lawyers Association (RNLA) elected five new members to its Board of Governors at its annual board meeting on December 8, 2022. These elite attorneys will help to lead the over 7,000-member-strong organization.
RNLA Chair Harmeet Dhillon stated: “I am thrilled to welcome such a distinguished group of incoming board members to our organization. Service on RNLA’s Board of Governors provides an opportunity for lawyers who care about the profession and the party to not only donate their time, but also to lead and shape the national conversation on how to ensure free and fair elections. I look forward to working with these colleagues in the coming year!”
These five attorney members of the Board of Governors were elected for 2023, joining the incumbent members of the Board:
Michael Columbo is a Partner at the Dhillon Law Group. As a seasoned attorney, he provides his clients with strategic counsel and zealous advocacy, focusing on anti-corruption and government ethics practice, including whistleblower/contract fraud, conflicts of interest/self-dealing, transparency (public participation and public records rules), and government interference in elections. He also serves as counsel to state and federal candidate campaigns, political action committees, and nonprofits, including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations, advising them on formation, governance, fundraising, and communications.
Joy Lee is General Counsel for the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC). Joy is experienced in state and federal campaign finance and election law, ethics, tax-exempt organizations, strategic communication, and major large-scale events of national significance designated as National Special Security Events (NSSE) by the President or the Department of Homeland Security, having worked in a variety of in-house political counsel roles. In her current role as General Counsel of the RSLC, the political committee is dedicated to recruiting and electing Republicans to state legislatures and to the offices of lieutenant governor and secretary of state. Previously, Joy served as in-house counsel at the Republican National Committee (RNC); the 2020 Republican National Convention; U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on House Administration; the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee; and Americans for Prosperity. Joy has also served as the RNLA Vice President for Washington, D.C. Operations.
Trevor Stanley is a partner with BakerHostetler, representing clients in election matters in all fifty states and beyond. He is also the RNLA Vice President for Election Education. Trevor focuses his practice in the areas of litigation and political law and provides legal guidance to some of the largest Super PACs and political committees in the United States. He also advises presidential candidates, members of Congress and other individuals and organizations in the political arena on campaign finance, “pay-to-play,” ethics and lobbying regulations. Trevor has particular experience in the state campaign finance regime. He has appeared on behalf of clients in federal and state courts, as well as before state election boards and the Federal Election Commission.
Philip Thomas is a Member at Chalmers, Adams, Backer, & Kaufman LLC where he focuses his practice on the intersection of law, politics, and government at the federal and state levels. He previously served as the Chief Counsel—as well as Political Director and Strategy Director—for the North Carolina Republican Party. Philip has counseled and represented political committees, candidates, elected officials, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, lobbyists, and business entities. Philip has also served as Deputy General Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and has experience in every branch of North Carolina state government—including working in the Lt. Governor’s office, the NC State House, the NC State Senate, the NC Court of Appeals, and several administrative agencies. He is the Chair of RNLA’s North Carolina Chapter.
Darby Grant Thorne is Managing Associate at Holtzman Vogel, providing counsel in the areas of campaign finance, election law, lobbying and ethics compliance, and tax-exempt organizations. She served as Deputy General Counsel to the NRSC during the 2020 election cycle where she advised the committee on matters of campaign finance, election law, and Senate ethics compliance. Previously, she served as an attorney for the Special Counsel in the Office of White House Counsel and as the Director of Gift Protocol where she established gift protocol and procedures for the White House. She was formerly associate counsel for the 58th Presidential Inaugural Committee. She has worked as an attorney for multiple government agencies and has worked on various political campaigns.
For more information about the members of the Board of Governors, please visit the “Leadership” page on the RNLA’s website: http://www.rnla.org/leadership.
The RNLA is the national organization of Republican attorneys. The mission of the RNLA is to advance professionalism; open, fair, and honest elections; career opportunity; and Republican ideals. For more information, please visit http://www.rnla.org.
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