Will Gunn retired rather than compromise his integrity in the prosecutions of detainees under the Bush Administration. He is an attorney of the highest integrity, who also has taken time to give back and advocate for youth at risk. The White House Press Release with his background follows. I have heard him speak, know attorneys who have worked side-by-side with him, and his lawyering has my full respect. This appointment shows that President Obama respects – and does not fear – competence and his intellectual equals. I say this not because Will Gunn is a “Harvard guy” but inspite of that fact. He comes from that parallel current within the Harvard legal community of commitment to public service, the taking of responsibility for the body politic, rather than going after power and money and looking down on anyone who did not go to Harvard, as some Harvardites do seem to do.
A recipient of the American Bar Association’s Outstanding Career Military Lawyer Award, Will A. Gunn is an attorney who represents military members and veterans in private practice in Northern Virginia. He retired from the Air Force in 2005, where he served as a Colonel in the Judge Advocate Generals (JAG) Corps. He is also a former White House Fellow. In 2003, Gunn was named the first-ever Chief Defense Counsel in the Department of Defense Office of Military Commissions. Gunn built a defense team and supervised all defense activities for detainees selected for trial before military commissions. His efforts earned respect and admiration for his principled leadership and commitment to ensuring that detainees received effective representation. A native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, Gunn is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and is a Cum Laude graduate of Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, he was elected President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the nation’s oldest student run legal services organization. He also has a Masters of Laws degree in Environmental Law from the George Washington University School of Law and a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Gunn is active in the civic life of his community. He chairs the American Bar Association’s Commission on Youth at Risk and serves on the board of Christian Service Charities. In 2005 Gunn was named President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. He has been featured in The New Yorker magazine and The Wall Street Journal. Gunn has also received many awards and honors includi ng the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau’s Outstanding Alumni Award.
Will Gunn is no one’s fool and no “Yes man” – this is a worthy apppointment.