27th Annual National Firearms Law Seminar (Presented by the National Rifle Association Foundation)

John Sigler, Esq., Past President & Board Member |National Rifle Association

John Sigler is a Past President and current Board Member of the National Rifle Association, where he serves on the Legal Affairs Committee, the Protest Committee, the High Power Rifle Committee (as chairman), and the F-Class High Power Rifle Committee (as chairman). He is a Trustee of the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund and a member of the NRA Executive Council. A retired Police Captain, lifelong hunter, and active High Power Rifle competitor, John is a co-founder of both the National Firearms Law Seminar and the Delaware Association of Second Amendment Lawyers, which conducts the annual Delaware Firearms Law Seminar. He also served for many years as a pro bono Second Amendment lobbyist in the Delaware General Assembly. John holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice Administration from Wilmington College, an M.A. in Business Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University, and a Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from the Delaware Law School of Widener University. He is admitted to the bars of Delaware, Maryland, and the Supreme Court of the United States, and recently retired from active practice after careers in law enforcement, general counsel service, and Chancery Court litigation.

• Education & Credentials

John holds a B.A. in Criminal Justice Administration from Wilmington College, an M.A. in Business Management and Supervision from Central Michigan University, and a Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, from the Delaware Law School of Widener University. He is admitted to the bars of Delaware and Maryland, and to the Supreme Court of the United States. His legal career spanned private practice, 25 years as in-house General Counsel for a multi-state healthcare concern, and a final chapter of Counsel work at the Delaware firm of Street and Ellis focused exclusively on Equity Jurisprudence and Chancery Court litigation. He recently retired from active practice and holds Emeritus membership in the Delaware Bar.

• Recognition & Leadership

John is the recipient of the Taurus International Defender of Freedom Award and Delaware’s Defender of Freedom Award — recognitions that reflect his decades of service to Second Amendment rights as a lobbyist, lawyer, and national firearms organization leader. His co-founding of the National Firearms Law Seminar and the Delaware Association of Second Amendment Lawyers established enduring institutions for firearms law education and advocacy. As a former member of the United States F-Class (Open) Rifle Team and a current NRA Board committee chairman, he brings both the practitioner’s and competitor’s perspective to his leadership of the national firearms law community.

• Professional Involvement

John serves on multiple NRA Board committees including Legal Affairs, Protest, and both High Power Rifle committees, and is a Trustee of the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund and a member of the Executive Council. He co-founded the National Firearms Law Seminar and the Delaware Association of Second Amendment Lawyers, and served as a pro bono Second Amendment lobbyist in the Delaware General Assembly for
many years. His involvement spans competition shooting, law enforcement leadership, corporate legal counsel, and Chancery Court advocacy — a breadth of professional engagement that defines his career.

• Experience

John Sigler’s career is one of the most multifaceted in the firearms law community. He served as a Police Captain before earning his law degree Cum Laude from Widener’s Delaware Law School and building a legal career that included private practice, 25 years as in-house General Counsel for a multi-state healthcare organization, and a final chapter at Street and Ellis focused on Equity Jurisprudence and Delaware Court of Chancery litigation. Throughout, he maintained an active role in the NRA — eventually serving as President — and built parallel careers as a competitive rifle shooter, co-founder of two firearms law institutions, and pro bono Second Amendment lobbyist. His Taurus and Delaware Defender of Freedom Awards and his Supreme Court bar admission cap a career defined by service, scholarship, and sustained advocacy for constitutional rights.

Professor Mark W. Smith, Esq., Visiting Fellow, Oxford University; Distinguished Scholar | Ave Maria School of Law

Professor Mark W. Smith is a Visiting Fellow in Oxford University’s Pharmacology Department and a Distinguished Scholar and Senior Fellow of Law and Public Policy at Ave Maria School of Law. A New York Times bestselling author of eight books, he hosts the Four Boxes Diner YouTube channel — whose educational videos on Second Amendment scholarship, history, and issues have been viewed more than 72 million times. His Second Amendment scholarship has been cited by federal courts and by attorneys in landmark Supreme Court cases including NYSRPA v. Bruen, Wolford v. Lopez, and United States v. Rahimi. A graduate of NYU School of Law and a former federal law clerk, Mark has lectured at Oxford University, Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and Princeton University. He was previously associated with Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom and a partner at Kasowitz Benson Torres & Friedman before founding Smith Valliere PLLC.

• Education & Credentials

Mark earned his Juris Doctor from the NYU School of Law and clerked for a federal judge before entering private practice. His academic credentials include a Visiting Fellowship at Oxford University and a Distinguished Scholar designation at Ave Maria School of Law. As a New York Times bestselling author of eight books and a scholar whose work has been cited in connection with landmark Supreme Court Second Amendment cases, his scholarly credentials are matched by few practitioners in the firearms law field. His Four Boxes Diner YouTube channel — with over 72 million educational video views — extends his scholarly reach to a broad national audience.

• Recognition & Leadership

Mark’s Second Amendment scholarship has been cited by federal courts and by attorneys in NYSRPA v. Bruen, Wolford v. Lopez, and United States v. Rahimi — three of the most significant Second Amendment cases before the Supreme Court in recent years. He is a New York Times bestselling author of eight books and has lectured at Oxford, Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, and Princeton University. His Four Boxes
Diner YouTube channel, with over 72 million views, represents one of the most widely consumed platforms for Second Amendment legal education in the country.

• Professional Involvement

Mark is actively engaged in Second Amendment scholarship, legal education, and public communication. He maintains his Oxford Visiting Fellowship and Ave Maria Distinguished Scholar roles while continuing to produce content for the Four Boxes Diner channel and publish scholarly work cited in federal and Supreme Court proceedings. His prior practice at Skadden Arps and Kasowitz Benson Torres, and his founding of Smith Valliere PLLC, reflect a career that integrates elite law firm experience with sustained constitutional scholarship.

• Experience

Mark Smith’s career spans elite law firm practice, federal clerkship, constitutional scholarship, and public legal education at a scale few academics or practitioners achieve. After NYU Law and a federal clerkship, he practiced at Skadden Arps and Kasowitz Benson Torres before founding Smith Valliere PLLC in New York City. He simultaneously built a parallel career as a Second Amendment scholar — lecturing at Oxford, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, authoring eight New York Times bestselling books, and hosting a YouTube channel that has delivered over 72 million views of Second Amendment educational content. His scholarly work has now been cited in three Supreme Court Second Amendment cases, cementing his standing as one of the most influential voices in the modern firearms law landscape.

John Frazer, Esq., Secretary | National Rifle Association of America

John Frazer is the Secretary of the National Rifle Association of America, a position he has held since 2015. He joined the NRA staff in 1993 and spent two decades in the NRA Institute for Legislative Action, including seven years as a federal lobbyist and six years as Director of ILA’s Research and Information Division. In 2013, he left the NRA to establish a private law practice in Fairfax, Virginia, representing gun owners, dealers, manufacturers, and importers, before returning as Secretary in 2015. He also served as the NRA’s General Counsel until 2024. John holds a bachelor’s degree in government and history from Bowdoin College and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia, and earned his Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law (now the Antonin Scalia Law School) in 2008. He is admitted to practice in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and several federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States.

• Education & Credentials

John holds a Bachelor of Arts in Government and History from Bowdoin College, a Master’s degree from the University of Virginia, and a Juris Doctor from the George Mason University School of Law — now the Antonin Scalia Law School — which he earned in 2008 while working full-time at the NRA. He is admitted to practice in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and multiple federal courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. His combination of legislative, research, and legal credentials reflects a career built at the intersection of firearms policy, law, and advocacy.

• Recognition & Leadership

John’s tenure as NRA Secretary since 2015 — and as General Counsel until 2024 — places him among the most senior officers of the nation’s largest and most influential firearms rights organization. His seven years as a federal lobbyist for the NRA ILA gave him firsthand experience advancing Second Amendment rights in Congress, and his six years directing ILA’s Research and Information Division shaped the substantive content of the NRA’s national policy advocacy. His decade of private firearms law practice between his NRA tenures, and his Supreme Court admission, reflect the depth of his legal credentials alongside his organizational leadership.

• Professional Involvement

As NRA Secretary, John administers and oversees operations related to the NRA’s board elections, board meetings, and Annual Meeting of Members. His involvement in NRA governance spans more than three decades — from staff roles in ILA through his current officer position — giving him an institutional knowledge of the organization’s structure, history, and operations that is virtually unmatched. He has taught at multiple continuing legal education seminars on firearms law and has advised and represented a private clientele of gun owners, dealers, manufacturers, and importers, reflecting broad engagement with the practical legal dimensions of firearms regulation.

• Experience

John Frazer’s more than 30-year relationship with the NRA spans federal lobbying, research direction, private firearms law practice, general counsel service, and his current role as Secretary. Joining the NRA staff in 1993, he built expertise across every dimension of Second Amendment advocacy — legislative, legal, and policy — before earning his law degree at George Mason in 2008 while working full-time. His 2013 departure to private practice allowed him to deepen his client-side experience before returning as Secretary in 2015. His dual roles as Secretary and General Counsel until 2024 made him one of the most consequential figures in NRA governance during a period of significant legal and institutional challenge, and his Supreme Court admission and CLE teaching reflect ongoing engagement with the professional dimensions of firearms law.

Professor Robert J. Cottrol, Professor of History and Sociology | George Washington University

Professor Robert J. Cottrol is the Harold Paul Green Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School and Professor of History and Sociology in the Columbian College at George Washington University, where he has taught since 1995. A specialist in American and Comparative Legal History, he also teaches criminal law. His scholarship has been cited by the United States Supreme Court and by the Third and Ninth Circuits, and has appeared in the Yale Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, Boston University Law Review, and Texas Law Review, among others. He is the author or editor of multiple acclaimed books in legal history and the co-author, with Brannon P. Denning, of To Trust the People with Arms: The Supreme Court and the Second Amendment (University Press of Kansas, 2023), which won the 2025 Thomas M. Cooley Book Prize from the Georgetown Center for the Constitution.

• Education & Credentials

Professor Cottrol holds the Harold Paul Green Research Professorship in Law at GW Law — one of the law school’s most distinguished named chairs — and a joint appointment as Professor of History and Sociology in the Columbian College. His scholarship has been published in the Yale Law Journal, Georgetown Law Journal, Boston University Law Review, and Texas Law Review, and has been cited by the Supreme Court and multiple circuit courts. His book on Brown v. Board of Education won the Langum Project Prize for Historical Literature in 2003, and his most recent Second Amendment co-authorship won the 2025 Thomas M. Cooley Book Prize from the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. He has also lectured at law faculties in Brazil and Argentina, reflecting an internationally recognized scholarly profile.

• Recognition & Leadership

Professor Cottrol’s scholarly recognition is among the most distinguished in the firearms law and legal history fields. His co-authored book To Trust the People with Arms (2023) won the 2025 Thomas M. Cooley Book Prize from the Georgetown Center for the Constitution — the leading prize in constitutional law scholarship. His Brown v. Board of Education co-authorship won the 2003 Langum Project Prize for Historical Literature and was a History Book Club selection. His first book was selected by Choice as an outstanding academic book for 1983, and his edited volume on Gun Control and the Constitution was a History Book Club Book of the Month selection. His scholarship has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court and by the Third and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeals.

• Professional Involvement

Professor Cottrol is an adjunct professor at La Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires and has lectured at the Pontifical University of Rio Grande do Sul and the Federal Universities of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, as well as at law faculties at La Universidad de Buenos Aires, La Universidad del Museo Social, and La Universidad de Palermo in Argentina. He previously taught at Rutgers University and Boston College and visited at the University of Virginia. His ongoing scholarship — including a forthcoming co-edited volume on Afro-Argentine life in the twentieth century — reflects sustained engagement with both Second Amendment jurisprudence and broader themes in comparative and American legal history.

• Experience

Professor Cottrol has been one of the most prolific and consequential scholars in American legal history and Second Amendment jurisprudence for more than four decades. His career spans teaching at Rutgers, Boston College, and GW Law; authorship of multiple prize-winning books on race, constitutional rights, and the right to bear arms; and international lecturing in Brazil and Argentina. His most recent Second Amendment co-authorship — providing a comprehensive history of the right to bear arms from 17th-century England through NYSRPA v. Bruen — has already won the 2025 Georgetown Cooley Book Prize, cementing his standing as one of the leading scholars in the field. His scholarship cited by the Supreme Court and circuit courts reflects the real-world impact of a career built on rigorous historical and constitutional analysis.

David B. Kopel, Research Director, Independence Institute; Senior Fellow | University of Wyoming Firearms Research Center

David B. Kopel is Research Director of the Independence Institute in Denver and a Senior Fellow at the University of Wyoming Firearms Research Center and an Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute. He is the author of more than 125 scholarly articles and 20 books, including the law school textbook Firearms Law and the Second Amendment. His scholarship and legal briefs have been cited in seven Supreme Court cases, by Justices Alito, Breyer, Kagan, Stevens, and Thomas, and in more than 130 lower court decisions. Since 2003, he has been a columnist for the Volokh Conspiracy, currently hosted by Reason magazine.

• Education & Credentials

David holds scholarly appointments at three leading research institutions — as Research Director of the Independence Institute, Senior Fellow at the University of Wyoming Firearms Research Center, and Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute. His credentials include authorship of over 125 scholarly articles, 20 books, and the leading firearms law school textbook, as well as a record of citation in seven Supreme Court cases and more than 130 lower court decisions. His sustained presence as a Volokh Conspiracy columnist since 2003 reflects ongoing engagement with the legal scholarly community. (Specific academic credentials are not included in the provided biography.)

• Recognition & Leadership

David’s scholarship has been cited in seven Supreme Court cases and by five sitting Justices — Alito, Breyer, Kagan, Stevens, and Thomas — placing him among the most judicially influential scholars in any area of constitutional law. His legal briefs and scholarly work have been cited in more than 130 lower court decisions, and his Firearms Law and the Second Amendment textbook has shaped how firearms law is taught in law schools across the country. His authorship of more than 20 books and 125 scholarly articles reflects an output of extraordinary volume and impact in the Second Amendment and firearms law fields.

• Professional Involvement

David serves simultaneously as Research Director of the Independence Institute, Senior Fellow at the University of Wyoming Firearms Research Center, and Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute — a combination of policy, academic, and research roles that keeps him engaged across the full spectrum of Second Amendment scholarship and advocacy. His Volokh Conspiracy column, running continuously since 2003 and currently hosted by Reason magazine, provides ongoing commentary on firearms law developments for a professional and academic audience. His brief writing on behalf of parties and amici in Supreme Court and lower court proceedings reflects active engagement with the litigation side of Second Amendment law.

• Experience

David Kopel has spent his career building the intellectual foundations of modern Second Amendment law — through scholarship, teaching, brief writing, policy research, and public commentary. As Research Director of the Independence Institute and a fellow at Wyoming’s Firearms Research Center and the Cato Institute, he occupies central positions in the think tank and academic ecosystems that have shaped the development of firearms jurisprudence over the past three decades. His record of citation in seven Supreme Court cases and by five Justices is virtually unmatched among firearms law scholars, and his 20 books and 125-plus articles have made him one of the most prolific and consequential voices in the field. His Volokh Conspiracy column provides a real-time record of his ongoing engagement with the legal developments his scholarship has helped shape.

Jonathan Goldstein, Esq., Firearms Law & Election Law Attorney | NRA Board Member

Jonathan Goldstein is a firearms law and election law attorney who brings nearly 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and business owner to his legal practice. He is a volunteer attorney for several firearms organizations including the NRA, an NRA-certified pistol instructor, and an active CLE presenter on firearms law and safety across Pennsylvania. In April 2025, he was elected to the NRA Board of Directors and serves as chair of the NRA Finance Committee and as a member of the NRA Legal Affairs Committee and a trustee of the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund. He previously served as a non-director member of the NRA Board’s Legal Affairs Committee and on the NRA’s 2016 Nominating Committee. Jonathan holds both his undergraduate degree and his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania, and is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington D.C., several circuit courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States — where his firm argued a case in the 2023–2024 term. Since September 2025, he has taught a course on Second Amendment law as an adjunct at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School.

• Education & Credentials

Jonathan holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1993) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School (2005). He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Washington D.C., several circuit courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States, before which his firm argued a case in the 2023–2024 term. He is an NRA-certified pistol instructor and teaches a Second Amendment law course as an adjunct at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. A brief he prepared was cited favorably by Justice Alito in his Bruen concurrence — one of the most direct forms of Supreme Court recognition a practitioner brief can receive.

• Recognition & Leadership

Jonathan received the NRA Institute for Legislative Action’s Defender of Justice Award in May 2011 for his tireless service to the Constitution with particular emphasis on protection and furtherance of the Second Amendment. A brief he prepared was cited favorably by Justice Alito in his Bruen concurrence, reflecting direct Supreme Court acknowledgment of his advocacy. He was elected to the NRA Board of Directors in April 2025 and serves as chair of the NRA Finance Committee. His Supreme Court argument in the 2023–2024 term and his adjunct teaching at Penn Carey Law School reflect a practitioner whose standing has grown to the highest levels of both litigation and legal education.

• Professional Involvement

Jonathan serves on the NRA Board of Directors as Finance Committee chair and Legal Affairs Committee member, and as a trustee of the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund. He volunteers as a firearms law attorney for multiple firearms organizations, including the NRA, and actively lectures on firearms law and safety at CLE events across Pennsylvania through providers including CAPE, NACLE, and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. He teaches a Second Amendment law course at Penn Carey Law School. In addition to his legal practice, he is an active private equity investor focused on acquiring and turning around small American manufacturing companies, and holds a commercial pilot license — reflecting the entrepreneurial breadth he brings to all of his professional endeavors.

• Experience

Jonathan Goldstein has built a practice at the intersection of firearms law, election law, and entrepreneurial business advising, drawing on nearly 25 years of experience as a business owner and investor. His Bruen concurrence citation, his Supreme Court argument in the 2023–2024 term, and his NRA Board leadership reflect a practitioner who has earned recognition at the highest levels of both Second Amendment litigation and organizational governance. His 2025 appointment as an adjunct at Penn Carey Law School adds a formal legal education dimension to a career already defined by CLE teaching, volunteer legal service, and policy advocacy. His commercial pilot license and private equity investing reflect the same entrepreneurial energy and breadth of engagement that have characterized his legal career from its earliest days.

Rachel Palmer Hooper, Esq., Partner | BakerHostetler

Rachel Palmer Hooper is a trial lawyer and partner at BakerHostetler who focuses on criminal law and complex civil litigation. With particular skill in communicating complicated litigation for juries, she handles difficult investigations and constitutional and statutory questions in state and federal courts across the country. She draws on her experience as a prosecutor at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to formulate effective strategies for each client, and has led clients through extensive state investigations and multidistrict litigation where her understanding of law enforcement operations has proven decisive. Rachel’s practice reflects a commitment to giving clients the peace of mind to continue managing their businesses while she and her team resolve complex legal matters.

• Education & Credentials

Rachel is a licensed attorney and partner at BakerHostetler, one of the country’s leading national law firms. Her credentials are grounded in her prosecutorial experience at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office, where she developed the investigative, trial, and constitutional law skills she now applies to complex civil and criminal defense matters. Her practice in state and federal courts across the country reflects active litigation credentials in multiple jurisdictions. (For Rachel’s complete academic and professional credentials, please visit her full biography at BakerHostetler’s website.)

• Recognition & Leadership

Rachel’s elevation to partner at BakerHostetler reflects her standing as an accomplished trial lawyer and her skill in handling high-stakes, complex matters in both criminal and civil forums. Her background as a Harris County prosecutor — one of the country’s largest and most demanding DA’s offices — equipped her with the trial experience, investigative knowledge, and courtroom confidence that define effective complex litigation advocacy. Her work in multidistrict litigation and extensive state investigations demonstrates the range and depth of her litigation capabilities at the national level.

• Professional Involvement

At BakerHostetler, Rachel handles criminal law matters, complex civil litigation, corporate investigations, and constitutional and statutory questions in courts across the country. Her prosecutorial background at the Harris County DA’s Office informs her understanding of law enforcement operations and investigation strategies — knowledge that has proven valuable in guiding clients through government investigations and multidistrict proceedings. Her practice reflects a commitment to practical, results-oriented advocacy for clients navigating complex legal challenges that intersect with business operations and constitutional rights.

• Experience

Rachel Palmer Hooper’s career moves from public prosecution at the Harris County District Attorney’s Office to complex civil and criminal defense practice at BakerHostetler, where she has developed a national litigation practice spanning criminal matters, multidistrict litigation, and constitutional and statutory disputes in state and federal courts across the country. Her Harris County DA experience gives her an insider’s understanding of how law enforcement and prosecutors approach investigations — a perspective she brings directly to bear in advising and defending clients who face government scrutiny. Her trial skills, honed in the demanding environment of a major metropolitan DA’s office, and her ability to translate complex litigation for juries reflect a practitioner whose value to clients comes from both technical mastery and courtroom effectiveness.

Stephen P. Halbrook, PhD, JD, Senior Fellow | The Independent Institute

Stephen P. Halbrook is one of the most accomplished Second Amendment litigators and scholars in American history. A Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and a member of the Virginia State Bar, D.C. Bar, and bars of all federal circuit courts and the Supreme Court of the United States, he has been engaged in civil litigation and criminal defense since 1978. He earned his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center (1978) and his PhD in Philosophy from Florida State University (1972), and served as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at George Mason University, Howard University, and Tuskegee University from 1972 to 1981. He has personally argued and won three landmark Supreme Court cases — Castillo v. U.S. (2000), Printz v. U.S. (1997), and U.S. v. Thompson/Center Arms Co. (1992) — and served as counsel for 55 Senators and 250 Representatives as amici curiae in D.C. v. Heller (2008). He is the author of nine books on firearms law and history, including America’s Rifle: The Case for the AR-15 and The Founders’ Second Amendment.

• Education & Credentials

Stephen holds a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center (1978) and a PhD in Philosophy from Florida State University (1972). He is admitted to practice in Virginia, the District of Columbia, all federal circuit courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States. He served as an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at George Mason University, Howard University, and Tuskegee University from 1972 to 1981, and is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute and a contributor to the Volokh Conspiracy. His nine books on firearms law and history — several of which have been cited by the Supreme Court in its major Second Amendment decisions — represent one of the most consequential scholarly records in the field.

• Recognition & Leadership

Stephen’s record of Supreme Court advocacy is without parallel in the Second Amendment field. He argued and won Castillo v. U.S. (2000), Printz v. U.S. (1997), and U.S. v. Thompson/Center Arms Co. (1992); served as co-counsel in Small v. U.S. (2005) and for the NRA in McDonald v. Chicago (2010); and represented 55 Senators and 250 Representatives as amici curiae in D.C. v. Heller (2008) — the landmark case establishing the individual right to keep and bear arms. Multiple of his books have been cited by the Supreme Court in its major Second Amendment decisions, including The Founders’ Second Amendment and Securing Civil Rights in both McDonald and Heller. His career represents a half-century of constitutional advocacy and scholarship at the highest level.

• Professional Involvement

Stephen is a Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, a contributor to the Volokh Conspiracy, and an active civil litigator and criminal defense attorney with bar admissions spanning all federal circuits and the Supreme Court. He has testified before U.S. Senate and House Committees on numerous firearms bills and on executive branch and Supreme Court nominations, reflecting his standing as one of Congress’s most trusted outside authorities on firearms law. His recent scholarly publications include articles in the Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy, the Wyoming Law Review, and the forthcoming Journal of Law and Civil Governance, demonstrating continued scholarly engagement at the highest levels of academic publication.

• Experience

Stephen Halbrook has been at the center of Second Amendment litigation, scholarship, and public policy for more than 50 years — longer and more consequentially than any other practitioner in the field. His career began with doctoral training in philosophy and a decade of university teaching before he earned his Georgetown Law JD in 1978 and entered civil and criminal practice. Since then, he has argued three landmark cases before the Supreme Court, represented congressional amici in D.C. v. Heller, co-counseled in McDonald v. Chicago, and authored nine books — many of which have been cited by the Supreme Court itself. His congressional testimony on firearms legislation and his recent publications on ATF regulatory authority, the Gun Control Act, and sensitive place restrictions reflect a practitioner and scholar who remains at the forefront of every significant development in Second Amendment law.

The Honorable Jesse F. McClure, III, Judge | Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

The Honorable Jesse F. McClure, III was appointed to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2020, Texas’s highest criminal court. From 2019 to 2020, he presided over the 339th District Court in Harris County, Texas. Prior to his judicial service, he served as a special prosecutor for the Texas Department of Insurance for more than seven years and as an assistant district attorney in Tarrant County for nearly 11 years. Judge McClure earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1994 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law in 1999. His career reflects a distinguished path through criminal prosecution, trial court adjudication, and appellate criminal jurisprudence on Texas’s highest criminal bench.

• Education & Credentials

Judge McClure earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1994) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Texas School of Law (1999). His legal career encompasses nearly 11 years as a Tarrant County assistant district attorney, more than seven years as a special prosecutor for the Texas Department of Insurance, and judicial service on both a Harris County district court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — Texas’s court of last resort for criminal matters.

• Recognition & Leadership

Judge McClure’s appointment to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in 2020 placed him on one of the most consequential criminal courts in the country — Texas’s highest court for criminal matters, which issues decisions affecting the rights and liberties of Texans across the state. His prior service as presiding judge of the 339th District Court in Harris County — one of Texas’s most active criminal district courts — reflects a judicial career built on strong prosecutorial foundations and a commitment to rigorous, principled criminal adjudication.

• Professional Involvement

Judge McClure has devoted his legal career to criminal law and justice administration in Texas, progressing from assistant district attorney to special prosecutor to trial court judge to appellate criminal jurist. His nearly 11 years at the Tarrant County DA’s Office and more than seven years as a special prosecutor for the Texas Department of Insurance gave him deep experience in both traditional criminal prosecution and specialized regulatory enforcement before his elevation to the bench. His perspective as a former prosecutor and current appellate judge on Texas’s highest criminal court makes him a uniquely authoritative voice on criminal law, judicial ethics, and the standards that govern the legal profession.

• Experience

Judge Jesse McClure’s career exemplifies the classical trajectory of prosecutorial experience to judicial leadership in the Texas criminal justice system. After earning his UT Law JD in 1999, he spent nearly 11 years as an assistant district attorney in Tarrant County and more than seven years as a special prosecutor for the Texas Department of Insurance, building a comprehensive record in criminal trial practice and regulatory enforcement. He was appointed to preside over Harris County’s 339th District Court in 2019 before his 2020 appointment to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — the state’s court of last resort for criminal matters. His philosophical undergraduate training at UNC Chapel Hill complements a legal career defined by disciplined reasoning, institutional integrity, and a deep commitment to the fair administration of criminal justice in Texas.

Francis G.X. Pileggi, Esq., Managing Partner | Lewis Brisbois

Francis G.X. Pileggi is the managing partner of the Wilmington office of Lewis Brisbois and co-chair of the firm’s Directors & Officers Litigation Practice, with a focus on high-stakes disputes involving corporations, shareholders, boards of directors, LLC members and managers, and other entity ownership and governance matters. He has also litigated groundbreaking Second Amendment cases and related constitutional issues in federal and state appellate courts on behalf of civil rights organizations, earning the Chief Justice William Killen Award for Distinguished Second Amendment Appellate Advocacy in both 2015 and 2019. He is the author of more than 1,000 published articles across corporate, commercial, legal ethics, and constitutional law topics; creator and maintainer of the Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog; and author of American Legal Ethics: A Retrospective from 1997 to 2018. In 2025, he was named Editor-in-Chief of the National Law Review’s new Delaware Corporate and Commercial Law Monitor.

• Education & Credentials

Francis is a licensed attorney in Delaware whose credentials encompass Delaware corporate and commercial litigation, Second Amendment appellate advocacy, and legal ethics scholarship. He has been asked to testify as an expert witness on Delaware Corporate Law and Delaware LLC Law, reflecting his standing as one of the leading practitioners in the state on entity governance and corporate disputes. One of his law review articles on corporate law has been cited by both the Delaware Supreme Court and the Delaware Court of Chancery, and a Delaware Superior Court opinion also cited one of his articles — a rare trifecta of citation across Delaware’s highest courts. His Annual Review of Key Delaware Corporate and Commercial Decisions — now in its 21st year — is described by a leading corporate law professor as the single most indispensable event of the corporate law year.

• Recognition & Leadership

Francis has received the Chief Justice William Killen Award for Distinguished Second Amendment Appellate Advocacy twice — in 2015 and 2019 — recognizing his litigation of groundbreaking Second Amendment cases on behalf of civil rights organizations. His Annual Review of Key Delaware Corporate and Commercial Decisions has been called the single most indispensable event of the corporate law year by a leading professor frequently cited in Delaware court decisions. In 2025, he was named Editor-in-Chief of the National Law Review’s new Delaware Corporate and Commercial Law Monitor. His law review scholarship has been cited by the Delaware Supreme Court, Delaware Court of Chancery, and Delaware Superior Court, and he is a recognized expert witness on Delaware Corporate Law and Delaware LLC Law.

• Professional Involvement

Francis is deeply engaged in the Delaware corporate law and Second Amendment appellate communities simultaneously — a combination that makes him one of the most distinctive practitioners in either field. He speaks regularly at seminars on corporate and commercial law, legal ethics, and constitutional law, and maintains the Delaware Corporate and Commercial Litigation Blog as a widely followed resource for practitioners and jurists. As Editor-in-Chief of the National Law Review’s Delaware Corporate and Commercial Law Monitor, he leads a new national publication platform for Delaware law. His more than 1,000 published articles reflect a prolific career as a legal writer and commentator whose work reaches across practice areas and audiences.

• Experience

Francis Pileggi has built one of the most distinctive legal careers in Delaware — simultaneously recognized as a leading corporate and commercial litigator, a consequential Second Amendment appellate advocate, and a prolific legal author and commentator. As managing partner of Lewis Brisbois’s Wilmington office and co-chair of its D&O Litigation Practice, he handles the most complex entity governance and corporate disputes in the Delaware courts, including before the Delaware Supreme Court and Court of Chancery. Alongside that practice, he has litigated groundbreaking Second Amendment cases in federal and state appellate courts, earning the Killen Award twice. His 21-year Delaware corporate law annual review, his 1,000-plus published articles, his Delaware blog, his expert witness service, and his new Editor-in-Chief role at the National Law Review collectively represent a career of exceptional output, range, and impact across the fields of corporate law, constitutional rights, and legal ethics.

SESSION 1 | 8:30am – 10:20am

Understanding the “Sensitive Places” Debate in Light of Wolford

Examines the constitutional framework governing firearm-free zones post-Bruen, analyzing historical precedent and fault lines driving current litigation to give practitioners a doctrine-grounded understanding of this actively contested Second Amendment area.

Speaker: Professor Mark W. Smith
Host, The Four Boxes Diner YouTube Channel
Distinguished Scholar and Senior Fellow of Law and Public Policy, Ave Maria School of Law

A Test Case, Like It or Not: Sonzinsky v. United States

Explores how the 2024 repeal of NFA transfer taxes has revived constitutional challenges, using Sonzinsky v. United States as the analytical foundation to help practitioners anticipate and assess future NFA litigationstrategy.

Speaker: John Frazer
Secretary, The National Rifle Association of America

Break | 10:20am – 10:30am

SESSION 2 | 10:30am – 12:15pm
The Second Amendment: Needed — A Long-Term Strategy for Congressional Enforcement

Argues that sustained Second Amendment protection requires deliberate legislative strategy beyond litigation, addressing the limits of court-centered approaches and the institutional mechanisms Congress can deploy to complement judicial enforcement of constitutional firearms rights.

Speaker: Professor Robert J. Cottrol
Harold Paul Green Research Professor of Law
George Washington University Law School

Infringing the Second Amendment by Abridging the First Amendment: Government Attacks on Speech about Arms

Examines how government actors have targeted Second Amendment rights through First Amendment suppression, surveying landmark cases including Smith & Wesson v. Mexico, Vullo II, and Junior Sports Magazines v. Bonta to map this emerging constitutional battleground.

Speaker: David Kopel
Attorney & Author
Research Director, The Independence Institute
Adjunct Scholar, The Cato Institute
Adjunct Professor, University of Denver, Sturm College of Law

SPECIAL LUNCH PRESENTATION | 12:15pm – 1:15pm

Why the Firearms Laws Are What They Are

Traces the historical, political, and constitutional forces shaping over 20,000 firearms statutes currently in effect, giving practitioners the contextual foundation needed for informed, sophisticated counsel at the intersection of constitutional rights and public policy.

Speaker: Jonathan S. Goldstein, Esq.
Goldstein Law Partners, LLC

SESSION 3 | 1:15pm – 2:50pm

The Lawyer’s Point of View: Lessons of the Biker Shootout in Waco, Texas

Analyzes the 2015 Twin Peaks shooting’s legal aftermath — including commingled evidence, mass arrest procedures, and civil liability — delivering practical lessons for attorneys in criminal defense, civil rights, and high-profile use-of-force tort matters. Speaker: Rachel Palmer Hooper Partner, BakerHostetler General Counsel, Republican Party of Texas

Break | 2:50pm – 3:00pm

Relief from Federal Firearm Disabilities

Details newly issued DOJ regulations governing relief from federal firearms disabilities, while examining the continued viability of as-applied Second Amendment challenges for practitioners representing clients with prior disqualifying convictions seeking restoration of their firearms rights.

Speaker: Stephen P. Halbrook, Ph.D.
Attorney & Author

SESSION 4 (Legal Ethics) | 3:00pm – 4:00pm

The Singularity Is Nigh: Artificial Intelligence and the Practice of Law

Addresses AI’s immediate impact on legal practice, covering competence requirements, confidentiality obligations, supervision duties, and candor to the tribunal, while previewing emerging disciplinary challenges attorneys will face as autonomous legal tools become standard professional instruments.

Speaker: Judge Jesse F. McClure, III
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

Break | 4:00pm – 4:10pm

SESSION 5 | 4:10pm – 5:00pm

State Constitutional Provisions and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Surveys state constitutional firearms provisions as independent and often broader rights sources than federal doctrine, offering a comparative litigation framework — anchored in Delaware’s 1987 right-to-arms provision — for structuring state constitutional claims in firearms-related matters.

Speaker: Francis G.X. Pileggi
Managing Partner, Lewis Brisbois