RADICAL AUTHORITARIANISM IS GAINING A DANGEROUS FOOTHOLD IN OUR COURTS.

Carey R. Dunne

Founding Principal + Board Chair

Carey R. Dunne is a Founding Principal of Free and Fair Litigation Group and the Chair of its Board. Carey has had a nearly four-decade career as a prosecutor and defense attorney in senior levels of government and private practice.

Most recently, Carey was the General Counsel in the office of the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, where he led the criminal investigation of former president Donald J. Trump until Carey’s resignation from the case, alongside his colleague Mark F. Pomerantz, in February 2022.

In that role, Carey successfully argued Trump v. Vance before the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2020. The Court rejected President Trump’s claim of constitutional immunity, and ruled 7-2 that he was required to comply with a state grand jury subpoena for his tax returns. According to the New York Times, the opinion addressed “one of the most consequential prosecutorial decisions in U.S. history.” Carey also prevailed at oral argument in earlier stages of the case – twice in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, and twice in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

In the wake of the Supreme Court victory, the D.A.’s Office obtained millions of pages of tax records from President Trump’s accountants. Several months later, Carey was the lead attorney at the arraignment of the Trump Organization and its Chief Financial Officer upon a grand jury indictment for criminal tax fraud in connection with a 15-year scheme to avoid income taxes.

Previously, Carey spent 30 years specializing in white-collar criminal defense at Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he also sat for nine years on the firm’s three-person Management Committee and chaired its Litigation Department. He also served as the president of the 23,000 member New York City Bar Association, and as Chair of its Judiciary Committee. Carey has a long history of service on non-profit boards and to the New York State Courts; he currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Everytown Center for the Defense of Gun Safety. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and Harvard Law School.

Mark F. Pomerantz

Founding Principal

Mark F. Pomerantz is a Founding Principal of Free and Fair Litigation Group and member of its Board. Mark has a long history of service as a federal prosecutor, as well as in private practice at firms both large and small.

Most recently, he was sworn in as a Special Assistant District Attorney in February 2021 to help lead the investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance into the personal and business finances of former President Donald J. Trump. In that role, he developed evidence that led D.A. Vance in December 2021 to authorize a grand jury presentation that could lead to state criminal charges. Mark resigned from his position, along with his colleague Carey Dunne, two months later when D.A. Vance’s successor reversed that decision.

Previously, Mark served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1978 to 1982, and from 1997 to 1999, including as Chief of Appeals and the head of the Criminal Division. He has extensive experience as a white-collar defense specialist in private practice, including most recently at Paul Weiss, which he joined as a Partner in 2000. He also served as Chair of the New York City Mayor’s Commission to Combat Police Corruption and was previously on the faculty of Columbia Law School. Mark is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School, and he clerked for Judge Edward Weinfeld of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and Justice Potter Stewart of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Michele Roberts

Founding Principal

Michele Roberts is a Founding Principal of Free and Fair Litigation Group and a member of its Board. Michele is one of nation’s leading trial lawyers, and was the first woman to head a major professional sports union.

Most recently, Michele served as the Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association from 2014 until her retirement in 2022. In that role, she worked on behalf of NBA players to ensure their rights were protected and they were fairly compensated for the value they bring to the sport and their impact on the community.

Prior to joining the NBPA, she was a trial lawyer and Partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld and, more recently, a Partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, where her practice focused on complex civil and white-collar criminal litigation before state and federal courts and in administrative proceedings. Michele has tried more than 150 cases to jury verdicts, representing clients in a wide variety of areas, including products liability, white-collar defense, racketeering, securities violations, Title VII issues, and premises liability.

Earlier in her career, Michele served for eight years in the office of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where she was named Chief of the Trial Division. Michele is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and is a frequent lecturer and presenter to the bench and bar on a variety of topics related to litigation and trial practice. She taught trial advocacy as an adjunct member of the faculty at Harvard Law School, and as an instructor with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy.

Michele currently serves on the boards of Cresco Labs, The Marshall Project, The Bronx Defenders, and Wesleyan University. She is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Berkeley Law School.

Kevin Trowel

Principal

Kevin Trowel is a Principal of Free and Fair Litigation Group. He is a former federal prosecutor and seasoned trial and appellate litigator.

Most recently, from 2018 to 2023, Kevin served as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Appeals Section at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. In that role, Kevin argued more than 15 cases, and briefed more than 70, before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. From 2012 to 2017, Kevin served as a trial assistant in the Organized Crime and Gangs and Public Integrity Sections, where he investigated and prosecuted national and transnational crime. While at the Department of Justice, Kevin received the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service.

Prior to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Kevin worked as an associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell. He clerked for Judge Reena Raggi of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals and Judge Faith Hochberg of the District of New Jersey. Kevin's work has been published in the Georgetown Law Journal and Baylor Law Review. He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center; St. Antony’s College, Oxford University; and University of Maryland, College Park.

Martha Reiser

ASSOCIATE

Martha Reiser is an Associate at Free and Fair Litigation Group. She is a litigator with experience handling complex civil matters in state and federal court.

Most recently, from 2020 to 2023, Martha was a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. In that role, Martha represented clients in a range of complex commercial matters, including antitrust, securities, and tort actions. Martha also had an active pro bono practice representing low-income individuals in criminal and immigration matters.

Prior to Cravath, Martha clerked for Judge James K. Bredar of the District of Maryland. Before attending law school, Martha served in the New York City Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, where she was an editor of the Law Review, and Amherst College.

Danny Frost

Executive Director

Danny Frost is the Executive Director of Free and Fair Litigation Group. Danny spent the last decade leading communications on some of the most high-profile and consequential government investigations and courtroom victories in recent history, including Trump v. Vance and People v. Weinstein.

Most recently, Danny served as Senior Advisor and Director of Communications at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where he was the chief spokesperson and strategic advisor for the office of former District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. Prior to joining the D.A.’s Office, Danny was counsel at the New York City Campaign Finance Board, which administers the City’s landmark public matching funds program, prosecutes violations, and advocates nationally for campaign finance reform. Danny previously served as an associate at Hughes Hubbard and Reed LLP and as the Vice President of the Law School Democrats of America. He is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Tulane University.

Eryn Ament Bingle

Chief of Staff

Eryn Ament Bingle is Chief of Staff of Free and Fair Litigation Group. Eryn has 25 years of experience in public service and with non-profit organizations, serving in a variety of roles.

Most recently, Eryn was an attorney for the YWCA of Greenwich Civil Legal Clinic serving victims of domestic abuse; Special Counsel for Economic Development and Special Projects for Congressman Jim Himes (CT-04); and a victim-offender mediator in the Stamford and Norwalk Juvenile Courts. Eryn serves on the National Advisory Board for Public Service at Harvard College; the Advisory Board for the Dodd Center for Human Rights at UCONN; and the Board of Directors of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation. She is a past Co-Chair of the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee. Eryn began her career in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs. She is a graduate of NYU School of Law, where she was a member of the Law Review, and Harvard College.

Betsy Gell

Chief Philanthropy Officer

Betsy Gell is the Chief Philanthropy Officer of Free and Fair Litigation Group. Betsy has spent nearly 20 years working in major gifts development, fundraising for human service organizations, educational institutions, and advocacy campaigns. Her diverse experience includes strategic planning, capital campaigns, annual funds, event planning, and grant writing.

Most recently, Betsy spent seven years with the Development team at Sandy Hook Promise, where she helped to build a comprehensive major gifts department and supported the exponential growth of the organization and its fundraising capabilities. Prior to her time at Sandy Hook Promise, Betsy served as the Alumni Director at King School Stamford, as the Director of Individual Giving at Paul Newman’s SeriousFun, and as a development officer with the Harvard College Fund.  She is a graduate of Skidmore College.

Caitlyn Fowles

Director of Operations + Programs

Caitlyn Fowles is the Director of Operations and Programs at Free and Fair Litigation Group. Caitlyn brings more than a decade of experience in political, corporate, and consumer public relations and communications operations to the firm.

Prior to joining Free and Fair, Caitlyn was the Media Relations Specialist at the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, where she served as a spokesperson for the office's high-profile cases and departments, managed relationships with news outlets and journalists, led press conferences and events, supervised press officers and interns, and oversaw the Communications unit’s operations.

Before serving in government, Caitlyn provided strategic communications counsel across global clients including Samsung, Wolters Kluwer, and the American Institute of Architects. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.

Elena Kiam

Board Member

Elena Kiam is a member of Free and Fair's Board of Directors. She is co-owner of Kiam Equities, a diversified holding company of investments and operating companies.

After graduating from Harvard University, where she concentrated in architecture, Elena joined J.P. Morgan’s corporate finance department. During her 15 year tenure at Morgan, she spent the majority of her career in asset management, providing financial advisory services to companies and high net worth individuals. She also helped develop Morgan’s business footprint in the Western U.S. In 2000, Elena joined Kiam Equities to help manage and turn around Lady Remington Jewelry, a direct sales jewelry company. Elena was an integral part of the business management team that reorganized the company’s operational and financial models, as well as reshaped the company’s brand image, including changing the company name to lia sophia, after her two daughters. Because of these efforts, lia sophia became the leading direct seller of jewelry in the world, helping tens of thousands of women start their own independent businesses. With the growth of online retailing, in 2014 Elena oversaw the transition of lia sophia from a direct sales to an ecommerce business model. In addition, she is active in overseeing Cirrus Healthcare, a leading provider of ear care products. She is currently focused on building an innovative new brand focused on non-invasive headache prevention and care.

Elena serves on the boards of a number of charitable and civic organizations where she has headed investment, governance, development and audit committees. They include Dress for Success where she currently heads the worldwide board, the 92NY and the Nightingale-Bamford School. Elena has served as an Elected and College Director of Harvard University and is a member of the Harvard College Fund Executive Committee. She was appointed to the New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination in 2007. She also is active in mentoring female professionals and promoting financial literacy.

Tiffany Liston

Board Member

Tiffany Austin Liston is a member of Free and Fair’s Board of Directors. She is the Executive Director of Mobilization for Justice.

Prior to becoming Executive Director, Tiffany served as Mobilization for Justice’s Deputy Director, where she worked closely with the Executive Director overseeing program, development, and strategic organizational initiatives. Before joining MFJ, Tiffany was General Counsel and founding Chief Operating Officer for an education non-profit organization where she oversaw all legal issues, human resources, external relations, finance, and operations. Prior to that, Tiffany was a Litigation Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP where she managed a complex commercial case load, including government investigations. Prior to Simpson Thacher, Tiffany interned for Judge Lucy Billings, NY Supreme Court, and Mobilization for Justice, where she started her legal career. Tiffany is on the board of New York State Legal Services Coalition (NYSLSC) and is a former co-chair and member of the New York State Bar’s President’s Committee on Access to Justice. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Harvard College.

Robin Maxwell

Board Member

Robin Maxwell is a member of Free and Fair's Board of Directors. She practiced financial regulatory law at Davis Polk and Linklaters in New York and London for over thirty years, most recently as the head of Linklaters’ US financial institutions practice.

Robin served for several years on the board of the City Bar Justice Center, the pro bono arm of the New York City Bar Association, and currently serves on the boards of the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Haiti Cardiac Alliance, an organization focused on pediatric cardiac care in Haiti and the Caribbean region. Robin is a graduate of Wellesley College and Harvard Law School and, most recently, Columbia University, where she earned a master’s degree in English and Comparative Literature.

Sudip Thakor

Board Member

Sudip Thakor is a member of Free and Fair's Board of Directors. He is a senior financial executive with over 30 years of experience in asset management and global markets.

Sudip invests in and advises early-stage companies in the US and India, and advises funds and companies focused on providing innovative capital solutions in developing markets. Previously, Sudip was a member of the Asset Management and Fixed Income Operating Committees at Credit Suisse First Boston, where he ran various global businesses in Credit and Emerging Markets over 17 years. Sudip began his Wall Street career as a Derivatives specialist at Bankers Trust Company in New York, and has also worked in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mumbai.

Sudip enjoys teaching a course on Financial Markets and Sustainability at Cornell University, and serves on the Advisory Council for the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He mentors underserved high-school and college students through Student Sponsor Partners in NY, and Greenwich Alliance for Education in CT. Sudip received his BA in Economics from Cornell University and his MBA from Columbia Business School.