Paul Harris
Vice Chairman and Executive Committee Member,
The Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership
State Advisory Board
Mr. Harris is a Partner in the Government Enforcement and Compliance Practice Group at the law firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, LLP (Washington, D.C. Office). He primarily represents corporate clients in their dealings with the United States government, including government investigations, enforcement proceedings, government inquiries and other public policy matters.
Prior to joining the law firm, Mr. Harris was Senior Counsel and Director of Enterprise Compliance at Raytheon Company – a Fortune 100 Company and the nation’s third largest aerospace/defense company. At Raytheon, Mr. Harris had primary responsibility for designing and implementing Raytheon’s corporate compliance program.
Mr. Harris joined Raytheon from the senior ranks of the United States Department of Justice, where he had served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division and later Deputy Associate Attorney General. Mr. Harris handled litigation under the Federal Tort Claims Act and assisted in the development of civil justice initiatives for the Bush (43) Administration. He also played a key role in administering the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Mr. Harris twice has represented Virginia Republicans as a delegate to Republican National Conventions, in 2000 and 2004. In 2000, he was the first prime-time speaker at the Philadelphia convention and, in 2004, served on the Republican Platform Committee, at the New York convention. In 2004, Mr. Harris presided over the Virginia Republican State Convention, as chairman. In 1998, he was appointed by the Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott to serve on the 19-member Federal Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce.
A native of Charlottesville, Mr. Harris served two terms in the Virginia House of Delegates (Fifty-Eighth District), representing the historical seat once held by Thomas Jefferson. With his election to the state House in 1997, Mr. Harris became the first black Republican elected to the Virginia General Assembly since 1891. He began his career as a lawyer with the law firm of McGuire Woods (Charlottesville Office).
A former Army paratrooper, Mr. Harris served four years on active duty as a Military Intelligence officer, including service in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division. He was a member of the Individual Ready Reserve for nine years and was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain.
Mr. Harris is a lecturer and author on government enforcement and compliance-related issues. Most recently, he authored “Procurement Fraud Enforcement: Implications for Corporate Compliance Programs,” published in ALM The Corporate Counselor, and “Culture of Privilege Waiver Compromises Corporate Compliance,” published in the Legal Backgrounder of the Washington Legal Foundation.
In June 2007, President Bush appointed Mr. Harris to represent the “public interest” on the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. Other activities include: Chairman, Americans for Prosperity (Virginia); Board of Directors, The Institute for Responsible Citizenship; and Board of Directors, George Washington Law Alumni Association. Mr. Harris received his law degree from The George Washington University School of Law in 1995. He earned his B.A. in Political Science from Hampton University, where he was student body president and student commander of Army ROTC, in 1986. In 1986, he received the George C. Marshall Leadership Award from the Virginia Military Institute. In 2006, he was honored by his alma mater as the “Outstanding Twenty-Year Alumnus.”
Biographical notes provided by the office of Paul Harris
