Michael Waldman

General Counsel

Michael Waldman is General Counsel at Democracy Forward.

Michael most recently served as Special Counsel for Oversight and Investigations at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.  In that role, he advised the Secretary on oversight matters and managed the department’s responses to congressional, Inspector General, GAO, and Office of Special Counsel investigations and inquiries.  He also oversaw compliance with congressional subpoenas and prepared department witnesses for congressional hearings and interviews. 

Prior to his government service, Michael spent over two decades as a litigation partner in private practice, first at the international law firm Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP and then litigation boutique Robbins, Russell, Englert, Orseck & Sauber LLP. He handled a range of criminal, civil and enforcement matters, including federal white-collar investigations, False Claims Act and qui tam lawsuits, debarment proceedings, bid protests, congressional investigations and complex commercial cases. He also conducted sensitive internal investigations and advised on compliance matters. In addition, he has argued numerous cases in the U.S. courts of appeals, including before the U.S. Supreme Court.  

Michael began his legal career clerking for the Honorable Robert Vance of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard College, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and magna cum laude.