Rafi Prober and Miranda Dore Speak with NLJ on Representing Key Witness Before January 6 Committee Hearing

The National Law Journal has published the article “Akin Gump Lawyers on Representing an Ex-Oath Keeper, and the 'Jaw-Dropping' Revelations of the Jan. 6 Committee,” a Q&A with Akin Gump congressional investigations co-head Raphael Prober and associate Miranda Dore regarding the firm’s pro bono representation of Jason Van Tatenhove, who testified before the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6, 2021 attack on the United States Capitol.

On July 12, 2022, Van Tatenhove, accompanied by Prober and Dore, testified before the Committee in a televised hearing. Van Tatenhove, a former employee of the Oath Keepers, was not present nor involved in the January 6 attack, has not been involved with the organization for many years, but is now speaking out about the dangers posed by this extremist organization based on his firsthand experience.

“He [Jason] formerly had been an employee of the Oath Keepers. He was their national director of communications. So, this is a really complex thing with a lot of layers, but given where we are as a country, I really respect what he is doing now publicly to speak to the dangers that violent extremism and groups like the Oath Keepers pose,” said Prober. “It's a good reminder of the ability of people to change, the ability of people to be a force for good and the ability of lawyers to help in that process.”

Dore added, “It’s been a real honor for us and for me to connect with Jason. He’s taken ownership for his involvement in the Oath Keepers and he is very courageously speaking out now, in a lot of different ways, but certainly through his involvement with the committee. He’s speaking out to warn all Americans of the dangers that groups like the Oath Keepers pose to our democracy and to our everyday freedom.”

Commenting on the importance of the firm’s pro bono representation of Van Tatenhove, Akin Gump pro bono partner Steven Schulman said, “In times like these, when our country is facing a serious attack on its democratic foundations, pro bono representation is more important than ever. I am proud that we are representing Jason, providing him with the same high-stakes counseling we do to executives of Fortune 500 companies.”

Van Tatenhove was referred to the firm by Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection (ICAP), with which the firm has worked on a number of anti-militia and other pro bono matters over the past two years.