Talk:Wiley Rein

creation

While I know we try to avoid creating pages about companies, I thought I would put together something brief on WRF since it was hyperlinked on Fred Fielding's page. Thoughts? --Jastcy 15:47, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

This is about perfect for a law firm stub, in my opinion. - BT 16:44, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

Proposed removal of COVID-19 / PPP content and SIGNAL Group / McBee Strategic Consulting content

• What I think should be changed (include citations):

In December 2014, Wiley acquired McBee Strategic Consulting, now known as SIGNAL Group, as a wholly owned subsidiary.[6] The firms operate separately, but in total they have over 275 legal, lobbying, and communications professionals, including more than 240 attorneys at Wiley Rein, and 40 advocacy and communications professionals at McBee Strategic.[citation needed]

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the company received between $5 million and $10 million in federally backed small business loans from City National Bank as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. The group stated it would allow them to retain 493 jobs. Peter Zeughauser stated in The Wall Street Journal that "it's troubling, and it's inappropriate" that large law firms took the loans, comparing it to other firms where partners reduced their pay; WSJ noted Rein and others have average partner profits above $1.2 million per year and make over $100 million per year.[7][8][9]

• Why it should be changed:

I propose removing the paragraph describing Wiley’s ownership of McBee Strategic Consulting (now known as SIGNAL Group). SIGNAL Group is no longer owned by Wiley, and the statement that it is a “wholly owned subsidiary” is no longer accurate. In addition, the paragraph contains unsourced numerical claims and detailed staffing figures. As written, the content appears outdated and misleading, and does not meet Wikipedia’s accuracy and verifiability standards.

As part of a broader effort to update the article for accuracy and encyclopedic focus, I also propose removing or substantially reducing the COVID-19/PPP subsection. The current language gives undue weight to a short-term, industry-wide issue and relies heavily on opinionated commentary rather than lasting significance to the firm’s history or notability. The inclusion of subjective criticism and income comparisons risks violating Wikipedia’s neutral point of view and undue weight principles, particularly in the absence of any demonstrated long-term impact on the firm.

Football789 (talk) 23:00, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Partly done Hi Football 789, thank you for the proposed edits. For the first topic change, I have removed the staffing figures and have updated the section to reflect that SIGNAL Group bought out Wiley's ownership stake here. For the second request, I think it would make sense to add more information regarding the firm's history, and while some editing may be helpful, I don't think wholesale removal is indicated. Spencer^T•C 17:43, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

References

Replace introductory section

• What I think should be changed (include citations):

Replace the information in the article information with the following:

Wiley Rein LLP, or Wiley, is a Washington, DC-based law firm, known for advising clients in matters of telecommunications, government contracts, international trade, national security, and election law, along with a range of other regulatory and litigation practices. Many of the firm’s attorneys and public policy advisors are former senior officials from the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in numerous federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, State, and Treasury; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Communications Commission; the Federal Election Commission; the Federal Trade Commission; and more.

History

The firm was founded in 1983 as Wiley, Johnson & Rein by Richard E. Wiley, former FCC Chairman, and Bert W. Rein, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs. After partner Philip Johnson’s departure, the firm operated as Wiley & Rein.

In 1986, the firm became Wiley, Rein & Fielding when Fred F. Fielding, former Counsel to President Ronald Reagan, joined the partnership. After Fielding’s return to the White House as Counsel to President George W. Bush in 2007, the firm revised its name to Wiley Rein LLP.

In 2011, Peter D. Shields was elected the firm’s new Managing Partner, succeeding Richard Wiley in that role.

In 2020, Wiley Rein announced a new brand identity and is now known as Wiley, with the firm’s legal name remaining Wiley Rein LLP. The firm relocated its office to 2050 M Street in Washington, DC, in 2021.

Partly done I made the final change based on the provided reference. I did not implement the other changes as reference were not provided for these. No explanation was provided for removal of current article content. Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

Pro Bono

Wiley has represented clients in numerous notable pro bono matters, including securing a unanimous, precedent-setting victory at the U.S. Supreme Court concerning the Double Jeopardy clause of the U.S. Constitution; negotiating a landmark healthcare-related settlement on behalf of inmates at a Virginia women's prison; successfully challenging censorship in North Carolina prisons on First Amendment grounds; advocating for differential pay for military reservists at the U.S. Supreme Court; and other landlord-tenant, asylum, and civil protection matters.

Wiley’s other charitable initiatives include participation in the Lawyers Have Heart 10K Race, 5K Run & Walk for the American Heart Association, and annual drives for numerous DC-area nonprofit organizations. Wiley is regularly ranked among the top 10 in the Washington Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy List (Midsize Companies by Giving in Greater D.C.).

 Not done While some of the case examples should be added to the article, some of the provided references are to Wikipedia articles that do not even mention Wiley (e.g. McElrath v. Georgia). Additionally, the proposed language is non neutral and not supported by private references: "Wiley is recognized for its tradition of service to the local community" (by whom?). I am unable to review the bizjournals reference as it is behind a paywall. Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

See updated citations above Football789 (talk) 21:07, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

See updated language above Football789 (talk) 21:08, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Recognitions

Chambers & Partners ranks Wiley in 14 practice areas, both nationwide and in Washington, DC, including government contracts, telecommunications, international trade, privacy and cybersecurity, litigation, white collar, False Claims Act, white collar defense, environment, insurance, food and drug, space law, and political law. In 2026, for the ninth time, Wiley received the Equality 100 Award by the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equity Index and, for the second time, was named as a Beacon of Justice Awardee by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association. In 2025, Law360 named Wiley among the nation’s top law firms in its Prestige Leaders list.

 Not done This reads as promotional language. Conversely, examples of key cases over time may be useful in the history section or in a separate section about key cases. Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

See updated language above aimed being more neutral. Football789 (talk) 21:21, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Notable Attorneys

• David A. Gross — Former U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy at the U.S. Department of State • Henry M. Rivera — Former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission • Diana Shaw — Former Acting Inspector General of the U.S. Department of State • Michael E. Toner — Former Chairman of the Federal Election Commission • Richard E. Wiley — Former Chairman, Commissioner, and General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission

 Not done All of the above references are to Wikipedia articles. Links can be used by using two brackets on either side: [[]]. Independent independent references from WP:reliable sources should be proposed instead. Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

See updated citations above Football789 (talk) 20:31, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

Notable Alumni

• Tyrone Brown — Former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission • Brendan Carr — Current Federal Communications Commission Commissioner appointed by Donald J. Trump • Fred F. Fielding — Former White House Counsel; former name partner of the firm; formerly served as Counsel to the President and as a Commissioner on the 9/11 Commission • Anna M. Gomez — Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission • Thomas B. Griffith — Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit • Scott S. Harris — Chief Legal Counsel of the Supreme Court of the United States; 20th Clerk of the Court • Sarah Isgur — Former spokesperson at the U.S. Department of Justice • Kevin J. Martin — Former Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission • Robert M. McDowell — Former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission • Julie Menin — Member of the New York City Council • Matthew S. Petersen — Former Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission • Margaret A. Ryan — Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces • Jim Slattery — Former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives

 Not done All of the above references are to Wikipedia articles. Links can be used by using two brackets on either side: [[]]. Independent independent references from WP:reliable sources should be proposed instead. Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

See updated citation for Anna Gomez above Football789 (talk) 20:33, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

External Links

Official Website

This is currently int he article. Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

• Why it should be changed:

As part of a broader effort to update the article for accuracy and encyclopedic focus, I propose updating the article. As written, the content appears outdated and misleading, and does not meet Wikipedia’s accuracy and verifiability standards. Additionally, many of the sections do not have current citations.

Football789 (talk) 23:34, 5 February 2026 (UTC)

Hi Football789, I am going to reply to you in-line for the above proposed changes. Overall, I recommend reviewing WP:RS for sourcing information, and using {{cite}} templates for references. Additionally, to facilitate quicker updates, small section changes are better rather than wholesale article changes, which can occlude details of which information is removed vs. retained. Best, Spencer^T•C 18:10, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

References

Add Anna Gomez to Notable Alumni Section

• Specific text to be added or removed: Anna M. Gomez - Member of the Federal Communications Commission
• Reason for the change: adding notable Wiley alumni
• References supporting change: https://www.nexttv.com/news/anna-gomez-officially-joins-fcc

Football789 (talk) 20:06, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

N Rejected: There is no guidance on what this isn't - only what it is (WP:WHOALUM). Alumni lists are common in college Wikipedia pages, but a law firm just doesn't cohere. Were these students who were in college at the time they worked here, or was this just another way of showing a list of former employees.  Spintendo  09:05, 17 June 2026 (UTC)

Add notice of Jon Burd's election as managing partner

• Specific text to be added or removed: In 2026, Jon W. Burd was elected the firm’s new Managing Partner, effective January 2027, succeeding Peter D. Shields in that role.
• Reason for the change: Jon Burd was elected as Wiley's Managing Partner, effective January 2027. He replaces Peter Shields in the role.
• References supporting change:

https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2026/01/20/wiley-names-next-managing-partner-for-first-leadership-change-in-over-a-decade/ https://www.law360.com/pulse/articles/2431940?ts_pk=a1888e3d-18f7-4edf-8eb5-45b73b9479a6&utm_source=user-alerts&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tracked-search-alert&read_main=1&nlsidx=0&nlaidx=0 Football789 (talk) 20:45, 27 May 2026 (UTC)

N Rejected: Law.com isn't really a high quality secondary source. That website is a place to network and headhunt. The first new managing partner in over 15 years may in fact be significant, but not outside the walls of the firm. Furthermore, the proposed text doesn't describe the firm's managing partner today, or even tomorrow. This change is 6 months in the future. Perhaps when this occurs in January 2027 we might include the mention (if its picked up by any mainstream news sources at that time). Regards,  Spintendo  09:32, 17 June 2026 (UTC)