Although Liz Huntley and Jack Sharman are officially the Independent Counsel to the CAC, the review is a team effort by Lightfoot lawyers who bring unique skills, diversified experiences, and different styles to bear on the task of helping the CAC carry out its duties as described in the Huntsville City Council Resolution.

Liz Huntley is a formidable lawyer and committed child advocate. She currently serves as Senior Counsel and Director of Community Relations and Engagement at Lightfoot. She regularly provides legal and consulting services to government and nonprofit agencies that serve children and families. As someone whose childhood in Huntsville was tainted by poverty and other challenges, Liz has become a well-known child advocate in Alabama. She serves on the Children’s Village Board of Directors, the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, the Auburn University Board of Trustees and the University of Alabama School of Law Board of Governors.

Jack Sharman bring decades of high-profile investigations experience to this review. He served as Special Counsel to the U.S. House Financial Services Committee for the Whitewater investigation involving President Bill Clinton. From 2016-17, Jack was Special Counsel to the Judiciary Committee of the Alabama House of Representatives for the impeachment investigation of Gov. Robert Bentley. (You can read the impeachment investigation report here). He leads Lightfoot’s White-Collar Criminal Defense and Corporate Investigations practice group. In that role, Jack guides corporations and individuals through business crises, civil and criminal white-collar prosecutions, and corporate internal investigations.

Before joining Lightfoot, Brandon Essig spent more than a decade in public service. He worked for nearly eight years at the Department of Justice. As an Assistant United States Attorney, he worked with federal and state law enforcement and also prosecuted corrupt police officials. He investigated and prosecuted a variety of crimes including public corruption, fraud, money laundering, violent crime, organized drug trafficking, environmental crimes, and child exploitation. Brandon was a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps prior to his work for the DOJ. His service included time as a prosecutor and ten months assigned to a Marine Corps infantry unit, including a seven-month deployment to Fallujah, Iraq.

Before he went to law school, Jay Sewell worked as a police officer and detective, graduating at the top of his class at the Northeast Alabama Law Enforcement Academy. During his time in law enforcement, he investigated a wide variety of cases including all manner of theft and fraud as well as violent crimes. With his unique background and specialized investigative skills, Jay understands the duties of and demands upon both the police officer on the street and the commander at headquarters.

As the second child of two Nigerian immigrants living and working in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Amaobi Enyinnia has always appreciated the perspectives of people from every walk of life. Since every review is different, he knows that finding the best answer to a problem requires knowing even the smallest details, understanding the needs and characteristics of all parties. and a willingness to work tirelessly toward the best solution. He makes it a point to remind us of what Theodore Roosevelt once said: “We cannot do great deeds unless we are willing to do the small things that make up the sum of greatness.”

Even during law school, Richard Rosario became intimately familiar with the challenges facing municipalities and the issues arising from the criminal justice system. He worked with the Federal Public Defender in Nashville and helped challenge Tennessee’s lethal-injection protocol. He also worked at Nashville’s Metropolitan Legal Department and at the Nashville Public Defenders where he successfully argued multiple motions and represented his clients in hearings. At Lightfoot, he practices white-collar defense, conducts investigations, and handles product liability and medical malpractice matters.

Click here to read complete biographies of each attorney.