Colin McDonell

Colin joined FIRE after over 10 years of legal experience in government, private practice, and a public interest nonprofit. Colin spent much of his career as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, where he prosecuted federal crimes in the special victims section and represented the United States in criminal and civil cases on appeal. 

Prior to this, Colin was a litigation associate at the law firm Vinson & Elkins LLP, where he worked on investigations, criminal defense, and business litigation. He has also worked at the States United Democracy Center, where he assisted state officials in protecting elections, and served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Richard Clifton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Andrew Guilford of the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California.

Colin graduated from Stanford Law School, where he was executive editor of Stanford Law Review, and from Claremont McKenna College. He is licensed to practice law in California and Pennsylvania. 

Outside of work, Colin enjoys spending time with his wife and children, practicing several musical instruments, reading, traveling, and playing board games.