MICHAEL R. MCLEOD
PARTNER
Michael R. McLeod has been in practice since 1967,
with the exception of a period in 1968 when he was
called to active duty in the Army National Guard. He
has specialized in food, agricultural and derivatives law and
legislation. He is known nationwide as an expert in the field. As the
counsel and legislative representative of many of the nation's top
food and agricultural organizations, he has written and spoken
extensively in matters relating to derivatives and agricultural law.
Mr. McLeod served for ten years as a key staffer in the U.S. Senate,
the last four as General Counsel and Staff Director of the Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry.
In 1978, he moved to the private sector and now serves as counsel
to some of the nation's top food and agribusiness trade associations.
He also represents agribusiness corporations, food companies, and
the crop insurance industry as well as financial services
organizations before Congress and federal agencies.
His extensive knowledge of the legislative process and his years of
experience on Capitol Hill enhance his role in the firm's government
relations practice. He has successfully assisted various trade
associations to develop promotion and research programs for such
commodities as dairy, beef, mushrooms, soybeans, avocados, and
eggs.
Another area of his practice is the representation of companies and
trade associations in the derivatives and futures industry. His interest
in this area began with the creation of the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission in 1974 during his first year as General Counsel
and Staff Director of the Senate Committee, and continued with his
representation of the Chicago Board of Trade when he began private
practice in 1978. It continued until it was acquired by the CME
Group in 2007.
The Great Recession of 2008 was caused by the failure of the
derivatives industry to observe adhere to the principles of fair and
open trading that were established in The Commodity Futures
Trading Commission in 1974. He also did pro bono work in assisting
Congress in passing the derivatives title of the Dodd-Frank legislation
CONTACT INFORMATION
mmcleod@mwmlaw.com
tel: (202) 842-2345
fax: (202) 408-7763
PRACTICE AREAS
- Agricultural Legislation and Farm
Policy
- CFTC – Futures and Derivatives
Regulation
- Company, Trade Associations and
Coalition Representation
- Government Relations
- Regulatory Problem Solving
- US. Department of Agriculture
Agencies and Programs
EDUCATION
- A.B., University of Georgia
- J.D., American University
ADMISSIONS
- District of Columbia Bar
- United States Court of Appeals for
the District of Columbia Circuit
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- American Bar Association
- Bar Association of the District of
Columbia
in 2009-2010. Subsequently, he served as a representative of the
Futures Industry Association.
FORMER JOBS/POSITIONS HELD
Mr. McLeod began his career as Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator
Herman Talmadge. He then served as Counsel to the Senate
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry from 1971-73, and
later as General Counsel and Staff Director to that same committee
from 1974-78.
During his first year on the committee staff, he was assigned to lead
the staff of the Rural Development Subcommittee, chaired by former
Vice President Hubert Humphrey. This resulted in a strong bond of
friendship and admiration with Senator Humphrey. The committee
produced the Rural Development Act of 1972.
He was also active in legislation to regulate pesticides when the
Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970, and in
subsequent years.
Thereafter, his work included legislation for the creation of the
Commodity Futures Trading Commission in 1974. He also drafted
legislation for the regulation of pesticide use and registration. He led
the policy work and drafting of the National Forest Management Act
of 1976. It was the result of a joint committee markup of the Senate
Agriculture Committee and the Senate Interior Committee. Mr.
McLeod played a major role in the drafting of legislation for the
1977 Farm Bill and he has been extensively involved in every
subsequent farm bill as a private sector lawyer.
In 1977, he worked with the Senate Rules Committee and staff on a
revision of the Standing Rules of the Senate. This revision included
his idea that Senate committees should be required to include a
regulatory impact statement in the committee reports that
accompany the bills that are reported from their committees. While
this provision still exists as paragraph 11(b) of Rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, it has not been effective. This is
because it does not have an effective enforcement mechanism.
Committees are allowed to waive this requirement, or (in most cases)
they do not provide a detailed analysis of the regulatory impact.
His work on the Senate Agriculture Committee staff assisted
Chairman Talmadge in claiming important jurisdiction beyond farm
programs. The committee asserted itself in approving important
school lunch and food stamp legislation as well as forestry
management legislation. In the 1977 Farm Bill, this established the
precedent of combining the food stamp programs with farm bills.
The committee was renamed the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry. All of these areas are within his expertise. PUBLICATIONS
Mr. McLeod published one of the nation's top websites
www.agriculturelaw.com for several years. He has previously
authored various articles in journals such as Top Producer,
Successful Farmer and Farm Futures, and the Agricultural Law Letter.
Currently, his hobby is in writing books. Some of these do not
involve either law or public policy. However, he is currently
involved in writing a book that includes both – the need for
common sense at the Federal and local levels of government.
He has enjoyed lecturing at the Russell Library at the University of
Georgia. His comments at the Library are included in the document
that can be found at the following link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwppxAmVFMGU1BZQVNNTlZ1a28/view?usp=sharing