Trent Benishek

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Counsel Washington, D.C.
Trent J. Benishek is counsel in Weil’s Complex Commercial Litigation practice. He has served as a trusted legal advisor to senior government officials and corporate executives and has deep expertise in complex litigation, congressional and other government investigations, and crisis management. Leveraging a unique combination of high-level government and private sector experience, Trent frequently advises clients on matters at the intersection of law, public policy, politics, and strategic communications.

Most recently, Trent served as General Counsel to U.S. Senator Susan M. Collins and the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations—the largest committee in the Senate.  In those roles, he was involved in some of the most consequential legislative debates in recent memory and was a lead staff architect of numerous landmark pieces of legislation.  He spearheaded oversight efforts and served as a senior advisor to Senator Collins on a wide range of legal and policy issues.

Previously, Trent served as General Counsel of the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), a federal agency with more than 11,000 employees that is responsible for managing a real estate portfolio of more than 370 million square feet and over $75 billion in acquisitions annually.  He led a nationwide organization of approximately 165 attorneys and other professionals and directed all agency legal matters, including litigation, responses to congressional and inspector general investigations, and enterprise-wide compliance efforts.  He also served as GSA’s Designated Agency Ethics Official and Chief FOIA Officer.

Before his appointment at GSA, Trent served in the Office of White House Counsel as a Special Assistant and Associate Counsel to the President of the United States.  In that capacity, he defended the Executive Office of the President in some of the highest-profile and most contentious congressional investigations in history, advised senior officials on ethics and compliance issues, and charted strategy for litigation involving White House equities.  He also prepared Executive Branch officials for congressional testimony, briefings, and confirmation hearings and supervised inspector general, Government Accountability Office, and congressional oversight matters involving numerous federal departments and agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Energy, and Housing and Urban Development.

Before entering government service, Trent practiced law at another global law firm.  Earlier in his career, he served as press secretary on a successful campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives, where he coordinated earned media and messaging strategy, debate preparation, and policy development—experience that continues to inform his practical, communications-savvy approach to managing complex legal challenges.

Trent regularly represents clients in high-stakes litigation and sensitive investigations involving parallel civil, regulatory, congressional, and media exposure.  His representative litigation matters include:*

  • Representing a pharmaceutical company in multiple False Claims Act qui tam cases based on novel kickback theories;
  • Representing a large pulp and paper manufacturer in a series of lawsuits alleging that air emissions from the client’s facilities caused personal injuries and property damage;
  • Representing a financial institution in a series of lawsuits involving claims associated with residential mortgage-backed securities; and
  • Representing a sophisticated storage and security services provider in a federal jury trial that resulted in a favorable $4.7 million verdict.

Trent’s representative investigations experience includes:*

  • Representing a financial institution in investigations by the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee concerning alleged sales practices violations;
  • Representing a financial institution in investigations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau concerning certain products and sales practices;
  • Representing a health insurance company and government contractor in a series of House and Senate investigations concerning the Affordable Care Act;
  • Representing a Member of Congress in investigations by the Office of Congressional Ethics and the House Ethics Committee into alleged insider trading;
  • Representing a Big Four accounting firm in an investigation by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations into international taxation issues; and
  • Conducting an internal investigation into a professional services company’s compliance with government contracting requirements.

Trent received his J.D. from the William & Mary School of Law, where he served as an editor of the William and Mary Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif.  He received a B.A., with distinction, from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, with a triple major in political science, legal studies, and sociology.

For more than two decades, Trent has volunteered with American Legion Badger Boys State, a youth leadership and citizenship program, where he currently serves as the head of legal instruction.

* Includes matters handled prior to joining Weil.

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