Bill McCollum

Former Congressman Bill McCollum is a partner with Baker & Hostetler LLP with law offices in the firm's Orlando and Washington locations; he is a member of the firm's business group practicing in the federal policy area. Bill represented the people of Central Florida and the Orlando area in the United States Congress for twenty years, retiring from the House of Representatives in January 2001. Based on the wide array of non-legislative projects in which he became effectively involved and the broad range of legislative initiatives and accomplishments he amassed, The Almanac of American Politics described him as one of the most active and articulate Republicans in the House.

As Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, McCollum came to be known as the House of Representatives' foremost authority on crime. Also lauded as an expert on terrorism, he frequently engaged himself in activities and projects beyond the scope of his committee assignments. Bill founded the U.S. House Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare and chaired it for eight years. A veteran member of the Judiciary and Banking Committees, he developed expertise on numerous issues including immigration, bankruptcy reform, intellectual property and financial services regulation. Bill also served three terms on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, two of those terms as Chairman of its Subcommittee on Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence.

In the 101st, 102nd, and 103rd Congresses, McCollum was Vice Chairman of the House Republican Conference, one of five elected House GOP leadership positions. He was one of 15 Members selected to serve on the House Committee to Investigate the Iran Contra affair and served as one of the 13 House Managers in the impeachment trial of President Clinton. In 1992, he served as co-chair of the Republican Platform Committee.