Ryan G. Ferguson advises clients on matters involving state attorneys general, government investigations and enforcement actions, regulatory compliance, enforcement actions, and complex litigation. His practice draws on nearly two decades of experience in private practice and at senior levels of state government. He brings to clients a deep, firsthand understanding of how attorneys general offices and law enforcement agencies operate—from the initiation of investigations and enforcement actions to multi-state processes, and interagency coordination.
Mr. Ferguson most recently served as Chief of Staff and General Counsel to Virginia Attorney General Jason S. Miyares, functioning as a trusted advisor on the most confidential and sensitive matters confronting the office and the Commonwealth of Virginia. In that role, he oversaw operational, administrative, and programmatic functions for Virginia’s largest law office - a 670-person agency with an $80 million budget. He directly managed the agency’s finance, human resources, information technology, operations, communications, and programs and outreach departments, ensuring organizational stability and continuity during periods of significant public scrutiny and complex operational challenges. Moreover, he managed the Office’s outside counsel program, overseeing the selection, appointment, and supervision of all special counsel engagements through which legal services were provided to agencies, public universities and employees of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Prior to serving as Chief of Staff and General Counsel, Mr. Ferguson held the positions of Director of Administration and General Counsel and, before that, General Counsel to the Office of the Attorney General. As General Counsel, he managed the Office of General Counsel and overhauled the agency’s FOIA compliance procedures and outside counsel billing operations, implementing standardized processes after identifying significant operational deficiencies. He provided legal counsel on a broad range of matters including legal ethics and professional responsibility, complex personnel issues, agency policy development, FOIA, and civil litigation involving the Office of the Attorney General. Mr. Ferguson also served as a member of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, contributing to the development and interpretation of Virginia’s open-government laws.
Before entering government service, Mr. Ferguson was a partner in a boutique litigation firm, where he maintained an active commercial litigation, white collar defense and trust and estate litigation practice. Mr. Ferguson has extensive jury and bench trial experience in state and federal courts, and he earned a reputation as a both a skilled litigator and a creative problem solver. Earlier in his career, he was an associate at one of Virginia’s largest law firms, where he maintained a robust commercial litigation practice. Mr. Ferguson began his legal career as a state prosecutor in one of Virginia’s largest cities, a role in which he prosecuted numerous felony and misdemeanor offenses as lead counsel in bench and jury trials, managing a caseload of approximately 150 matters per month.
A dedicated member of the legal community, Mr. Ferguson served for six years as a member of the Virginia State Bar Council, for two years as a member of the Virginia Bar Association’s Board of Governors, as a member of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council. Mr. Ferguson has served also served as an executive officer of his local bar association and has participated in a leadership capacity with multiple charitable organizations.