Mr. Guzman received his B.S. in Economics from Louisiana State University and his J.D., cum laude, from Tulane Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Moot Court Board. Prior to joining the Office, he was the founding Legal Director of Democracy Forward Foundation, a Washington, DC public interest law firm representing non-profit organizations and local governments in regulatory and constitutional litigation. Before then, he served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Department of Justice, receiving numerous commendations and awards for his work. He started in the Civil Rights Division, as a trial attorney and then deputy chief, litigating and supervising the Department’s enforcement work in the area of equal educational opportunities in the K-12 and university settings. He then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington and Florida, litigating civil trials and appeals on behalf of the United States and a wide range of federal agencies.

In his final position in the Department, he served as Deputy Associate Attorney General, overseeing and advising the Department’s senior leadership on sensitive and complex matters arising in the areas of civil rights, environmental law, and federal programs. Before joining the Department, he worked in private practice, in the Washington office of Crowell & Moring LLP, focusing on complex civil litigation and developing a pro bono practice in educational access issues.

Mr. Guzman is a member of both the District of Columbia Bar and the Massachusetts Bar.