First Wednesday Webinar: Military Commanders and the Law of Armed Conflict

Brigadier General Mark H. Clingan USMC Related Seminars and Products

Deputy Commanding General

Marine Corps Combat Development Command

Brigadier General Clingan currently serves as the Assistant Deputy Commandant to Combat Development and Integration and Deputy Commanding General of Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia.

Brigadier General Clingan enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve in 1989 and deployed to Operations DESERT SHIELD/STORM with the 4th Civil Affairs Group as part of the liberation of Kuwait in 1990-91.  After graduating from the American University with a degree in International Studies, he was commissioned on active duty as a second lieutenant in 1993 through the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

As an infantry officer, he has commanded at the platoon, company and battalion level, and was the commanding officer for The Basic School, responsible for the training and education of all newly commissioned Marine officers. He additionally served as the Assistant Division Commander of 3d Marine Division, headquartered in Okinawa, Japan.

He has numerous deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Pacific. 

He has a Masters of Military Studies from Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the Naval War College. 

Lieutenant Colonel Bret A. White Related Seminars and Products

U.S. Marine Corps Deputy Staff Judge Advocate, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command

Lieutenant Colonel Bret A. White is originally from Houston, TX.  He earned a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology from Texas A&M University and commissioned in May 2002.  Lieutenant Colonel White attended Seton Hall University School of Law, graduating in 2005.  He is licensed to practice law by the State of Texas and is authorized to practice in federal courts by the Southern District of Texas.  Lieutenant Colonel White reported to The Basic School, Quantico,VA, in March 2010.  He then completed the Basic Lawyer Course at the Naval Justice School, Newport, RI, in December 2010. 

Lieutenant Colonel White reported to the Law Center, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA, in January 2011 and served as a Defense Counsel, Marine Corps Defense Services Organization, NCR, from January 2011 – July 2012.  Lieutenant Colonel White deployed as an IA to the Office of the SJA, JTF-Guantanamo, aboard Naval Station Guantanamo, from September 2012 to March 2013 where he served as the Assistant OIC for the Legal Proceedings section.  Upon redeployment, Lieutenant Colonel White served as the Regional Review Officer for the Legal Services Support Section, NCR until June 2014. 

From June 2014 – July 2017, Lieutenant Colonel White served as the Deputy SJA of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command.  During that time, he deployed to Iraq as the SJA of Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Iraq, the first MARSOC-led CJSOTF.  Lieutenant Colonel White then served in a B-Billet for the following year, until July 2018, within the MARSOC G-3 directorate.  He was the Senior Information Operations Officer / Deputy STO Chief within the G-39, where he was responsible for the execution and integration of IO in support of training, exercises, and operations. 

             From 2016-2018, Lieutenant Colonel White completed the requirements to earn the MA in Diplomacy through Norwich University.  From 2018-2019, Lieutenant Colonel White attended the University of Nebraska College of Law where he earned an LLM in Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications Law.  Lieutenant Colonel White is enrolled in the Air War College distance program with a projected completion in 2022. 

             In May 2019, Lieutenant Colonel White reported to the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate, US Indo-Pacific Command where he serves in the Joint Operational Law Team.  His portfolio includes space, cyber, information operations (MISO, MILDEC, JEMSO), special operations, SAP/STO, and other sensitive operations.  He supports OPLAN development and Crisis OPG plans and operations. 

John M. Geiringer Related Seminars and Products

Partner, Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg LLP; Co-Director, Center for National Security and Human Rights Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Barack Ferrazzano LLP, Chicago

John is a nationally recognized banking attorney who advises financial institutions on regulatory, governance, and investigative matters. He regularly provides focused training sessions to boards and management on a wide range of legal and risk management topics. Working at the forefront of banking law and regulation, John is a thought leader in the field, primarily through teaching, writing, and frequent media interviews.

As the Regulatory Section Leader of BFKN’s Financial Institutions Group, John advises a wide variety of financial institutions around the country about the full spectrum of legal, regulatory, and supervisory issues that they face. He is a frequent speaker and author in the financial institutions area on issues surrounding banking regulations, examinations, and enforcement actions, as well as on cybersecurity.

John devotes significant time to anti-money laundering, counter-terrorist financing, and related national security issues. In this regard, he lectures and advises institutions around the country, engages with relevant organizations, and has published on the subject.

Prior to joining BFKN in 1999, John worked as a bank regulator and also as a compliance consultant. He served as legal counsel for the Illinois bank regulatory agency, now the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. John also obtained practical experience with respect to bank operations and compliance issues as a regulatory consultant with a regional accounting firm, performing compliance reviews and training for a variety of financial institutions.