Richard M. Aborn

Richard Aborn is a managing partner of Constantine Cannon and has over two decades of experience in litigation, public and government affairs, program analysis, management, issue advocacy, and social sector enterprises. Mr. Aborn combines his experience as an attorney and years of experience in the public policy sector, with an emphasis on criminal justice and organizational integrity issues, to provide clients with a wide range of services.

Mr. Aborn advises police departments and criminal justice agencies in the United States and in Europe on a variety of issues ranging from police integrity issues to use of force policy to building more effective relationships between police departments and criminal justice agencies. Current projects include the Los Angeles Police Department, the Hartford Police Department, Transport for London, the MET Police, British Transport Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

Mr. Aborn also advises organizations in both the public and private sector on the best methodologies to control internal corruption.

Mr. Aborn previously served as the senior law enforcement advisor to the Democratic candidate for Mayor of New York in 2001. In that capacity, he was responsible for developing a comprehensive criminal justice policy for the City of New York. This policy included greater coordination of governmental agencies to focus on reducing recidivism, wireless technology for police officers, establishment of a 311 program, additional focus on firearms violence and a city based response to the terrorist attacks on 9/11.

Prior to that, Mr. Aborn was commissioned by the Office of the Public Advocate of New York City to conduct an investigation of the response of the New York City Police Department to civilian complaints of misconduct and its disciplinary system. This investigation included numerous recommendations to control police misconduct. He also investigated NYPD’s disciplinary decisions concerning officers involved with the fatal shooting of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed individual shot 41 times by police.

From 1992 to 1996, Mr. Aborn was President of Handgun Control, Inc., (now the Brady Campaign) the leading gun control advocacy organization in the United States. Mr. Aborn was one of the principal strategists behind the passage of the landmark Brady Bill and the legislation to ban assault weapons and large capacity clips. He has testified on Capitol Hill and in numerous state and local legislatures and worked closely with the White House, the Justice Department and the Treasury Department. As one of the chief spokespersons for Handgun Control, Mr. Aborn has appeared on numerous national and local television and radio shows.

As president, he was the senior management official responsible for day-to-day operations and fundraising and was charged with analyzing the strategy being used by the organization to achieve legislative victories and to implement whatever changes were required.

Concurrently, Mr. Aborn served as President of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, where he developed a program, now used by schools nationwide, to reduce gun injuries by working with the New York City public school system. He also established a research division at the Center to evaluate and supervise studies testing the impact of gun control legislation.

Previously, starting in 1979, Mr. Aborn was an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office where he prosecuted major felonies, including homicides. Upon leaving the District Attorney’s Office, Mr. Aborn started the law firm of Aborn and Anesi where he managed complex litigation representing victims of fraudulent activity on an international basis and assisted corporations seeking to eradicate internal corruption.

Mr. Aborn has lectured at the Law School of New York University, debated at the Yale Political Union, served as a Visiting Fellow at Columbia University and been a consultant to the Ford Foundation.

Mr. Aborn serves on the Board of Directors of many not-for-profit organizations, encouraging them to maximize their impact by developing substantive, measurable programs and by utilizing strategic skills to promote their issues.

Mr. Aborn is admitted to practice in New York; the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of N.Y.; and, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of N.Y.