Who is Barry J Pollack? Venezuela President's lawyer, who also defended Julian Assange

After learning about the capture, he told the US District Court that he would challenge the charges and the basis for his arrest.

Remember the lawyer who represented Julian Assange when the WikiLeaks founder faced the US ​Espionage Act charges? He has once again made headlines. This time for defending captured Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro.

Maduro, who the US did not recognise as Venezuela's leader since 2019, was captured by the US and charged for US drug trafficking.

Maduro appeared in the federal court in New York on Monday, and defending him was the noted Washington lawyer, Barry Pollack.

Who is Barry Pollack?

Pollack is one of the leading trial lawyers in the US, with a career spanning over three decades where he has looked into white collar crimes, commercial disputes, and more. His latest court appearance comes in the role of defending lawyer for the outstated Venezuelan president.

Career and cases

The lawyer has worked on notable cases and represented big names. After learning about Maduro's capture , he told the US District Court that he would challenge the charges and the basis for his arrest and look forward to filing "voluminous and complicated" motions on Maduro's behalf.

Earlier, Pollack represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. After fighting a long-running legal battle against extradition to the US, in 2024, Pollack saw Assange pleading guilty to one charge of espionage. The founder was released from prison after the US plea deal.

In another widely-known case, Pollack represented the chief defense counsel of the Guantánamo Bay Military Commissions, Brig. Gen. John Baker.

Notably, Pollack is associated with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, where he served as the president for the year 2016-2017.