Holland & Knight has created a new National Security & Defense Industry Group according to a press release yesterday in response to growing client demand, rising global defense investments and a complex national security environment. Drawing on the Firm’s longstanding service to companies active in the defense, aerospace, government services, cybersecurity and technology sectors, the group’s mission will be to support clients that serve security and defense interests in the U.S., Europe, Latin America and elsewhere in the world.
The firmwide group will be led by Washington, D.C.-based partner and former General Counsel for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Jason Klitenic. In addition, the Holland & Knight group includes former members of the U.S. Intelligence Community; high-ranking federal law enforcement officers; officials from a variety of executive branch agencies, including the Departments of Defense, State, Justice, Homeland Security and Commerce; as well as former members of Congress and congressional staff who served on key committees. Importantly, numerous members of the group are military veterans, including those who served from the officer and enlisted ranks.
“In the many years that we have represented companies in the national defense and security sectors, we have built a substantial bench of premier practitioners across our geographic platform,” said Holland & Knight Chair and CEO Bob Grammig. “We are excited to bring all of our global resources – comprising a unique mix of first-rate legal capabilities, a robust public policy and federal lobbying practice, and trusted relationships with U.S. government officials and foreign partners – under the umbrella of this new group. Together, this multidisciplinary team will continue to help our clients advance their strategic objectives.”
The formation of the National Security & Defense Industry Group marks Holland & Knight’s seventh major industry group, alongside Energy & Natural Resources, Finance & Financial Services, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Real Estate & Hospitality, Technology & Telecommunications, and Transportation & Infrastructure. Holland & Knight’s industry group initiative, led by Dallas partner Michelle Suárez, is designed to devote significant resources to areas where the Firm has extensive and wide-ranging capabilities to provide an integrated approach that can best serve clients’ evolving needs.
“To confront emerging global threats, our clients are continuing to create and fund the development of innovative defense solutions that support the U.S. and its allies around the world,” said Mr. Klitenic. “Our group is distinguished by a shared commitment to helping these clients form successful partnerships with the federal government to effectively advance their initiatives and serve our country’s needs. Our team’s deep government connections in the U.S. and abroad, coupled with our Firm’s established reputation for collaborating with government policymakers and operators on meaningful issues, enables us to advise clients on the full spectrum of legal, political and operational issues in this space.”
Along with Mr. Klitenic, other leaders of the new industry group include: Robert A. Friedman, a Washington D.C.-based partner who co-heads the International Trade Regulation practice and is a former legal adviser at the U.S. Department of State; Mark Goldschmidt, a financial services partner in Denver who graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army; Megan Mocho, a litigation partner in Tysons, Va., who serves as co-chair of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Team and the False Claims Act Defense Team, conducting investigations for defense and intelligence community contractors; and Dan Sennott, a Washington D.C.-based partner and former Republican staff director for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services. Mr. Sennott served in the U.S. Army for more than two decades as an armor officer and a judge advocate, and his combat deployments included 14 months in Baghdad, Iraq, with the 1st Armored Division and 12 months in southern Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division.